- Toyota has delayed production of the 2027 Highlander before its official launch.
- The automaker says it needs more time for final pre-production adjustments.
- Gas and hybrid Highlander production will continue through December.
It was a big deal earlier this year when Toyota announced that the next Highlander would be electric-only. At the time, the company planned to launch it late this year, and while that’s still technically on the table, there’s reason to doubt it. Toyota just told Carscoops that production has slipped, while staying quiet about what pushed it back. With the schedule sliding, US buyers might not see the SUV in dealerships until early 2027.
The automaker reached out to say a special media preview event for the SUV was being postponed, adding that fresh dates weren’t available yet. The holdup is “to allow timing for final adjustments prior to launch.” There wasn’t a firm market launch date on the books before this announcement, though Toyota had hinted it would happen before the end of the year.
More: Subaru’s New Getaway Is Basically A Faster, More Powerful Highlander
A Toyota spokesperson told us the delay would run at least eight weeks. A surprise two-month holdup this deep into the process is odd, but not unheard of. Setbacks like this aren’t uncommon on all-new or heavily updated vehicles, especially as automakers push through final quality validation, software refinement, supplier readiness, or manufacturing calibration before volume production begins.
In many cases, manufacturers would rather delay a launch than rush a vehicle into production only to deal with quality issues or early recalls later. Toyota did not elaborate on what those “final adjustments” involve, nor did it indicate whether the production delay will have any impact on the Highlander’s planned retail launch.
The company also didn’t provide a revised production start date. It’s unclear at this point if the delay will affect the Subaru Getaway or the Lexus TZ, the two other SUVs that share the same platform as the Highlander. To that end, we’ve reached out to both companies for further information.
Interestingly, Toyota confirmed to Cars.com that production of the gas and hybrid versions of the Highlander will continue through December of this year. The report questions whether Toyota might simply be delaying the EV to rake in more profit on the gas-burning versions. Either way, the brand has committed to moving to an EV-only platform soon.
