The Urban Cruiser is the second all-electric Toyota coming to PH

Toyota Motor Philippines is on a roll with its efforts in electrification. Shortly after introducing its bZ4X compact fully electric crossover last year, the Japanese automaker is now targeting the subcompact crossover segment with the Urban Cruiser BEV as one of the five upcoming models to be launched this year.

This crossover shares its platform and underpinnings with the Suzuki e Vitara, where it uses an all-new BEV platform called Heartect-e, up to two electric motors packaged with Toyota’s compact eAxle technology, and two different battery capacities.

Specifications haven’t been announced, but according to publicly available information on the Department of Energy listing of recognized electric vehicles, we might be getting it in one variant in the GLX 2WD.

This means that we have it with a single electric motor capable of 174 horsepower (128kW) and 193Nm of torque. It’s mated to a 61kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, and is capable of driving up to 426km on a single charge. It supports CCS2 DC fast charging, taking it from 10 to 80% in 45 minutes, also compatible with Type 2 AC charging.

The Urban Cruiser measures 4,285mm long, 1,800mm wide, and 1,635mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,700mm. For comparison, the Yaris Cross HEV, TMP’s current subcompact hybrid crossover offering, measures 4,310mm long, 1,770mm wide, and 1,615mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,620mm.

The Urban Cruiser adapts an “Urban Tech” design language with strong, upright lines and Toyota’s distinctive Hammerhead fascia with LED lighting. This also comes with gloss black cladding and has 18- or 19-inch wheels as standard.

The interior is also equally modern, with fabric/synthetic leather upholstery, ambient lighting, a sliding, adjustable rear seat mechanism, and up to 566L of cargo space with the seats down (244L with the rear seats up).

It also comes with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch infotainment screen with wireless smartphone integration and a wireless charger. It also comes standard with a 360-degree camera and Toyota Safety Sense suite of advanced driver assistance systems.

This vehicle is slated to launch sometime this year. Will you consider Toyota’s latest BEV offering over the likes of the Chinese?

^{Photos from Toyota and Sam Surla}