Toyota Reveals Electric Pickup and Land Cruiser SUV That May Be Built In Kentucky

By Gary Gastelu |

Oct 21, 2023

Toyota is planning to start building electric vehicles in Kentucky in 2025 and it may have just revealed what they’re going to be.

The automaker has released images of two concepts that will make their public debut at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show.

The first is a pickup called the EPU (Electric Pickup?), which is about the size of a Ford Maverick and features a configurable bed that can be stretched into the cabin. The tip of its tailgate can also be flipped up when it’s open to create a brace for long cargo.

Toyota hasn’t announced technical details, but the interior features a yoke-style steering wheel, like the one currently offered in the bZ4X in some countries, suggesting it is equipped with a steer-by-wire system.

TOYOTA SWITCHING TO TESLA’S CHARGING TECH IN 2025

The other vehicle is the Land Cruiser Se three-row SUV, which Toyota says can be used on-road or on “rough terrain.”

Toyota has previously said that the first vehicle set to be built at its Georgetown, Ky., factory will be a three-row SUV, so it’s possible that the Land Cruiser Se is a preview of it.

If Toyota were to sell an electric pickup in the United States, it would have to be built in North America, both to avoid the “Chicken Tax” on pickups and to qualify for federal electric car tax credits.

Given the EPU’s similarity in size to the Land Cruiser Se, it’s likely they will share a platform, the way the Rivian R1T pickup and R1S SUV do, and would be built alongside each other at the same facility.

THE TOYOTA TUNDRA 1794 LIMITED EDITION IS A VERY TEXAN TRUCK

More information on both models should be on the way when the Japan Mobility Show kicks off on October 26.

REVIEW: THE 2024 LEXUS TX IS A TEXAS-SIZE SUV