This week, Toyota told investors it wants to make an electric racing car in three years. Even though it didn’t say how the speed EV will look, it’s likely to look like one of Toyota’s beautiful EV concepts. The sports car was shown for the first time at Toyota’s Fiscal Year 2023 event. At the same time, plans for ten new EVs sold in the US and China in 2026 were also shown. They will cover many markets, such as small cars, luxury cars, commercial vehicles, and the hobbyist market. The vehicle’s blurry silhouette doesn’t tell us much about its shape, but Toyota’s past electric vehicle prototypes give us a good idea of what to expect. Toyota showed off the Lexus Electrified Sport concept at the end of 2021. It was called the “successor” to the electric LFA, which made it sound like it would be made in large numbers. The design study said that the Car could go from 0 to 60 mph in less than two seconds and go 435 miles on one charge. It also had a uniform length from front to back. Toyota’s plan to use solid-state batteries, which have yet to be tested, could push the start date well past 2026. Instead, Toyota may keep a well-known name like the Celica for its upcoming electric sports car. In 2021, it was said that the name was being thought about for a high-performance electric car that was starting to be made. Toyota has a new CEO who has clarified that he wants to bring back the Celica. The news source that broke the Celica story also mentioned a Supra EV, a possible choice. Best Car said in January that Toyota plans to replace the GR Supra with an electric car in 2025. Sources say the first model won’t be a two-plus-two but a two-seater with a mid-engine. That makes me think of the Toyota mid-engine concept car, which was once considered to be a hint at a new MR2. (It is now believed to be a small car with a 1.0-liter engine.) Surprisingly, Best Car talks about the LFA substitute above and says that an electric version will be available a few years after the hybrid model. It’s hard to think that the Supra could be turned into a two-seater, but the Supra would make a better halo car than the Celica, even though the Celica was the original inspiration for the Supra. No matter what it’s called or how it looks, we can be sure that it’s happening and that we’ll find out more soon.
