The Toyota Alphard and Vellfire are the best selling full-size minivans in the Japanese market, but their popularity expands to other regions. Pakistani automaker Nora EV has unveiled a new zero-emission model with Toyota-inspired styling and a subcompact footprint.

The Nora EV Metro might not bear the Toyota emblem, but it incorporates a mixture of Alphard and Vellfire styling cues. At the front, the headlights might be simpler, but the massive grille and vertical intakes with chrome accents send strong Toyota vibes.

More: Before Lexus Turns The LS Into A Minivan, They Turned A Minivan Into A Sedan

The same applies to the surfacing on the profile and the rear end with a vertical tailgate, a roof spoiler, and triangular taillights. However, unlike the Alphard and Vellfire which rely on power-sliding side doors, the Metro uses conventional hinged doors for rear-seat access.

The Nora EV Metro (left) compared to the Toyota Alphard (right).

Despite the similarities with the Japanese full-size minivans, Metro’s proportions are far more modest. The vehicle measures 3,900 mm (153.5 inches) long, which makes it shorter than European subcompact hatchbacks. It also rides on 14-inch alloy wheels that would be more suitable for a kei car.

More: Toyota’s Smallest Minivan Gains Smarter Tech, Starts From $11,500

Inside, the Metro tries hard to hide its budget-friendly nature. The five-seater cabin adopts styling cues and color combinations inspired by premium vehicles. The dashboard might look like a Mercedes Hyperscreen, but is actually a big piece of plastic with a modest infotainment display in the center. Equipment includes Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, push-button start, AC, power windows, and a reverse camera.

Surprises continue under the skin. The underlying chassis originates from China, but the company claims it has been re-engineered to better suit the road conditions of South Asia and improve ergonomics for taller passengers.

Nora EV Metro

Power comes from a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 4,000 Watts, which translates to a mere 5 hp (4 kW). The company offers various options for the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with capacities of 9 kWh, 15 kWh, and 23.1 kWh. The larger battery promises a driving range between 250-300 km (155-186 miles).

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For those with range anxiety issues who don’t like to wait for charging, Nora EV plans to roll out a network of battery swapping stations in Pakistan. More importantly, the Metro will be optionally available with a range-extender setup featuring a 3 lt (0.8 gallon) gasoline tank and a small generator which is said to add an extra 150-180 km (93-112 miles) of range.

Other Models And Pricing

Nora EV was founded in 2025 by Nousheen Azhar and Ali Raza. Unlike other firms that assemble imported knockdown kits, the Pakistani company is establishing local manufacturing for bodywork stampings, lighting assemblies etc.

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Besides the Toyota minivan impersonator, the automaker also offers the Nora E30 small electric SUV copying the design of the previous-gen Range Rover, and the Nora Neo urban hatchback. The only one currently on sale is the baby Range Rover, priced from 1,889,000 Pakistani Rupee ($6,800) before GST. The brand has promised that the upcoming Metro will launch soon with a starting price under 3,000,000 Pakistani Rupee ($10,800).

H/T to Creative Trend

Nora E30

The Toyota Hilux is widely considered one of the most indestructible vehicles out there, with the famous Top Gear stunts from 2003 solidifying the legend. Fast forward to 2026, Toyota has recreated one of the grueling tests, to see whether the new Hilux BEV could still take a beating like its predecessor.

The UK arm of the Japanese automaker went on Reddit, asking users to pick a punishment for the zero-emission workhorse. Participants in the survey could choose between hitting the Hilux with a 1-tonne (2,205 lbs) wrecking ball, or subjecting it to a high-altitude caravan drop. The internet overwhelmingly chose the latter, and we can’t really blame them for doing so.

More: What Happens To A Toyota Hilux When You Drop It From 10,000 Feet In The Air?

Keeping their promise, engineers hoisted a 760 kg (1,676 lbs) caravan roughly 30 feet (9.1 m) into the air using a big crane. Then they parked a brand-new Hilux BEV underneath and let gravity do what it does best.

Toyota UK

The camper smashed directly on the roof of the midsize truck, with its weak fiberglass and wood construction crumbling under the forces of the impact. For a more dramatic effect, Toyota captured the stunt with high-speed cameras, and even installed one inside the mobile home showing what it feels like to land on a Hilux while being upside down in your living room.

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Despite taking a direct hit from a falling house on wheels, the Hilux BEV powered up immediately and drove away from the wreckage. Battle scars included a deformed roof, a cracked windshield, and a dent on the rear bed looking as if a baby Godzilla tried to climb on it.

