Toyota confirms its sleek electric Sport Crossover made with BYD is launching in 2025
Toyota unveiled its slick electric Sport Crossover concept for the first time in Europe on Monday. The new fastback EV, made with China’s BYD, will launch in 2025.
Toyota confirms Sport Crossover EV is launching in 2025
Toyota first revealed the electric Sport Crossover in April at Auto Shanghai. The crossover offers a different option to the growing number of SUVs with a distinct fastback style.
The new crossover EV will be a “style hero,” according to Toyota. The brand says it will offer an “attractive proposition” for first-time EV buyers.
With five doors and plenty of space for rear passengers and cargo, the concept offers a “stylish alternative” to SUVs.
Toyota initially presented the vehicle based on a reboot concept. The idea is to create a change of pace as soon as you get in. The company said it would include an active, iconic style with functions aimed at creating a “personal space” for younger buyers.
The electric Toyota Sport Crossover is made through a joint venture with China’s leading EV maker, BYD (BYD Toyota EV Tech Co).
Toyota and BYD have already launched a co-developed EV, the bZ3, in China. The electric sedan is based on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform, the same used for its bZ4X electric SUV. However, BYD supplies its Blade LFP batteries, electric motor, and control system.
The new EV concept will likely feature a similar setup. Toyota confirmed the electric Sport Crossover will be one of five new EVs launching in Europe by 2026.
Earlier today, we covered Toyota’s Urban SUV Concept, which will kick off the offensive next year. The new electric SUV will be Toyota’s cheapest EV set to compete against the Volvo EX30 (see our review), Hyundai Kona electric, Jeep Avenger, and others in a growing segment.
Toyota’s Sport Crossover will rival Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 in the fastback EV segment. Both electric models will join Toyota’s EV lineup in Europe over the next two years.
By 2026, Toyota expects 20% of European sales to be all-electric. That would be over 250,000 vehicles annually. The automaker says a diverse portfolio will help propel it toward complete carbon neutrality by 2040.
Electrek’s Take
Toyota has teased several new EV concepts, vowing to increase range and cut costs over the past few years. However, all the brand has to show is the bZ4X based on its e-TNGA platform, the same one used for the Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ.
Toyota recently unveiled a series of innovations, including a dedicated EV platform, next-gen batteries, and manufacturing upgrades to improve range while cutting costs.
Until we see more, it’s hard to get excited about another new concept. The Sport Crossover concept is sleek and offers a good alternative to SUVs, but it will need to be at the right price. It will also need to be competitive in range.
Based on its comments, Toyota is targeting younger buyers. Millennials and Gen Z are some of the most likely to buy EVs, but affordability and range are big considerations for these groups.
We’ll learn more about Toyota’s new EVs early next year as we get closer to launch. Check back for the latest.
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The India-flagged oil tanker Desh Ujaala is pictured in the Gulf waters near Al-Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT), about 50 kilometres offshore of Iraq’s southern Faw peninsula, on August 5, 2025.
Hussein Faleh | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him New Delhi will stop buying oil from Russia, though the move will take time.
“[Modi] assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop.” Trump said at the press briefing in the Oval Office. “Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.”
He added that Washington was unhappy with New Delhi’s purchases of Russian crude because it allowed Moscow to continue waging its “ridiculous war” in Ukraine.
However, the U.S. president also said that the halt will not be immediate, and there will be “a little bit of a process,” without giving a clear timeline.
India’s external affairs ministry said Friday that the country’s oil import decisions are driven by efforts to protect consumers by ensuring stable energy prices and securing supplies.
The ministry’s priority was to “safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
He added that India’s import policies are guided “entirely” by that goal.
Jaiswal said that India has sought for years to expand energy trade with the U.S. “This has steadily progressed in the last decade,” he said, adding that “the current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.”
India and Russian crude
India’s imports of Russian oil have been a sticking point in the relationship between Washington and New Delhi. Trump slapped additional tariffs of 25% on India back in August, raising the total levy to 50%, while India has called out the U.S. for its trade with Russia.
“If India doesn’t buy [Russian] oil, it makes [ending the war] much easier,” Trump said. “They assured me within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia, and they will go back to Russia after the war is over.”
On Thursday, Brent crude futures climbed 0.82% to $62.43 a barrel by 10:31 p.m. ET, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 0.89% to $58.79.
India is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil. Data from research firm Kpler shows Russia exports about 3.35 million barrels of crude per day, with India taking about 1.7 million and China 1.1 million.
New Delhi has defended those purchases, with Energy Minister Hardeep Singh Puri telling CNBC in July that New Delhi helped stabilize global energy prices and was encouraged by the U.S. to do so.
“If people or countries had stopped buying at that stage, the price of oil would have gone up to 130 dollars a barrel. That was a situation in which we were advised, including by our friends in the United States, to please buy Russian oil, but within the price cap,” Puri said.
Russian sales of crude oil have been placed under a price cap by the G7 nations and the European Union since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
That price cap, set at $47.6 per barrel, aims to limit Moscow’s revenue from oil exports, constricting the country’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine.
