Toyota Highlander returns in a fully electric version
Toyota confirmed the return of the Highlander, but in a completely new format. The 2027 model will be a fully electric three-row SUV.
What is known
The full premiere will take place on Tuesday, but the new teaser already provides important hints. The 11-second video shows the Highlander signs, as well as the BEV and AWD branding. This means we are looking at an all-wheel-drive electric vehicle with a likely two-motor powertrain.
Earlier, Toyota published teasers with outlines of the rear of the car and a view from the third row, confirming it is a large SUV. Now its final name has also become clear – Highlander.
It was assumed that the production version would be released under the name bZ5X, and judging by the renderings, the concept and the new Highlander are the same car. This also indicates Toyota's shift away from the naming system of bZ and BZ in favor of traditional model labels.
This approach is already being used by other automakers. For example, Volkswagen uses familiar names like Polo and Tiguan for their future electric vehicles. For Toyota, this is particularly logical given the tepid market reaction to the bZ4X.
Using the Highlander name simplifies the task: selling an electric vehicle with a well-known name is noticeably easier than promoting a completely new abbreviation – even if the new SUV is technically and conceptually almost unrelated to the original model.
Details about the new electric Highlander will become known very soon.
Source: Toyota
