Toyota to launch its first mainstream EV in Singapore in Q3 2026
The Urban Cruiser will use a Category A COE; another SUV, the BZ4X Touring, will also hit the market
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[SINGAPORE] Toyota has given a preview of two of its new electric vehicle models in Singapore, including its first fully electric model for the mainstream car Certificate of Entitlement (COE) category.
At a launch event in Marina Bay Sands on Thursday (May 21), the Japanese mainstream carmaker showed off the Urban Cruiser and the BZ4X Touring. Both are sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
They are expected to go on sale in the third quarter of the year. Their pricing and details are yet to be announced.
Toyota is expanding its electric model range with these two models, having introduced its first EV, the BZ4X, in Singapore earlier this year.
First mainstream Toyota EV
At 4.3 metres long, the Urban Cruiser is a small SUV that competes with the likes of the BYD Atto 2. As a compact car that utilises a Category A COE, it will be the brand’s first mainstream EV in Singapore.
Abroad, the car is offered with a 49 kilowatt-hour or 61 kilowatt-hour battery pack, offering ranges of up to 344 km and 426 km, respectively.
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The fully electric BZ4X launched earlier in 2026 is a mid-sized SUV that costs S$219,888 with a Category B COE.
The BZ4X Touring is a larger variant of the BZ4X. The 4.8-metre long, mid-sized SUV has 40 per cent more boot space than its smaller cousin, at 619 litres.
The debuts were part of a four-day event, Connected In Mobility, organised by Borneo Motors, which runs from Thursday to Sunday at Marina Bay Sands.
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Ng Khee Siong, Borneo Motors’ managing director, said the debuts are part of Toyota’s “multi-pathway” strategy of offering its customers a choice of drivetrains, ranging from conventional cars to petrol-electric hybrids and EVs.
“The idea is to create a multi-pathway solution, where we have different types of car for consumers, regardless of powertrain, to offer them solutions most suited to their own mobility needs,” he told The Business Times at the launch.
He gave the example of the Lexus ES sedan, which will hit the Singapore market later this year. It will be offered as a petrol-electric hybrid and as an EV.
Regional push
Toyota is still at an early stage in its regional EV ramp-up. The BZ4X has been launched in several Asia-Pacific markets, including Thailand and Malaysia; the Urban Cruiser is being sold in Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Toyota and other Japanese carmakers are slowly ramping up their EV offerings in the region to face the challenge from EV-centric China manufacturers.
At the Singapore Motorshow in January, Japanese brands that previously lacked EV offerings – Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki and Subaru – announced fully electric models for sale in Singapore.
Car registration data for Singapore in the first three months of 2026 showed legacy carmakers losing ground to Chinese brands, with the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Honda losing ground.
Toyota was one of the few Japanese manufacturers to increase its sales, although it is still second to China’s BYD in overall registrations.
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