The suspension appears to absorb the forces of the impact, briefly creating a street version of the truck. The battery which is mounted on the ladder frame chassis and the electric motors were unharmed, although the truck is likely a write-off due to the roof damage.

Toyota UK

Toyota warns viewers not to attempt to recreate or replicate any action shown in the video, as it could cause serious injury, death, or property damage. Furthermore, the company noted that all caravan debris was recovered from the Bentwaters Airfield in Suffolk, and sent to a recycling facility.

More: Tata Buried Its New $5.5K Sedan Under 20 Tons Of Gravel To Prove A Point

Interestingly, the caravan drop, filmed with the help of Very Nice Films and Bickers, was just the “warm-up” for the Hilux BEV. Toyota offered the truck to Top Gear’s YouTube channel, to continue the rough treatment. It will be interesting to watch the second round of Hilux torture, at least until WhistlinDiesel gets his hands on the latest generation of the midsize truck which is not available in North America.

The new Toyota Hilux is currently available in mild-hybrid diesel and fully electric powertrain options, with a hydrogen variant confirmed for 2028. Still, the diesel truck accounts for the vast majority of Hilux sales, due to the combination of a lower price, a more usable fuel type, as well as superior towing and payload ratings.

The Corolla is one of Toyota’s best-selling vehicles, as US dealers moved 131,403 units in the first six months of the year. That was a 9.5% increase, which is a tad surprising as the current model is nearly a decade old.

However, a redesigned car is on the horizon, and it was apparently teased over the summer. The single image suggested the upcoming model will echo the Corolla concept, introduced at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show.

More: Next Corolla May Have Slipped Out In A Toyota Doc, And It Mirrors The Concept

Fast forward to today, and Car & Driver is reporting the traditional sedan could give way to a new liftback body style. This could effectively combine today’s sedan and hatchback into one vehicle.

While that remains to be seen, Toyota’s CEO has made it his mission to reduce the number of variants the company offers as part of an effort to increase profitability. This begs the question of whether the automaker really needs both Corolla variants, especially when they offer a Corolla Cross.

Additional details are murky, but the publication expects the car to ride on an updated version of the current TNGA-C platform. They also suggest the model could be offered with up to four different powertrains.

Starting with the hybrid, it’s expected to use a new 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The powertrain will reportedly have a combined output of around 134 hp (100 kW / 136 PS), which is roughly the same as today’s model.

While that’s a bit of a bummer, fuel efficiency could climb by 10 to 20%. Furthermore, like today’s Corolla Hybrid, there could be an optional all-wheel-drive system.

Buyers looking for more efficiency will reportedly be able to opt for a plug-in hybrid variant. It will presumably have a larger battery pack as well as a beefier electric motor.

A fully electric variant is also expected, and it could offer an optional dual-motor all-wheel drive system. Details are hazy, but the magazine expects the EV will offer at least 250 miles (402 km) of range.

That brings us to the gas-powered variants. The ‘regular’ model could have a turbocharged 1.5- or 2.0-liter engine, while the GR Corolla is expected to get a 2.0-liter turbo packing up to 395 hp (295 kW / 400 PS).

The Toyota CH-R returned for 2026 as an electric crossover, but it’s already getting recalled. As the government explained, the battery can become “overcharged” and shut down the powertrain while driving.

The issue impacts 8,521 vehicles and is being blamed on a software programming error. Toyota first discovered the issue in April during testing of an undisclosed “future BEV model.” This sparked a review of electronic control units in other EVs and this eventually identified the 2026 C-HR as being impacted.

More: Toyota Delays New Electric Highlander Before It Even Launches

The issue involves a faulty battery protection logic, which is intended to limit the charging of the battery. Due to a programming error, the battery can become overcharged in certain conditions.

This mainly appears to be a problem in low temperatures, when the battery is at a high state of charge, and when the vehicle is in regenerative mode for a long time. In effect, if you live up in the mountains, fully charged your C-HR overnight, and are driving down into the city while relying heavily on the regenerative braking system, it could be an issue.

While that’s just an example, it highlights how rare the problem appears to be. Speaking of which, Toyota isn’t aware of any warranty claims or field reports related to the issue. If a problem were to occur, warning lights and a buzzer would activate to alert drivers to the loss of motive power.

Since this is a simple software issue, the fix is straightforward as dealers will update the electronic control unit. Notifications are scheduled to go out on October 18.

Label Mistake

In other Toyota recall news, 135 vehicles have an incorrect load carrying capacity modification label. The problem impacts a handful of different models including the 2024 Tacoma and 2025 Tundra as well as the 2026 4Runner and RAV4.

