[bsa_pro_ad_space id=14]
A wild report suggests Toyota could be considering a revival of the Tarago nameplate in 2023 for an electric people mover, falling under its new BZ zero-emission sub-brand.
The Toyota Tarago people mover could make a return in 2023 with electric power, a new and so-far-unsubstantiated report out of Japan suggests.
Japan’s Best Car cites “sources at Toyota-affiliated shops [i.e. dealers] in the Tokyo area” for the claim, stating that the “brand power” of the Estima name – the badge worn by Australia’s Tarago in its home market of Japan – would be used to gain wider appeal and “market it as a mass-market electric vehicle”.
While the claim is theoretically feasible, revealing product plans unveiled by Toyota last week – which preview the Japanese giant’s electric car line-up between 2022 and 2030 – made no mention of the rumoured electric Tarago successor, casting doubt on the Best Car report’s validity.
The publication’s claims also represent the first whispers of such a model being on the cards. Toyota is yet to confirm the rumours.
However, despite sliding people mover sales in Australia, Toyota markets eight people mover nameplates in Japan – three of which earned spots on the Top 10 sellers list for the first half of 2021 – so an all-electric option for emissions-conscious buyers would be a logical addition.
The reborn Tarago would fall under Toyota’s new BZ electric vehicle sub-brand, Best Car says – likely branded as the BZ Estima in Japan, eschewing the alphanumeric BZ4X designation worn the BZ brand’s debut model – with a more car-like profile and lower price than the existing, more premium, van-shaped Alphard.
No further details are given, though should the Best Car report come to fruition, the BZ Estima (or Tarago) would likely mirror its BZ range-mates in riding on Toyota’s new e-TNGA dedicated battery-electric platform, allowing front- and all-wheel drive layouts, and up to 500km of “targeted” claimed range (in the more aerodynamic BZ4X).
That’s a departure from the previous-generation Tarago – sold in Australia and overseas between 2006 and 2019 – which offered a choice of 2.4-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines, underpinned by the same ‘New MC’ platform as the Corolla and RAV4 of the time.
The rumoured all-electric Estima/Tarago wouldn’t be the first electrified model in the nameplate’s history, with that honour awarded to the Estima Hybrid sold across two generations in Japan from 2001 to 2019, pairing a 2.4-litre petrol engine with electric motors for ‘e’ all-wheel drive.
If launched, the electric BZ Estima would rival a small but growing number of electric people movers, including the current Mercedes-Benz EQV, next year’s Volkswagen ID. Buzz and, to a lesser extent, the upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell version of the Hyundai Staria.
Toyota plans to launch seven BZ-branded electric vehicles by 2025 – including the BZ4X, and four concepts teased earlier this month – as part of 30 Toyota and Lexus electric cars due by 2030.
Time will tell just how accurate Best Car’s electric Estima/Tarago report proves to be.
Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines as a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
Read more about Alex Misoyannis
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=15]