Toyota Will Build 2 New EVs at Kentucky Plant

Toyota plans to introduce all-electric versions of two familiar SUVs, the RAV4 and Land Cruiser, according to a new report, with both set to be assembled at the automaker’s plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. More from Headlight.News.

While it is putting more focus on hybrids and plug-ins, Toyota is getting set to expand its line-up of battery-electric vehicles and will base two upcoming EVs off existing gas-powered models.

The automaker has confirmed plans to offer seven EVs in the U.S. by mid-2027, including the new C-HR it revealed during a media event last spring. It has left unsaid details about most of the others, however. But a new Reuters report indicated the mix will include all-electric versions of both the RAV4 and Land Cruiser SUVs.

Sources cited by the news service also indicated that those two electric SUVs will be assembled at the Toyota assembly plant in Georgetown, Kentucky where the gas-powered RAV4 currently is built.

A slow expansion

Toyota has been one of the slowest, among major automakers, to embrace pure battery power, though it now offers hybridized versions of all but two model lines. It currently sells only two EVs in the U.S. That includes the bZ4X getting its name shortened to bZ for 2026, as well as the Lexus RZ

At an event at its U.S. headquarters in May, Toyota revealed three more EVs for the upcoming model year, including the Toyota-badged bZ Woodland and the C-HR. Lexus, meanwhile, will take the novel approach of introducing both hybrid and all-electric versions of its long-running ES nameplate.

Toyota officials also confirmed during that event that the rollout will accelerate moving into 2027, with seven battery models in the works. The new report, which is based, in part, on separate coverage by Japan’s Nikkei, indicates the expanded line-up will include two three-row SUVs to be built in the United States.

Two new EVs

If the reports out of Japan are accurate, Toyota will move forward with a long-rumored all-electric version of the Land Cruiser. The automaker previously had signaled such a product was in the works, unveiling the Land Cruiser Se concept in 2023. That show car is much more modern and streamlined than the retro-styled Land Cruiser model that returned to production last year after a short absence. And, unlike the gas model, the EV is expected to have three rows.

The idea of a three-row RAV4 might have some Toyota fans scratching their heads as the popular SUV also is offered in a two-row configuration today. Currently, buyers who want a three-row Toyota have to choose from the Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Sequoia, and Grand Highlander models – though there’s a third-row option for the recently updated 4Runner, as well.

But the reports suggest Toyota simply may be trying to leverage awareness of what is not only the brand’s best-selling product line but a nameplate that currently is third on the sales list for the overall U.S. market, just behind the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.

With the RAV4 hybrid options already gaining ground, Toyota may be betting buyers would be more open to going all-electric.

More Toyota News

• First Drive: 2026 Toyota bZ Gets a Shorter Name, Longer Range
• First Look: 2026 Toyota RAV4
• Toyota Has a Dozen New Models Coming This Year

Changing plans

Like every automaker, Toyota is facing a variety of pressures impacting future product decisions, including the slowdown in EV sales growth – which could grow significantly worse, analysts warn, once federal tax credits end on September 30. Then there are the Trump tariffs on imported autos and auto parts.

Nikkei this week reported that one change will see Toyota consolidate U.S. production of Lexus models to a single factory. Currently, the ES sedan is assembled in Kentucky, the TX SUV in Princeton, Indiana. The Georgetown plant appears to be positioned to win that shoot-out.

Separately, the Lexus RX and NX models are, in turn, assembled in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. That operation is expected to continue.