Toyota Motor to introduce eight new electric models in Korea this year

Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, poses with RAV4 plug-in hybrid at a press conference held in southern Seoul on Tuesday. [TOYOTA MOTOR]

Toyota Motor will introduce eight new electric models in Korea this year, aiming to make a big comeback after a lingering slump.

The lineups include Toyota’s first all-electric bZ4X SUVs and Lexus’ pure electric RZ. Toyota Motor sells vehicles under Lexus and Toyota premium brands in Korea.

“Toyota Motor will introduce a series of charming electric models for the Korean market this year under our electrification goal,” said Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, during a press conference Tuesday at Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul.

The first coming in the lineup is Toyota’s RAV4 plug-in hybrid, which was introduced in Korea Tuesday.

Equipped with an 18.1-kilowatt-hour of lithium-ion battery, the hybrid can run up to 63 kilometers (39 miles) solely on an electric motor. A plug-in hybrid combines a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and a large battery that can be recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet or electric vehicle charging station.

Powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, RAV4 can generate a maximum of 306 horsepower. Its fuel economy stands at 15.6 kilometers per liter.

The latest RAV4 will be the first model to have Toyota Connect, an infotainment system the carmaker developed with LG U+.

Its sticker price starts from 55.7 million won ($43,000), which Toyota says that the only plug-in hybrid available under 60 million won in the Korean market.

“Of all Toyota cars sold in Korea last year, 94 percent were hybrids,” Manabu said. “In terms of Lexus, 98 percent were electric models.

Other models in the lineup include Toyota’s latest Crown hybrid. It offers four types but will be available in a crossover model, which falls between an SUV and a sedan.

The Alphard six-seater mini-van will also be introduced later in the year as a hybrid model.

Crowns and Alphards are currently not available in the United States.

Toyota Motor has been suffering from a sharp drop in sales since 2019 when Japan's unilateral export restrictions sparked a Korean boycott of Japanese products.

Toyota and Lexus sold a total of 13,851 vehicles in Korea last year, fewer than half of the units they sold in 2018.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]