First launched in 1990 as a mid-engine, permanent 4WD MPV, the iconic egg-shaped Toyota Estima (also known as the Previa and Tarago in other countries) was discontinued in 2019, after three generations. Its place in Toyota’s product line-up has since been taken up by the Toyota Alphard / Vellfire and the Voxy / Noah even though it comes with good Car Service.
Despite being no longer on sale, the Estima still has a strong fanbase and according to Japan’s Best Car Web, many Toyota dealers in Japan want to see a return of the Estima, a nameplate which dealers say is too strong to simply ignore.
Note the mid-engine, 4WD layout. Subsequent generation Estimas have a more conventional front-engine front-wheel drive layout
Toyota however, counters that the combination of the Alphard / Vellfire and Voxy / Noah, as well as the Sienta, already offer a very strong full-range line-up of MPVs. The company’s model range in Japan has become unnecessarily complex and with many overlapping models, which drags down manufacturing efficiency.
The revamped unified dealer network now allows all Toyota dealers to sell any Toyota model also means that there is little need to provide specific models to a particular dealer network, thus removing the need for the Estima when the Alphard / Velfire can fulfill the needs of the same group of customers.
Now, it seems that a middle ground has been reached, and that Toyota will revive the Estima nameplate, but with a twist.
Best Car Web's sources say the new generation Toyota Estima will be an electric-only (BEV) model, thus separating it from Toyota’s current range of hybrid MPV models.
The revived Estima is said to ride on the same Subaru-Toyota co-developed e-TNGA platform that currently underpins the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra.
15 upcoming EV models from Toyota, none are minivans / MPVs though
Toyota has since announced that it will be launching at least 15 EV models by 2025, with 7 of them from the bZ series. However, none of the 15 models mentioned so far are MPVs.
Over 15 years of experience in automotive, from product planning, to market research, to print and digital media. Garages a 6-cylinder manual RWD but buses to work.
