Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Tesla open to second collaboration with Toyota, Elon Musk says

Stephen Edelstein
By

Despite an underwhelming experience with the Toyota RAV4 EV project, Tesla Motors won’t rule out future collaborations with Japan’s largest carmaker.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg that he “would not be surprised” if the two companies entered another partnership two or three years from now. While Tesla and Toyota have no set plans, Musk envisions a project larger than the RAV4 EV.

Recommended Videos

That’s quite optimistic, considering the results of the first Tesla-Toyota team-up.

Related

Toyota only managed to shift around 2,000 RAV EV electric crossovers in its two years on sale. That’s partly due to the limited scope of sales. The RAV4 EV was only sold in California, largely to comply with the state’s zero-emission vehicle mandate.

However, reports say there were also conflicts between Tesla and Toyota engineers, and the companies have grown apart since the RAV4 EV was launched in 2012.

Toyota has essentially abandoned battery-electric cars for hydrogen fuel cells, a technology Musk has continually mocked.

Related: Tesla picks Nevada for its battery-making “Gigafactory”

While other carmakers are increasing electrification, Toyota is also holding fast to non-plug-in hybrids. With “Father of the Prius” Takeshi Uchiyamada installed as chairman of the board, that strategy probably won’t change anytime soon.

Tesla, meanwhile, is in the midst of tripling its lineup with the Model X crossover and Model III sedan, as well as building a huge “Gigafactory” in Nevada to supply that smaller sedan with batteries.

Still, it wouldn’t be prudent to completely rule out another Tesla-Toyota collaboration, as both companies understand the value of a good partnership.

In addition to developing the RAV4 EV’s powertrain, Tesla did similar work for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive.

Toyota, meanwhile, worked with Subaru to get the Scion FR-S into showrooms, and it’s currently collaborating with BMW on a sports car project that could yield a new Supra, and a sportier replacement for today’s BMW Z4.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Tesla’s Cybertruck could soon transform into a boat, says Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk behind the wheel of a Cybertruck.

Picture the scene. You’re out on a lake, rowing a boat, enjoying the sunny weather. And then, from nowhere, a Cybertruck bobs by.

If Elon Musk gets his way, such a scenario could become a reality, after the Tesla CEO suggested on social media on Tuesday that the automaker is “going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat,” adding: “Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals.”

Read more
Ford and GM EV drivers will be able to charge at Tesla Superchargers in February
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E from the front passenger side in a grassy field with dark clouds in the back.

General Motors and Ford are getting Supercharger access quicker than we thought. According to a Tesla employee who recently spoke at a city planning committee meeting about a new Supercharger station, Ford and GM will get Supercharger access as early as 2024.

Almost all major automakers have announced that they'll switch to NACS (the same Tesla connector that Tesla uses) by 2025 -- meaning that we should start to see non-Tesla cars with the connector sometime in mid-2024. Of course, it's unlikely Ford and General Motors cars with the connector will be out by February -- however, existing cars with a CCS connector may be able to take advantage of Superchargers with an adapter.

Read more
Tesla Cybertruck: rumored price, release date, specs and more
Tesla's Cybertruck.

The Tesla Cybertruck is finally here ... kind of. Tesla has finally started delivering the truck to customers -- however, so far, only 10 customers have gotten one for themselves, and it remains to be seen how quickly Tesla can ramp up production.

First introduced in 2019, the Tesla Cybertruck is unlike any pickup we've ever seen. It's electric, which isn't entirely unusual and frankly expected from Tesla, but its futuristic design makes it stand out from everything else on the road. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is a matter of personal preference.

Read more