Toyota is pushing back the start date for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing at its Kentucky-based assembly plant in the US to 2026.

The Japanese carmaker initially targeted late 2025 to begin output of its first EV model at the Kentucky plant. However, Japan’s The Nikkei newspaper has reported that this date is now being pushed back to 2026.

Earlier this year, Toyota had announced it was investing $1.3bn in the Kentucky factory to build a three-row electric sport utility vehicle (SUV).

According to the Nikkei article, along with this delay Toyota has also cancelled plans to produce a Lexus brand SUV in North America by 2030, opting to ship completed vehicles to the US from Japan instead.

However, it still expects the North American EV market to grow over the long term and plans to continue investing in the field with an eye on tougher environmental regulations.

Alongside this news, Toyota also announced this week that it is boosting its investment in air taxi company Joby Aviation by...