• Toyota Highlander EV production has been pushed back again.
  • Production in Kentucky will start in January 2027 “at the earliest”
  • Company claims the delay is unrelated to EV demand in the US.

The all-new Toyota Highlander EV was unveiled in February 2026 and was supposed to enter production this autumn. Then, in July, Toyota said the timeline had slipped by at least “eight weeks” for “final adjustments.” That no longer appears to be the case either. A new report says the start of production has moved back again by several months, possibly by as much as a year, pushing the electric SUV’s market launch “to 2027 or later.”

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The Highlander EV will be built in Georgetown, Kentucky. According to Nikkei Asia, the three-row SUV is now expected to enter production in January 2027 “at the earliest.” The same publication says Toyota has already notified its supplier network about the revised schedule.

Toyota

The news arrives nearly two months after we reported that Toyota had delayed the Highlander EV by two months for “final adjustments,” while extending production of the Highlander Hybrid through December 2026. If Nikkei’s sources are right, that two-month slip has now grown to roughly four months, and quite possibly into next year.

Toyota Says It’s About Quality Checks

Photo Stephen Rivers / Carscoops

A representative for Toyota’s North American division clarified that the extra time is allocated to final checks and quality validation before rolling out full-scale production. This aligns with the automaker’s previous stance in July, when a media preview was postponed.

Toyota insists the holdup has nothing to do with EV demand in the US, and points out that its EV sales are “still growing.” The numbers back that up, to a point, as US EV sales fell 21% year-over-year in Q2, while Toyota’s own EV deliveries more than tripled over the same stretch. Growing from a small base is easier when the lineup keeps expanding, which is exactly what Toyota has been doing in the region.

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Carscoops has reached out to Toyota for comment and will update the story when we hear back. For now, it’s unclear whether the Highlander EV’s slipping schedule will drag down sister models like the Lexus TZ and the Subaru Getaway.

Photo Stephen Rivers / Carscoops