Toyota is delaying the Highlander EV, but there’s a bigger problem brewing — SkimNews
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- Toyota delayed the Highlander EV by at least several months, pushing production at its Georgetown, Kentucky plant from this month to at least Q1 2027 and making the electric three-row SUV a 2028 model.
- Toyota will continue building the 2026 gas/hybrid Highlander through December, but dealers had only about a 20-day supply as of September 10 and suppliers are "working toward a set volume" — meaning no extension of output.
- The Highlander EV will launch in Limited and XLE trims with a 77 kWh or 95.8 kWh battery (up to 287 or 320 miles of range), seating for seven, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.
- The Subaru Getaway, which shares the Highlander EV's underpinnings and Kentucky production line, is also delayed until at least Q1 2027.
- Steve Gates of Gates Auto Family in Kentucky said not having the Highlander "will be difficult" even temporarily, and dealers are already wrestling with limited new RAV4 inventory.
- Electrek speculates Toyota is avoiding a repeat of the 2022 bZ4X stop-sale/recall over wheels falling off, and notes the delay hands more runway to Hyundai's IONIQ 9 and Kia's EV9.
Why it matters: With dealers sitting on roughly a 20-day Highlander supply and no extension of gas-model production, Toyota faces months of limited three-row SUV availability at a time when Hyundai's IONIQ 9 and Kia's EV9 are actively competing in the segment. The delay also stalls the Subaru Getaway, which shares the same Georgetown, Kentucky plant and platform, compounding the production-line ripple effect.
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