Sleeker Next-Gen Toyota Mirai Gets More Range

Toyota Motor Corp.’s redesigned Mirai fuel cell-powered sedan is larger, more stylish and can drive farther in between fill-ups than the current model.

The carmaker revealed images of the second-generation model ahead of the car’s formal unveiling in “final stage” concept form later this month at the Tokyo auto show.

Sales are due to start late next year. Toyota says it aims to hike annual Mirai production from 3,000 units in 2018 to 30,000 next year and 200,000 by 2025. The company, which loses money on the $58,500 sedan today, hasn’t indicated when it expects costs will drop enough to achieve breakeven.

The ungainly first-generation Mirai launched in 2014 and has been sold in modest volumes primarily in Japan, parts of Europe and California. The company has delivered about 10,000 of the cars globally. Sales have been hampered by a severe shortage of hydrogen refueling facilities.

The 2021 Mirai will switch to a rear-wheel-drive platform from the current front-drive architecture. Sitting on a 115-inch wheelbase, the car stretches nearly 196 inches from bumper to bumper and is 74 inches wide, making it more than three inches longer and nearly three inches wider than the first-generation Mirai. At 58 inches tall, the car also sits about three inches lower that the first-gen model.

The lower stance, coupe-like roofline and muscular hood is a significant departure from the current model’s frumpy styling. Other design changes include a large front grille, steeply raked windshield and short rear overhang. The interior is highlighted by a 12.3-inch infotainment display and digital instrument cluster.

Toyota says the next-generation fuel cell system will provide a 30% longer driving range for a total of about 400 miles (630 km) on the Japanese driving cycle. The new model also is expected to be more powerful and quieter than the outgoing Mirai.