2021 Toyota Sienna and Venza: Hybrids Showcase Toyota’s Long Game
[May 20, 2020]
This week, Toyota unveiled the 2021 Sienna minivan and showed the revival of its stylish midsize two-row Venza crossover. A new model of a minivan and crossover in itself isn’t particularly newsworthy, except for when it shows a major change in powertrain strategy. Both models will be offered exclusively with a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain.
For most of the time in its 20+ year existence, the Sienna has been predominantly V-6 powered. The last-generation model briefly offered a 2.7L I-4 option, but the take rate was low and it was eventually dropped, making it V-6 only. Likewise, the vast majority of the previous-generation Venza models were sold with Toyota’s ubiquitous 2GR-FE 3.5L V-6 engine.
Toyota’s midsize Venza SUV (above) joins the Toyota Sienna minivan (top image) in exclusively offering hybrid powertrains beginning in 2021.
Since the introduction of the second-generation Prius for 2004, Toyota has established itself as the hybrid brand to the point where the term “hybrid” has become practically synonymous with Toyota and Prius. Since then, hybrid offerings have expanded to much of Toyota’s lineup, which now includes the Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Highlander, and if rumors are to be believed, the next-generation Tundra.
This development does not come as a major surprise, as in an interview with Rick LoFaso, car marketing manager at Toyota Motor Sales, for a 2012 story I wrote on the trend of engine downsizing on MotorTrend.com, LoFaso said Toyota’s long-term powertrain strategy across its lineup was hybridization.
For a site dedicated to the coverage of the electrification of the automotive industry, it may seem a little retrograde to be covering the introduction of new “regular” hybrids. It is true that Toyota has been a relative laggard in the race toward full electrification. However, it was a pioneer in electrification in the sense that it made hybrids mainstream. Reports are that Toyota is hard at work on next-generation solid-state batteries, which promise greater range, reliability, and thermal stability. Toyota’s notoriously conservative approach to business may ultimately work in its favor if it cracks the code on long-range BEV batteries.
Before the Prius came along, any vehicle that achieved greater than 35 MPG was considered to have “remarkable” fuel economy. Now, it’s an expectation that two-ton hybrid SUVs get in the high 30s or better. Sure, those figures pale in comparison to the 100+ MPGe of full electrics, but 40 MPG becoming the new 30 MPG without a major impact on performance and reliability is a worthwhile and laudable accomplishment.
One of the few full BEVs that Toyota makes globally is the Lexus UX300e crossover sold in the China market. Toyota is convinced Americans are not ready and not interested in full BEVs, a message that is re-emphasized by its marketing materials that its “electrified” hybrids “never need to be plugged in” and that they “charge as they drive.”
Toyota offers the Lexus UX300e BEV in China and parts of Europe, but the company doesn’t believe the U.S. is ready for a fully electric vehicle just yet.
As the current nationwide charging infrastructure is spotty, inconsistent, and somewhat immature, Toyota wants to be sure that its customers have a satisfying, consistent, and predictable ownership experience with EVs. So it may be 2025 or later before we see multiple battery-electric Toyota or Lexus models in the U.S. But as incremental as it is, Toyota does deserve some credit for making electrification just a little less weird and scary.
(Images courtesy Toyota)
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