Toyota shows it's serious about EVs at Japan Mobility Show

TOKYO — Toyota's newest electric concept cars — headlined by a sexy orange sports coupe and a sleek, silvery futuristic crossover — aim to convince a chorus of critics that the world's biggest automaker is now serious about electric vehicles and has a killer product pipeline in the offing.

The FT-Se sports coupe and the FT-3e crossover, unveiled Oct. 25 at the Japan Mobility Show, anchored an exhibit of EVs of all shapes and sizes from Toyota.

Featuring improved batteries and cutting-edge production techniques, such as giga casting that's key to the company's EV catchup plans, the concept cars highlight Toyota Motor Corp.'s efforts to overhaul its electric business. This kicks off with a new generation of dedicated EVs slated to launch starting in 2026 and designed to take on rivals such as Tesla.

"We're also acutely aware that [battery-electric vehicles]... [are] the missing piece in this strategy," Simon Humphries, chief branding officer, said in a preshow briefing about the automaker's redoubled focus on EVs.

FT in the FT-Se name stands for Future Toyota, while Se stands for Sports Electric.

The sexy concept car sports an inverted, ultralow nose and scoop-like side vents framed by dynamic vertical headlamps running down the front fender. A low beltline reflects Toyota's next-generation lithium ion battery technology that packs more power into thinner modules. The rear gets a ducktail spoiler like the Toyota Supra and a black-and-red Gazoo Racing badge.

Meanwhile, the No. 3 in the FT-3e concept's name is derived from three key breakthroughs Toyota aims to reveal in its next-generation EVs — no compromises between design and performance, a synergy between digital and hardware technology and unprecedented levels of customization.

The sleek FT-3e previews a modern crossover with a curved roofline, creased sheet metal and funky, futuristic wraparound illumination front and rear.

Digital displays running from the lower body side and up the door deliver information, such as battery state of charge and interior temperature, as a driver approaches the vehicle.

The FT-Se and FT-3e were flanked on all sides by a gallery of electric concept cars, including two seemingly geared toward the U.S. market — a double-cab truck called the EPU and a Land Cruiser variant called the Land Cruiser Se.

The handsomely minimalistic Land Cruiser Se is a seven-seater that builds on the gasoline-powered, body-on-frame Land Cruiser lineup with an all-electric monocoque update.

Toyota wants to sell some 1.5 million EVs globally in 2026 and grow that to 3.5 million EVs in 2030. About 1.7 million of that 2030 volume will be its next-generation EVs, the automaker said.