The recall is the result of data entry errors as accessory weight values were wrong in one of Toyota’s systems. This threw off calculations and resulted in labels that could cause people to overload their vehicles.

Toyota discovered the problem during an internal audit that found eight accessory parts with weight discrepancies. To address the problem, dealers will replace the label with a correct one.

Update: A Toyota spokesperson in the US told Carscoops the company has not changed the timeline it announced back in July, which targets a 2027 launch, likely within the first months of the year. That framing sits at odds with Nikkei Asia’s report of a fresh delay to “2027 or later”. Revised article follows below.

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.” Earlier today, Nikkei Asia reported the start of assembly 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.”

More: Toyota’s Third Best-Selling Vehicle Has A Supercar-Style Waiting List

The Highlander EV will be built in Georgetown, Kentucky. According to Nikkei Asia, the three-row SUV is expected to reach the line in January 2027 “at the earliest.” The same publication says Toyota has already notified its supplier network about the revised schedule. A January start would sit inside the early-2027 window Toyota says it has been working toward all along.

Toyota Says It’s About Quality Checks

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.

Subaru’s Getaway Is Stuck Too

Toyota has insisted that 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.

The Highlander EV shares its bones with the Subaru Getaway, and both three-row EVs will be built on the same Georgetown line. Subaru confirmed its own delay in July, saying production would slip “to allow sufficient time for final adjustments before launch.” Toyota used almost identical wording, which suggests the two are moving in step. Subaru still hasn’t named a new date or said whether deliveries will shift.

Tesla remains far and away the biggest seller of electric cars in the United States, and despite rivals’ efforts, very little progress has been made in eroding the EV leader’s commanding market share.

July brought 77,266 new EV sales, up 3.2 percent from June and down 41.5 percent from the same month last year. Electric models made up 5.6 percent of all new-vehicle sales. The year-over-year drop has a simple explanation. In July 2025, the federal EV tax credit was still alive, and buyers rushed to cash it in before the Trump administration killed the incentive in September.

Read: Tesla Delivered More Cars Than Any Q2 Ever, And Its Stock Had The Worst Day Ever

Of last month’s electric cars, 42,435 were Teslas, according to Cox Automotive, good for 55 percent of the market. Tesla’s volume climbed 4.9 percent from June. The Model Y did the heavy lifting, as it always does, accounting for 37 percent of every new EV sold in the country. Basically, the nameplate outsold every rival automaker’s entire electric portfolio.

Tesla’s share throughout the entire second quarter was slightly lower at 50.5 percent, with the company selling a total of 124,800 EVs in the US during this period, down 13.1 percent from last year, when 143,535 were sold. In Q2, the brand with the next-largest slice of the EV pie was Chevrolet at 6 percent, followed by Hyundai at 5.8 percent, Cadillac at 4.9 percent, Toyota at 4.8 percent, and Rivian at 4.6 percent. Ford’s share remains a disappointing 3.9 percent, although its July sales were up 18.9 percent from June.

Hyundai posted the strongest month-over-month gain among the major brands in July, up 36 percent. Kia also moved higher, largely on the strength of the EV9.

Sales Surge Pinches Supply

As EV sales climbed in July, the average days’ supply of new EVs fell 6.2 percent month over month to 80 days, and 1.7 percent below where it sat a year earlier. Electric inventory now runs four days above ICE models, down from a nine-day gap in June. Volkswagen carried the heaviest load at 147 days, with Porsche at 138 and Nissan at 133. Subaru ran leanest at 46 days, then Hyundai at 52, and Lexus at 58. Used EVs moved the other way, rising 14.2 percent from June to 46 days, above ICE models for the first time since February 2026.

Used EV sales rose 7.9 percent month over month to 36,810 in July, 10.1 percent better than a year ago. Secondhand electrics took 2.4 percent of the market.

The Price Gap Hasn’t Closed

Electric cars remain the more expensive choice on both the new and used side. Average transaction prices for new EVs rose 1.2 percent in July to $56,126, against $49,649 for the average combustion model, and 1.6 percent higher than a year earlier. Incentives shrank over the same stretch, from 13.1 percent of ATP, or $7,290 per vehicle, in June to 11.8 percent, or roughly $6,626, in July. Used electrics average $37,832 against $34,865 for gas equivalents. Those prices slipped 1.2 percent from June but hold 8.3 percent above where they were a year ago.

