The first EV that Toyota will build at its Kentucky plant will be a three-row SUV. Toyota has told suppliers it is tweaking the design of the new model, currently known as the bZ5x. Subaru and Lexus-branded versions of the new EV are thought to be in the works.

The Japanese carmaker initially targeted late next year to begin output, but a company spokesperson said that has slipped by a few months into 2026.

Toyota Motor postponed its plans to start electric-vehicle production in North America due to a slowdown in EV sales and design adjustment. A report by the Nikkei revealed that production was moved to the first half of 2026 instead of the initial planned schedule of 2025.

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor would postpone the production of electric vehicles at its Kentucky plant in the US to the first half of 2026, citing design adjustments and slowing sales, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday.

"We’re still focused on our global [battery electric vehicle] target of 1.5M vehicles by 2026," said Toyota spokesperson Scott Vazin, adding that in the next two years it plans

Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) to delay electric vehicle production in North America amid lackluster sales, now set to begin in the first half of 2026, Nikkei reported. Initially scheduled for late 2025, the production of Toyota's (TM) first battery electric SUV at its Kentucky facility will now commence around June 2026.

The world's biggest automaker is reportedly pushing back the start of EV production in the U.S. to the second half of 2026, after slashing its global sales outlook for battery electrics.