The electric vehicle (EV) market is ever-changing, and Toyota hasn’t managed to keep up effectively, still grappling with this transition. The company has historically expressed doubts about the rapid adoption of EVs and, although it was somewhat justified in its cautious viewpoint regarding a market downturn, the global shift toward all-electric vehicles continues to accelerate. Consequently, Toyota must adapt, albeit more slowly than anticipated. According to a report from Nikkei, the timeline for their U.S. EV production has now been postponed by several months.

Originally, Toyota intended to produce a new three-row all-electric SUV at its Lexington, Kentucky plant by the close of 2025. However, these plans have now shifted, and production is slated to kick off in early 2026 instead. A different all-electric SUV is expected to begin production later in 2026 at a facility in Princeton, Indiana, where Toyota has committed $2.7 billion to enhance these plants. Furthermore, plans for a Lexus model to be manufactured in the U.S. by 2030 have reportedly been canceled.

Nikkei states that this delay is attributed to adjustments in the electric SUV’s design, prompted by a decrease in overall EV sales in the U.S.

A new battery plant in North Carolina is set to open in 2025, aimed at supporting future EV production for Toyota, with aspirations of achieving an output of 1.5 million EVs worldwide by the end of 2026. Toyota also plans to launch up to seven fully electric models in the U.S. by 2026, but production won’t begin until that year. Currently, the automaker offers only one Toyota EV and one Lexus EV in the U.S., specifically the Toyota bZ4X and the Lexus RZ 450e SUVs. It’s expected that the forthcoming five electric vehicles will primarily be larger SUV models, along with a probable addition of an electric Tacoma pickup in the U.S. market in the future.