Toyota

Toyota made waves this summer with the debut of the sixth-generation RAV4, which is now hybrid-only and has grown bigger and swankier. The RAV4 GR plug-in hybrid can now drive up to 50 miles on electric power alone. But what slipped under the radar was that the 2026 RAV4 also marks the debut of Toyota’s new software platform, Arene.

The company is finally showing its hand in the software race that will define the next decade of cars. If the world’s biggest automaker can’t get this right, it risks falling behind in the very thing that will soon matter more than combustion engines, which are EVs and the software that underpins them. But the new RAV4 has important cues of how future Toyota EVs might look and feel inside.

2026 Toyota RAV4 Multimedia

Photo by: Toyota

So far, the automaker has slow-walked the EV transition, but it’s also uncompetitive in the software race. But the automaker will now start rolling out simple software features on the 2026 RAV4 that its rivals have had for years.

The refreshed 2026 bZ also gets improved software, but Toyota is using the new RAV4 to bring out the big guns. That makes sense because the SUV is Toyota’s best-selling model in the U.S. and the nation’s best-selling car, period, with 475,000 units sold last year.

Toyota said Monday that the new RAV4 will feature smartphone-like cockpit displays, customizable layouts and an entirely redesigned user interface. For the first time, Toyota is bringing integrated 5G network connectivity, conversational voice commands and a dashcam-style drive recorder, which will use the vehicle’s cameras to record all that’s happening on the road, eliminating the need for external units.

It has enabled these upgrades thanks to Arene, its first software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform that debuts on the RAV4 and will underpin its future EVs. Thanks to the new tech, the new RAV4 will also get over-the-air updates.

To be clear, the 2026 RAV4 won’t be anything like a proper SDV, like, say, a Tesla Model Y or the Lucid Air. But Toyota said it’s the first step towards getting there, with the new RAV4’s cockpit and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that will be upgradable over the air, but functions related to the body and vehicle dynamics won’t be similarly upgradable.

Photo by: Toyota

Still, these software improvements will bring many EV-like features to the new RAV4 GR plug-in hybrid. It will be able to set charge percentage limits from the infotainment and even set schedules for battery preconditioning. Owners will be able to use the hybrid battery to enable or disable the power supply for external appliances, also through the infotainment system.

They will also be able to access these functions remotely, through the Toyota app. And for the first time, more vehicle functions like turning on headlights, hazard lamps and even opening the trunk and windows can be done remotely through the Toyota app.

Additionally, the 2026 RAV4’s infotainment and gauge cluster will get a smartphone-like UI and a more powerful computer for faster responsiveness. Drivers will be able to customize widgets for navigation, drive modes, audio, weather and also group them into combinations of two or three. So, for example, if you only care about Maps and Spotify, you can choose those two widgets to display more prominently over other functions.

More conversational voice commands with “natural language” will allow drivers to adjust climate, audio and even help with “basic arithmetic,” handy if you’re mid-drive trying to calculate how much damage that shopping spree just did to your wallet. And Toyota said the RAV4’s ADAS will also be more advanced—it will use AI models to detect surrounding objects, monitor driver attention and improve the UI.

Photo by: Toyota

The 2026 RAV4 goes on sale this fall, and we’ll see if it’s really a meaningful step-up in terms of software. But it’s clear that there are no shortcuts to building cars with top software. No automaker has executed SDVs without debilitating problems first and then learning to iron those out eventually.

Even Tesla initially struggled with its over-the-air upgrades before software became one of its biggest strengths. And there’s a long list of automakers that have stumbled on building quality software, from Volvo and General Motors to Volkswagen. So there’s no reason to think Toyota’s journey will be any smoother.

Granted, Toyota is having its biggest we-told-you-so moment as EV sales are projected to slow down in the coming months with the end of the $7,500 federal tax credit. Hybrid sales are through the roof and probably will be for the foreseeable future. And the RAV4 isn’t one of the world’s best-selling cars because of good software. It’s popular because it’s a Toyota, and it just works reliably. The new one will likely continue that sales momentum.

With the current slowdown in U.S. EV sales, Toyota may have some time to sharpen its software game and catch up to rivals. But whether slow walking this EV and software transition turns into an advantage, or leaves it behind, remains to be seen.

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