- Toyota is moving away from confusing bZ branding toward familiar nameplates like Highlander.
- Dual-motor AWD setup positions the three-row Highlander EV as a performance family SUV.
- Design language borrows from the rakish 2021 bZ Large SUV concept.
If you spotted that mysterious teaser video Toyota dropped on social media last week (the dark silhouette with the cryptic "Something new is on the horizon" caption), you can stop speculating.
It's the Highlander EV, and Toyota has now confirmed what was lurking in that shadowy reveal.
Ditching bZ, embracing the familiar
This is significant. Toyota's decision to call its new three-row electric SUV the "Highlander" instead of slapping another awkward bZ designation on it signals a real shift in strategy.
The bZ4X naming confused buyers who simply wanted something straightforward and reliable as these are the traits Toyota buyers have long valued. By bringing the Highlander nameplate into the EV lineup, Toyota is saying: this is a proper family SUV, just electric.
The Highlander EV will carry dual-motor all-wheel-drive hardware, a nod to performance-minded buyers who still want three-row seating and practical family transport. That's not a contradiction, as it's Toyota acknowledging that electric SUVs don't have to be stripped-back economy machines. They can be sporty.
Design borrows from bold concepts
The design language draws heavily from the bZ Large SUV concept unveiled in 2021, which means a rakish, futuristic profile with a coupe-like greenhouse that's a departure from today's more conventional Highlander.
It's still unmistakably a three-row family haulier, but with the kind of proportions that make it feel contemporary and spirited rather than boxy and utilitarian.
Full specifications and the complete reveal will reportedly arrive shortly. Expect detailed powertrain data, battery capacity (likely larger than the 74.7kWh found in the bZ), and a range estimate.
Toyota's EV strategy is maturing fast,moving names closer to what buyers actually recognise, and designs closer to what makes them want to look twice. The Highlander EV is proof of that shift.