2026 Toyota Kluger coming with EV power! Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 are going to have some serious competition
Toyota is readying an all-new battery-powered seven-seater EV that will share looks and its nameplate with the all-new fifth-generation 2026 Toyota Kluger.
According to Automotive News, the next Toyota Kluger, or Highlander as it’s known in the US, will be revealed before the end of this year.
But despite sharing a body with the all-new large family SUV, the EV version might sit on a different platform to the combustion version.
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While it’s a safe bet it will remain on the same TNGA-K architecture as the latest Lexus ES that now includes an EV powertrain, some reports suggest it could be based on an all-new platform, developed by Toyota for future EVs.
The US publication also revealed the Japanese brand would skip PHEV powertrains for the next Kluger and only offer the EV version alongside the variants powered by petrol-electric plugless hybrid powertrains.
The all-new 2026 Toyota Kluger should arrive in petrol-electric hybrid and EV form Down Under in the second half of 2026 following a possible unveiling this November at the LA motor show.
Currently, there is limited seven-seat EV opposition for the Kluger EV to fight in Australia. The Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 are logical rivals, but their high pricing starting at close to $100,000 limits buyer interest.
Toyota is yet to demonstrate a particularly sharp pricing policy for EVs in Australia, so whether the Kluger EV will undercut them remains uncertain.
The new Kluger is being reported as sales of the six-year-old Toyota SUV decline in the US. Sales are reported to be down 50 per cent to 30,056 units for the first seven months of 2025.
Although, those figures aren’t so bad when you consider the volumes of the larger stretched Grand Highlander (pictured top) that was created to battle the Hyundai Palisade.
Sales of the bigger model topped 65,419 (+19.7 per cent) in the same period.
Even though there’s strong demand for large three-row SUVs Down Under, Toyota Australia has been quick to rule out a stretched ‘Grand’ Kluger, highlighting it already offers consumers the large Fortuner, Prado and LandCruiser 300.
Once the new Kluger is introduced, Automotive News says that an even larger full-size battery-powered SUV will rock up, that could be badged the Grand Highlander. The flagship SUV is tipped to be on sale by 2028.
As well as rolling out two new all-electric SUVs Toyota is also secretly developing a new sedan that should be on sale globally by 2027.
Set to target US buyers, the new four-door EV is set to share Camry proportions and be positioned as a more affordable Tesla Model S.
No further details have been released, but it’s been mooted the new car could pinch styling cues from the Toyota bZ7 on sale in China.
Beneath the skin, expect the new sedan to share its e-TNGA platform with the latest inbound Toyota C-HR+ small SUV.
