Toyota Urban Cruiser: the new compact electric SUV from the Japanese manufacturer will arrive in Europe in 2025

Following the launch in Europe a little over two years ago of its first electric model, the bZ4X, the Japanese manufacturer is now preparing to expand its range of vehicles with this propulsion system in this market. The brand’s second model on the continent will be a compact SUV called the Urban Cruiser, with a launch scheduled for next year.

The production version of the Urban Cruiser will be a direct evolution of the Urban SUV Concept that Toyota presented in December 2023 during the Kenshiki forum held in Brussels. As far as we know, this model will debut a new platform developed by the Japanese manufacturer exclusively for its electric models, and will be available with two LFP battery packs of 49 and 61 kWh capacity, with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Although the smaller battery will only be fitted to a version with a single electric motor and front-wheel drive.

This entry version will offer 106 kW of power, while with the larger battery pack there will be a front-wheel-drive version delivering up to 128 kW and another all-wheel-drive version raising output to 135 kW. In the all-wheel-drive versions, the 128 kW front electric motor is complemented by another 48 kW unit on the rear axle, which improves the vehicle’s stability on snow or slippery surfaces, offering safe and reliable driving. This version will also feature a hill descent assist and a trail mode that, upon detecting a wheel spinning freely in the air, brakes it and transfers the torque to the opposite wheel. Front-wheel-drive models, on the other hand, will include a snow mode to minimise wheelspin in such weather conditions.

Blood brothers

It is worth noting that the Urban Cruiser will share much of its specification with the Suzuki e Vitara, which will also arrive in Europe on the same timetable. This should come as no surprise, given that both vehicles are the result of the collaboration between Toyota and Suzuki. For the time being, neither Toyota nor Suzuki has disclosed the WLTP range of either model, nor the maximum charging power supported. The only thing we know so far, from the published images of both vehicles, is that they will feature the charging port on the front left side, on the driver’s side, between the driver’s door and the front wheel, just as on the bZ4X.

The Urban Cruiser from Toyota will make its official debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January 2025 and will be available in certain European countries, such as Germany, from next summer.