Toyota has been slow in adopting EVs; the bZ4X is the only current model. But the Japanese brand has big plans for EV battery tech, and Toyota may be poised to become a dominant player in the EV space.
What will that future look like? Toyota is previewing it with two new concepts at the Japan Mobility Show. There's no electric pickup yet. But one of the two concepts definitely looks like an electric Supra.
Meet the Toyota FT-Se Concept
Toyota calls the FT-Se its "high-performance sports BEV." It looks like a concept version of an electric Supra and carries GR branding like the GR Supra and GR86 sports cars. It shares a platform with Toyota's other EV concept being revealed, the FT-3e crossover.
Toyota described the concept as having "wide and low proportions" to reduce drag. One of the significant innovations with Toyota's next-gen battery pack will be reducing the height of battery packs for better aerodynamic efficiency.
The Toyota FT-Se has a yoke
The FT-Se concept uses a yoke-like steering apparatus. Toyota has been a proponent of this design with EVs. The Lexus RZ offers one with its steer-by-wire technology. And the related Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra have cockpits that look like they were designed for one.
The FT-Se features a driver-centric layout with the instrument display low and recessed and two screens flanking the steering apparatus to the right and left.
The FT-Se concept also offers knee pads
Toyota says the FT-Se Concept has "newly designed knee pads" that "protect the driver from G-forces during driving."
Will Toyota's electric sports car get a manual?
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda confirmed in June 2023 that he had driven a prototype for a GR electric sports car and that it had featured a manual transmission with a clutch. Lexus's electric LFA successor has also been linked with having a manual transmission.
When will Toyota's electric sports car arrive?
Toyota has not announced when it will produce an electric sports car. The FT-Se concept looks a ways off being a production car. And we expect Toyota will prioritize more mass-market projects like the three-row SUV and electric pickup. Toyota is supposed to roll out its next-gen EV battery and platform technology in 2026, which could be when we see the sports car.
