The Plug-In Alphard Lost Its Executive Lounge Price Tag

Since June, Japanese buyers no longer need the flagship Executive Lounge to get a plug-in Alphard, because a new entry point arrived that costs about 3 million yen less.

The new Alphard Z PHEV went on sale on June 3 as part of a mid-cycle update to the Alphard and its Vellfire twin, priced at 7,649,400 yen including tax. Until then, the plug-in powertrain was offered only on the Executive Lounge, which costs 10,699,700 yen as a plug-in. The Alphard isn’t sold in the United States.

Kuruma News reported that the Z PHEV seats six and keeps the plug-in’s E-Four all-wheel drive, 73 kilometers of electric range and 16.8 km/L WLTC fuel economy, along with a charging inlet that supports normal and quick charging, vehicle-to-home power and a 1,500-watt household outlet. Toyota’s original plug-in announcement rated the 2.5-liter plug-in system at 306 PS, or 225 kW, and said its underfloor battery lowers the center of gravity by 35 mm compared with the regular hybrid.

The Z is hardly stripped. It gets 19-inch wheels, separate left and right moonroofs, a leather steering wheel with genuine wood trim, synthetic leather upholstery and second-row Executive Power Seats with heating, ventilation, power recline and an ottoman. A 14-inch display with 10 speakers and wireless phone charging are standard. Carscoops said the Z also gets an Ultrasuede headliner.

The rest of the update is smaller. Norimono News reported that Toyota also added a new entry-level Alphard hybrid G grade, offered with seven or eight seats and front- or all-wheel drive from 5,599,000 yen, the same price as the gas-engine Z. Frequency-sensitive shock absorbers are now standard on every Alphard and Vellfire, and the Vellfire gains a new Neutral Black color.

For American buyers, the Alphard is still out of reach. Toyota’s US minivan is the Sienna, and even the Alphard-based Lexus LM isn’t sold here. Motor1 found two 2025 LM 350h vans at a dealer in Costa Mesa, California, last December, priced at $258,888 and $269,800, though it couldn’t establish how they had been imported.

The Toyota Report Take

Moving the plug-in down to the Z is the obvious fix for a powertrain that was stuck behind a 10-million-yen price, and it makes the Alphard PHEV a real option for families rather than just chauffeur fleets. It also shows how far apart the Japanese and American minivan markets have drifted, since a plug-in luxury van is now a mid-range choice in Japan while Toyota sells no plug-in van in the US at all.