The sleeping EV giant awakes? Toyota Urban SUV Concept targets Kia EV2, BYD, MG and other cheaper electric cars and crossovers for world dominance

Toyota has just unveiled what may be its most significant electric vehicle (EV) to date – the Urban SUV Concept.

To debut in production form in the first half of next year, the battery-powered small SUV is set to be one of the company’s bestselling electric cars globally, with Australia likely in the mix as well.

Exactly when that will happen is anybody’s guess, as Europe is the priority region given Toyota’s need to provide vehicles in markets with stringent low-carbon requirements in place.

But the Urban SUV Concept – will it be called the bZ2X? – is exactly what Toyota needs to take on the coming cavalcade of compact electric crossovers, including ultra-keenly-priced Volvo EX30 arriving soon as well as the highly-promising Kia EV2 also slated for 2024.

Dimensionally, the boxy Toyota is about the size of Australia’s bestselling small SUV, the MG ZS EV, measuring in at 4300mm in length, 1820mm in width and 1620mm in height. This also makes it slightly larger than the highly-successful Toyota Yaris Cross but a tad smaller (though taller) than the brand’s coming C-HR.

More Toyota EVs are on their way as well, including larger crossovers, sedans and SUVs, though – and this is straight from the horse’s mouth – the production version of the Urban SUV Concept will be the cheapest EV that the brand offers.

Two battery sizes will be offered, including one that is sure to be smaller than the 71.4kWh pack offered in the bZ4X.

“The new vehicle will be the most compact and accessible in a planned six-model dedicated BEV line-up and will compete in the B-SUV segment, which Toyota predicts will be one of the largest markets for BEVs in Europe,” according to Toyota.

“In Europe, Toyota plans to introduce six dedicated BEV models by 2026. A diverse portfolio of electrified products will help propel Toyota Motor Europe towards its goal of exclusively offering ZEVs by 2035 and reaching complete carbon neutrality by 2040.”

A dedicated EV with no internal combustion engine options, the Urban SUV Concept is based on a scaled down version of the company’s modular Electric Toyota New Global Architecture (e-TNGA) underpinning its first production EV, the bZ4X midsizer that’s finally launching locally in February next year.

The battery-powered small SUV is set to be one of the company’s bestselling electric cars globally.

As such, it will be available in single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive guises.

Two battery sizes will be offered, including one that is sure to be smaller than the 71.4kWh pack offered in the bZ4X to help keep pricing competitive, though what they are and what their chemistry will be remains a secret.

In fact, no other information is forthcoming at this stage, as Toyota prepares its EV launch blitz next year.

It will be available in single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive guises.

So, why is the Urban SUV Concept so important?

As we said, it is gunning for the heart of the growing small SUV market worldwide, giving Toyota a strong presence.

Considering the company’s seemingly-endless resources and commitment to electrification, it also stands to achieve in that EV segment what the original Toyota RAV4 did in the nascent compact SUV class exactly 30 years ago.

The Urban SUV Concept demonstrates Toyota’s intentions to dominate the EV market.

Additionally, as a reaction to widespread criticism of being “anti-EV” and dragging its feet while rivals like Hyundai and Kia lead the charge, the Urban SUV Concept – more than any other of the myriad EV concepts unveiled over the past few months - demonstrates Toyota’s intentions to dominate the EV market in the second half of this decade worldwide.