Since early 2020, American consumers have had to come to terms with a new kind of normal. Products and services are not as plentiful as we’ve grown accustomed to. Covid-19 and the occasional freak weather patterns have wreaked havoc on a number of industries in many ways, especially in terms of shortages. The restaurant industry is struggling to hire viable and reliable employees. Grocery stores are out of products, specifically goods originating from meat-packing plants. And we all know how paper products like toilet paper were hard to come by for many months. Nearly all industries are having some growing pains adapting to the unavoidable changes taking place, including automobile manufacturers.

Madisonians have noticed the dearth of new vehicles for the past several months when they pass by Smart Toyota on Odana Road. What has been a car lot brimming with options for decades has suddenly become a sort of ghost town with only a handful or so of vehicles on the lot.

“It’s a very noticeable difference,” says Smart Toyota’s sales director Justin Jackson. “We normally have 400 or more new vehicles on the lot, but since mid-April 2021 we’ve seen a steady decline in the number of New Toyotas we have on the lot. Now we only have maybe 5 to 10 new vehicles physically at the store.”

Jackson says the pandemic is partially to blame for the shortage because modern vehicles rely on computer chips which became scarce due to manufacturers reallocating them to industries other than automotive. Then, early in 2021 the issue in new vehicle manufacturing were winter storms that crippled Texas-based businesses that are critical in the manufacturing of foam for seats.

“If it’s not one thing it’s another,” says Jackson. “We’ve got the chips, but because of the power issues Texas faced in the Spring of 2021, we didn’t have enough foam padding for the seats, and today, as production ramps up, it’s supply chain and logistical issues.”

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom

Those looking to purchase a new vehicle seem to understand the slow-down in global manufacturing, Jackson says. Instead of getting upset they can’t drive off the lot with a vehicle they think is “good enough,” consumers are now more apt to customize and pre-order a vehicle specifically made to their specifications.

“It’s kind of cool how people have adapted,” says Jackson. “They might not get that prior sense of immediate gratification of new car ownership, but they get to experience something else: personalization.”

Jackson explains the process of pre-ordering has been well-received for a few reasons, one of which is the compassion the consumer feels about simple logistics as they relate to inventory issues in this day and age.

Vehicle Customization increases satisfaction

“They also really like the fact we can get them exactly what they want; from safety features and amenities, to color preference,” says Jackson. “And when their customized vehicle comes in – usually in about 45 days – they are over the moon when they see the Happy New Car Day sign bearing their name saying the car was made specifically for them. It takes ‘ownership’ to a whole new level.”

Custom Pre-Orders on the Rise

Jackson says about five percent of Smart’s new vehicle sales used to be custom ordered. Today the percentage has skyrocketed to about 50 percent of the dealership’s monthly new car sales. And, Jackson notes, when a consumer has all the customizable options at his or her disposal, no one opts for a base model in order to save a buck or two.

“Often times, though, it’s not options that are the most appealing aspect of pre-ordering,” says Jackson. “Instead, currently, there has been a surge in hybrid vehicle sales. And now in winter, AWD (all-wheel drive) vehicles will see a spike in popularity.”

If you know you are going to order a customized vehicle, Jackson says it might be best to do a little homework prior to meeting with a sales consultant.

“People take a lot of amenities for granted, but if you’re customizing, you should consider some of the following options,” he says.

Custom Pre-Order Checklist

1. Entertainment & Communications: think about your stereo system. Do you still need a CD player? How about satellite radio capability? Hands-free phone control? A video system? Navigation?
2. Comfort & Convenience: this includes upholstery, heated/cooled seats, power door locks, keyless entry, dual climate control, etc.
3. Safety: the simple rule of thumb is the more you can install, the more secure you’ll feel. If you can, opt for dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, cruise control, and parking assist systems.
4. Appearance: the most enjoyable aspect of customizing is picking out your paint, trim, and wheels.
5. Performance: what do you need to get from point A to point B in your daily life? A larger engine? Sport suspension? 4-wheel drive? Automatic transmission or stick?

Jackson says while customers are not complaining right now about having to customize and then wait for their new ride, he anticipates their patience won’t last forever. However, he also doesn’t see new vehicle inventory returning to “normal” in the immediate future, and with customer satisfaction currently at such a high level he’s not overly anxious about it.

“At this point, we do not see ‘ground stock’ (vehicles physically on the lot) back to our previously average levels before the end of the year,” he says. “That could change, but we really don’t see it happening until late 2022.”

The post Consumers Adapting to ‘New Normal’. Vehicle Customization and Pre-Ordering appeared first on Smart Toyota Blog.