Developed in partnership with electric dynamo Tesla at the NUMMI assembly plant in California owned by both companies, the electric RAV4 is expected to go on sale in international markets from 2012.
While technical specifications have yet to be revealed, the RAV4 EV is expected to be the only all-electric SUV on the market when it goes on sale in the US in 2012. Tesla has confirmed that it will supply the RAV4 EV's battery packs and electric motor systems.
While Toyota has focused largely on hybrid vehicles until now, new challengers in the electric vehicle segment such as Nissan, Mitsubishi, BMW and Volkswagen have put the world number-one carmaker at a disadvantage.
By teaming with the innovative Tesla, the Japanese carmaker could potentially leapfrog its rivals
