With a new lineup of electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrid (PHEV), hybrid, and EV models, Toyota is swinging for the fences. By offering every powertrain option, Toyota believes it has a better chance of hitting a home run. Will it hit it out of the park, or is Toyota setting itself up for a swing and a miss?
Toyota bets on new PHEV, hybrid, and EVs for growth
Toyota is the king of hybrids. When you see a Prius, you immediately recognize the brand. That’s because the compact hybrid has been around for over 25 years now.
As the industry shifts toward cleaner, more efficient options, Toyota is banking on PHEVs to drive growth. Plug-in hybrids are not a new thing for Toyota. The first Prius PHEV was introduced in the US in 2016.
Between Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles, the Japanese automaker offers 32 “electrified” cars in the US, which it claims to be the most of any automaker. In the first quarter, Toyota sold 112,608 electrified vehicles, accounting for nearly 50% of sales.
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Over the next few years, the company anticipates a substantial increase in demand for plug-in hybrid vehicles in the US.
2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV (Source: Toyota)
In a recent interview with CNBC, David Christ, Vice President of Toyota Motor North America, said the company will “grow our PHEV volume through the lineup over the next few years.”
Sources claim that Toyota plans for PHEV sales to account for around 20% of US sales by 2030, up from the current 2.4%.
2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV (Source: Toyota)
To boost the appeal, Toyota is “working to increase, perpetually increase, the amount of miles you can drive on EV-only range,” Christ explained.
The updated PHEV version of its best-selling RAV4, introduced last week, has 50 miles EV range. Although that’s up from 42 miles in the outgoing model, will it be enough?
2026 Toyota C-HR electric SUV (Source: Toyota)
Christ compared Toyota’s upcoming “electrified” lineup to having bases loaded in a baseball game. “We’ve got ICE. We’ve got hybrid. We got plug-in hybrid. We got EV,” he told CNBC, adding “So, our chances of being successful in scoring runs is just a lot better than if you’re really overly committed to any one of those power trains.”
Like a handful of other automakers, Toyota believes PHEVs will act as a “bridge” to 100% electric vehicles, but they also have some major drawbacks.
2026 Toyota Woodland electric SUV (Source: Toyota)
Since PHEVs are essentially a combination of an EV and a gas-powered vehicle, they require both technologies, which is significantly more costly. Toyota’s plug-in models cost thousands more than its hybrid or gas-powered vehicles.
The 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV ($44,265 MSRP) costs nearly $15,000 more than the base gas model and $12,000 more than the hybrid.
2026 Toyota C-HR electric SUV (Source: Toyota)
While it ramps up PHEV volume, Toyota has a handful of new EVs set to launch in the US. The updated bZ electric SUV (formerly known as the bZ4X) will arrive at US dealerships later this year, featuring increased range, new styling, and an NACS port to access Tesla Superchargers. In 2026, Toyota will launch the smaller C-HR and rugged bZ Woodland electric SUVs.
Electrek’s Take
Will Toyota’s big bet on hybrids and PHEVs pay off? With so many EVs hitting the market, which are much more advanced and efficient, it could be a big swing and a miss for Toyota.
Several Japanese automakers, including Nissan and Honda, are also banking on hybrids and PHEVs over the next few years.
Nissan believes its third-gen e-Power hybrid system will be its saviour, but it will likely be too little, too late, with BYD and other Chinese EV leaders rapidly launching more affordable, efficient tech and vehicles.
Since Toyota is already ahead of the game with several PHEV models on the market, it won’t be as costly, but it’s still delaying the inevitable.
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Credit where credit is due: in a massive, 32-car multinational independent test, Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS came out on top, the new affordable Tesla turns out to be a corner-cutting Model Y, and one of the company’s original founders compares the Cybertruck to a dumpster. All this and more on today’s episode of Quick Charge!
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Tesla is again teasing the new Roadster, which is now five years late, as “the last driver’s car” before self-driving takes over.
The chicken or the egg. Is Tesla delaying the Roadster to match the development of self-driving technology, or is it delaying the development of self-driving technology to match the delayed release of the Roadster?
