TOKYO Toyota Motor said it will introduce battery electric vehicles (EVs) employing next-generation batteries globally from 2026, developed and manufactured by its new EV-focused unit BEV Factory.

The Japanese automaker also said it is developing a method for mass production of solid-state batteries for its EVs, aiming for commercialisation of the technology in 2027-2028.

Toyota targets a driving range of 1,000 km (621 miles) for the EVs, Takero Kato, president of the unit, said in a video of a June 8 presentation posted on the company's YouTube channel on Tuesday.

By comparison, the long-range version of the Tesla Model 3 EV has a range of nearly 700 km.

"What we want to achieve is to change the future with BEVs," Kato said. "We will launch the next-generation battery EVs globally and as a full lineup on the market from 2026."

BEV Factory, established in May, aims to produce about 1.7 million vehicles by 2030, Kato said.

Toyota seeks to sell 1.5 million EVs annually by 2026 and 3.5 million, or about one-third of its global volume, by 2030.

In April, the automaker sold 8,584 EVs worldwide, including its Lexus brand, accounting for more than 1% of its global sales in a single month for the first time.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Christopher Cushing)