Toyota FT-3e concept teases future flagship electric SUV
Production version of new FT-3e concept could serve as a Polestar 3 rival and big brother to the mid-size Toyota bZ4X
The new Toyota FT-3e concept has been unveiled at the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show and could pave the way for a flagship electric SUV to rival the BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace and the forthcoming Polestar 3.
The FT-3e concept measures 4,860mm long, 1,955mm wide and 1,595mm tall, and has a wheelbase of exactly 3,000mm. If those dimensions are anything to go by, a road-going descendant would be roughly the same size as those potential rivals we listed, not to mention longer and wider than the existing Toyota bZ4X mid-size electric SUV.
The front end of the FT-3e is an evolution of the bZ4X’s design, although to our eyes the show car bares a closer resemblance to the Jaguar I-Pace from a few angles. The Toyota has a fairly muscular stance and short overhangs to maximise interior space, plus a split roof spoiler like the one of the Lotus Eletre. Of course, this wouldn’t be a flagship EV concept car without some full-width light bars, which can be at the front and rear.
The FT-3e’s interior is fairly restrained by concept car standards, but there’s enough screens dotted around to make your eyes go square. In addition to the typical digital driver’s display and large central touchscreen, there are two smartphone-style screens on either side of the steering wheel, plus two more at the base of the windscreen to relay the feed from the digital side mirrors. It looks like the FT-3e also gets a head-up display, and even more information projected onto the dashboard.
Other than the dimensions, no technical details have been released about what lies behind the bold angular bodywork of the FT-3e. All Toyota has said is that the FT-3e shares some major competents with the FT-Se two-seat sports car concept also unveiled in Tokyo.
We suspect the two, or the production versions that they’re teasing, will use the new modular electric-car architecture Toyota is sharing with its premium sister brand Lexus. They could also utilise the next-generation of Toyota’s battery technology, with the brand currently developing three new types of battery, including ‘performance’ and ‘high-performance’ lithium-ion packs that it claims could offer up to 497 and 621 miles of range respectively in the right EV.
Toyota is planning to launch 30 new all-electric vehicles by 2030, with the first featuring its next-generation batteries due to arrive in 2026.
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