Toyota FT-3e electric SUV concept unveiled

Toyota has previewed its second electric SUV, the FT-3e concept, which was unveiled alongside the FT-Se sports car concept at the Tokyo motor show. The FT-3e previews a sharply styled five-seat 4x4 with a design language that builds on the Toyota bZ4x.

Toyota FT-3e SUV design

Toyota says its eye-catching design has been created with the help of AI to make it "as simple as possible", with clean, aero-optimised lines and a prominent belt line in the same vein as the Land Rover Defender. It will also feature a bumper-width rear light bar, squared-off panelling and a new alloy wheel design in the same colour as the bodywork.

Elsewhere on the outside, digital displays run from the foot of the wheel arch up towards the door mirror, which provide information such as battery charge state, cabin temperature and air quality, when the driver walk up to the car. It also gets its own light pattern along the door sills, which is expected to be unique to Toyota's electric SUVs.

Toyota FT-3e SUV platform 

The car sits on the same underpinnings as the FT-Se concept, which allows for a “low centre of gravity” without sacrificing range, performance or – especially important for an SUV – interior space.

Twinned with the Lexus LF-ZL concept, the FT-3e is 5,300mm long, 2,200mm wide and 1,700mm tall, with a huge wheelbase of 3,350mm in order to maximise interior space.

Speaking at the launch, Toyota CEO Koji Sato said that thanks to this platform, the brand’s next generation of cars was going to focus on both “a low centre of gravity and a spacious interior”, something that, he says, “was not possible in the past”.

This push for a lower centre of gravity to optimise its aerodynamics, and therefore an increased range, comes from Toyota’s next generation of battery technology. The firm said reducing the height of the battery is a key factor for improved efficiency as this in turn allows for a lower, more aerodynamic design that reduces drag.

Toyota FT-3e SUV features

According to the company, the vehicle has been designed as a "lifestyle partner" to make the driver's life as "stress-free" as possible. The vehicle also allows them to adapt the ride quality to their preference and find out information about their local area via the infotainment screen. This makes it a "one-of-a-kind cherished vehicle".

An array of apps will “transform” the use of the car, from the ability to do your shopping (details were scarce, but it was hinted that you could buy items ahead of time and pick up on arrival) to using vehicle-to-grid technologies to push extra electric charge back into the grid when plugged in.

Details such as range are still unknown, but the firm is developing a next-gen lithium-ion High Performance battery pack offering 621 miles (around 994km) of range to replace the Performance battery in the line-up. It will also be 10 percent cheaper to produce, Toyota said.