The prototype for the next-generation Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, and it was initially scheduled to enter production in 2020; however, it has been delayed every year since then.
It was supposed to achieve a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.
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It has become a sort of running joke, and there are doubts that it will ever come to market despite Tesla’s promise of dozens of free new Roadsters to Tesla owners who participated in its referral program years ago.
Tesla used the promise of free Roadsters to help generate billions of dollars worth of sales, which Tesla owners delivered; however, the automaker never delivered on its part of the agreement.
Furthermore, many people placed deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to reserve the vehicle, which was initially scheduled to hit the market five years ago.
When unveiling the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk described it as a “halo car” that would deliver a “smack down” to gasoline vehicles.
That was almost eight years ago, and many electric hypercars have since launched and delivered this smackdown.
Tesla has partly blamed the delays on improving the next-gen Roadsters and added features like the “SpaceX package,” which is supposed to include cold air thrusters to enable the vehicle to fly – Musk has hinted.
Many people don’t believe any of it, as Tesla has said that it would launch the new Roadster every year for the last 5 years and never did.
Now, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s head of vehicle engineering, made a rare new comment about the next-generation Roadster during an interview at the X Takeover event, an annual gathering of Elon Musk cultists, last weekend.
He referred to Tesla’s next-gen Roadster as the “last best driver’s car” and said that the automaker did “some cool demos” for Musk last week:
We spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car. We’ve been making it better and better, and it is even a little bit more than a car. We showed Elon some cool demos last week and tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.
We suspected that the comment might be about the Tesla Roadster, as the CEO made the exact same comment about Roadster demos in 2019 and 2024. You will not be shocked to hear that these demos never happen.
Electrek’s Take
The “last best driver’s car” before computers are going to drive us everywhere. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you continue to delay the car. It might literally be the last car ever made that way. How would we ever know?
The truth is that the Roadster was cool when it was unveiled in 2017, but that was a long time ago. Tesla would need to update the car quite a bit to make it cool in 2025, and I don’t know that cold air clusters are it. You will have extreme limitations using those.
The Roadster is almost entirely in the “put up or shut up” category for me at Tesla. They need to stop talking about it and make it happen; otherwise, I can’t believe a word.
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The PV5 is already available in several markets, but will Kia launch it in the US? After Kia’s electric van was spotted testing in the US again, a US debut could be in the works.
Is Kia’s electric van coming to the US?
Kia launched the PV5, the first dedicated electric van from its new Platform Beyond vehicle (PBV) business, in South Korea and Europe earlier this year, promising it will roll out in “other global markets” in 2026.
Will that include the US? Earlier this year, Kia’s electric van was caught charging at a station in Indiana. Photos and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen confirmed it was, in fact, the PV5.
Kia has yet to say if it will sell the PV5 in the US, likely due to the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs. All electric vans, or PBVs, including the PV5, will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea, which means they will face a stiff 25% tariff as imports.
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Following another sighting, a US debut cannot be ruled out. The PV5 Passenger model was spotted by Automotive Validation Engineer Chris Higa (@Chrisediting) while testing in Arizona.
There’s no denying that’s Kia’s electric van, but it doesn’t necessarily confirm it will launch in the US. But it could make sense.
Despite record first-half sales in the US, Kia’s EV sales have fallen significantly. Sales of the EV9 and EV6 are nearly 50% less than in the first half of 2024.
To be fair, part of it is due to the new model year changeover, but Kia is also doubling down on the US market by boosting local production. Earlier this year, Kia said the EV6 and EV9 are now in full-scale production at its West Point, GA, facility.
The PV5 Passenger (shown above) is available in Europe with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, rated with WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant has the same battery options but offers a WLTP range of either 181 miles or 247 miles.
During its PV5 Tech Day event last week, Kia revealed plans for seven PV5 body types, including an Open Bed (similar to a pickup), a Light Camper, and even a luxury “Prime” passenger model.
Kia PV5 tech day (Source: Kia)
Kia is set to begin deliveries of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo Long variants in South Korea next month, followed by Europe and other global markets, starting in Q4 2025. As for a US launch, we will have to wait for the official word from Kia.
Do you want Kia to bring its electric van to the US? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.