Toyota Confirms Limited Production Of Electric RAV4 And Scion iQ In 2012
by: Zach McDonald Hybridcars.com
Toyota’s chief executive in the United States confirmed last week that electric versions of the Scion iQ and the Toyota RAV4 will enter the production cycle in 2012. The two electric vehicles have been promised for a couple of years, so hitting the delivery dates on time is good news. The bad news is how tentative the production numbers will be.
Toyota Motor Sales president and chief operating officer, Jim Lentz, told reporters at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that both the electric iQ minicar and the battery-powered RAV4 SUV will be small-scale production vehicles and used to “gauge consumer preferences, usage patterns and daily requirements.” In other words, Toyota will continue to sit on the sidelines and study EVs, while Nissan (and others) aim for the biggest possible volume for its electric vehicles.
Lentz also confirmed that the Toyota RAV4 EV will have a range that exceeds 100 miles. It will become the only all-electric SUV available in the US when it hits dealerships-mainly in California-later this year. The second-generation RAV4 EV is also Toyota’s first fully-electric vehicle sold in the United States since it halted sales of the legendary old-school RAV4 EV in 2003. This time around, Toyota will team up with the startup EV-maker Tesla for design and production of RAV4′s drivetrain. Tesla’s Roadster and forthcoming Model S are both capable of ranges well in excess of the 100-mile barrier other fully-electric consumer vehicles have failed to break.
Lentz said the electrified Scion iQ will have a range of 50 miles or less, and that the minicar will be a fleet-only vehicle. It’s expected that most of the 100 or so Scion iQ EVs will be sold to car-sharing programs in urban areas in the US. According to Lentz, gauging consumer preferences means that Toyota will “test” both electrified vehicles for three years, at which point the automaker will determine whether or not the technology is ready for mass production.
Pricing information for both vehicles is still unknown.
