Toyota's decision to show a concept version of an electric Land Cruiser is something of a surprise, given its relatively slow move to fully electric vehicles. Surely there are plenty of other Toyota models we might have expected to go electric sooner.

There is, however, no launch date for this vehicle and indeed there is no real clarity around whether it will ever be built. On the other hand, it would be unusual for Toyota to go to such lengths to tease what looks like a vehicle not all that far from production. Some reports suggest it might even be in production within three years.

One thing we can almost certainly expect is a surprising range for such a vehicle as Toyota moves ahead with improved battery technology.

The concept has very generous dimensions - 5m long, 1.9 m wide and 1.7 m tall - and is designed to have three rows of seats. The raked roofline and sharp angles suggest a truly radical departure for a vehicle that has been around for almost 70 years and has been a workhorse around the world ever since.

Toyota clearly has Volvo's XC 90 and Land Rover's Discovery in its sights.