Hypothetical All-Electric Toyota RAV4 Returns to Fight Tesla Before Next-Gen Model

In 2022 Toyota remained the world's biggest carmaker with help from its four leading brands – Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino – well ahead of its pursuer, the Volkswagen Group. But you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs and scrambling them, so it's hard work to keep up with the sales appeal. No worries, though, as the company has offered plenty of novelties to look forward to during the first months of the year.

Superstars include the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander family-oriented crossover SUV and Tacoma mid-size pickup truck, as well as the 2024 Lexus TX or GX 550, among many others. And the Japanese carmaker is not resting on its laurels, as it has already started the teaser campaign for the next Land Cruiser off-road SUV – with the returning nameplate probably set to arrive in Prado (250) form not just in Europe but also across the United States.

Speaking of SUVs, there may be more to the story for Toyota's namesake brand. Instead, many are speculating that alongside the reintroduced Land Cruiser, there's also a significant need for stuff like an all-new, long-overdue 4Runner to mitigate the Bronco and Wrangler threats or a fresher RAV4 to fight the hordes of compact crossover SUVs present on the market – and especially the all-new Honda CR-V. And, since Toyota is showing no signs of doing that in the real world, people are taking action and things in their hands.

Or rather, at the tip of their CGI brushes, as is the case with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. The good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have a satellite venue dubbed AutoYa Interior, and that's where all the (CGI) 4Runner action occurred just recently – complete with both exterior and interior shots plus the traditional color palette reel. But wait, as the primary outlet was also taking care of some Toyota business itself.

As such, one of their most recent features dabbles with another hypothetical case – what if the Rising Sun automaker decides to make yet another electric version of the RAV4 before introducing the sixth generation to the masses? The original RAV4 appeared in 1994 as one of the initiators of the compact SUV current, and it has remained a force to be reckoned with ever since. Now in its fifth iteration, the crossover is growing a little longer in the tooth, even though Toyota offers just about everything for everyone – ICE-powered, hybrid, and Prime plug-in hybrid.

Hypothetically, though, Toyota could use the PHEV option with beefier (300+ hp) electric motors and a larger battery pack to resurrect the RAV4 EV that was sold in California and across the US (fleet sales only) in two generations, most recently between 2012 and 2014 with Tesla's help. However, it's hard to make a case for an XA50 Toyota RAV4 EV even with the pixel master's design changes – the sixth generation of the compact CUV is probably right around the corner, and the company also has the all-electric 2023 bZ4X on sale from $42k with a 252-mile (406 km) estimated range on a single charge.