Kia is about to go on the offensive. The automaker plans to nearly triple electric vehicle production in Europe within the next two years as it introduces the new EV2 and EV4.
Kia doubles down on EV2 and EV4 production plans
With the EV2 and EV4 joining the lineup, Kia will offer an electric vehicle for nearly everyone. The EV2 is Kia’s smallest, most affordable electric car, set to sit below the EV3.
Despite its compact size, Kia said the EV2 will “redefine urban electric mobility” with a flexible interior, its latest connectivity tech, and more.
According to Kia’s CEO, Ho Sung Song, the company plans to build about 100,000 EV2s at its Zilina plant in Slovakia.
“The average annual production of the upcoming EV2 is expected to reach around 100,000 units at the Zilina plant in Slovakia in 2027,” Song told Automotive News Europe earlier this month.
Kia is also scaling up output of its first electric hatchback, the EV4. By 2027, Kia plans to build over 80,000 EV4s at the Zilina plant. If you add in the EV4 Fastback or sedan models built in Korea, “the EV4’s combined global production is expected to reach approximately 100,000 units,” Kia’s CEO said.
Song explained that Kia aims to produce 100,000 EV2 and EV4 models globally each year, as this volume will be high enough to make them profitable.
The new production target is considerably higher than what Kia Europe CEO Marc Hedrich told Automotive News Europe in August.
Hedrich said that combined EV2 and EV4 production could account for 10% and 20% of the output at the Zilina plant in 2026, adding that a production goal of 20,000 to 30,000 EV4s “would certainly make sense” next year.
Officials from Kia Europe explained that production plans shifted after the EV4 received better-than-expected feedback following its launch in August.
Kia began EV4 production on August 20, marking a milestone as its first EV built in Europe. Kia is investing €108 million ($125 million) in the Zilina plant to produce the EV2 and EV4. The EV2 will join in 2026.
The facility has the capacity to build 320,000 vehicles, but Kia said output could be expanded to 350,000 with overtime.
Kia has yet to reveal final specs, but given the EV3 is about 4,300 mm (169.3″) in length, the EV2 is expected to be slightly smaller at around 4,000 mm (157″). That’s about the size of Hyundai’s entry-level EV, the Inster, at 3,825 mm (150″) in length.
Like the EV9 and recently launched EV5, Kia’s compact electric car features a more upright, crossover-SUV-like design.
Although Kia’s overall sales are down 3% in Europe through August, EV sales are up 56% to 71,179. The EV3 is driving growth as Kia’s second-best-selling vehicle behind the Sportage and as the seventh best-selling EV in Europe. Through the first eight months of 2025, Kia sold 45,269 EV3s in the region.
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Honda’s electric SUV was the third most popular EV in the US in August, behind the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Offering over $12,000 in average incentives, the Honda Prologue scored big as buyers rushed to claim the federal EV tax credit.
Honda Prologue registrations surge with huge incentives
As the $7,500 credit expired at the end of September, automakers were offering pretty notable discounts, many in the five digits with combined incentives.
The Honda Prologue has been one of the most discounted EVs over the past few months. Last month, buyers could score up to over $20,000 in combined savings, including a $7,500 credit, $9,500 in financing bonuses, trade-in offers, and 0% interest for six years.
According to the latest registration data from S&P Global Mobility (via Automotive News), the incentives helped propel the Honda Prologue to become the third most popular EV in August.
A total of 138,457 EVs were registered in the US in August, up 24% from a year ago. Honda Prologue registrations surged 81% to 9,005 vehicles, the data showed.
Since some automakers don’t report monthly or US sales numbers, the S&P Global Mobility data offers a snapshot of sales performance.
The Prologue was yet again one of the most discounted models, with incentives of $12,704 in August, according to Motor Intelligence. Last August, Prologue incentives were just $5,813. Honda’s gas-powered CR-V had just $2,016 in incentives in August.
Although the $7,500 credit expired on September 30, Honda is still offering generous incentives for Prologue buyers and lessees.
The 2025 Honda Prologue is available with up to $16,550 in lease cash in most states. Alternatively, Honda is offering 0% APR financing for up to 60 months.
2025 Honda Prologue trim |
Starting Price* | EPA Range (miles) |
| EX (FWD) | $47,400 | 308 |
| EX (AWD) | $50,400 | 294 |
| Touring (FWD) | $51.700 | 308 |
| Touring (AWD) | $54,700 | 294 |
| Elite (AWD) | $57,900 | 283 |
Although the Acura ZDX will not return for a 2026 model year, Honda is planning to launch the 2026 Prologue. We have yet to learn prices, but we could see it priced slightly lower due to the loss of the $7,500 EV credit.
Hyundai announced earlier this month it’s reducing 2026 IONIQ 5 prices by up to nearly $10,000 on some trims. The 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5 now starts at under $35,000. Will Honda match it?
Want to check out the Prologue for yourself? You can use our link to find available Honda Prologue models in your area (trusted affiliate link).
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