The Toyota bZ4X is the first of many electric vehicles (EVs) the Japanese automaker plans to sell over the next few years. Debuting as a concept, this electric SUV is about the size of its best-selling RAV4 compact crossover. Still, it appears close enough to production form that we expect to see it hit the showroom with few changes.
The bZ4X will probably be on sale in the U.S. next year, though Toyota says only that it “hopes to begin worldwide sales of the model by the middle of 2022.” The company has given no hint as to its price. The closest model in size and function is the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid capable of more than 40 miles of pure electric range. That model starts at just over $38,000.
The crossover was revealed today at the Shanghai Auto Show. Automakers commonly unveil future production cars at auto shows, but most shows over the past year have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. So we expect to see many reveals this week, as one of the first major automotive events to take place in person in more than a year unfolds.
The bZ4X shares design cues with the RAV4, with its busy styling and numerous angular body lines. Toyota has not felt the need to give it a false grille. It simply leaves an expanse of steel where it would otherwise sit to make it obvious the vehicle is electric. The wheel arches are black as if they were the black plastic body cladding common to some less-expensive cars. But the effect appears to be just a paint color. This detail may disappear when the car goes into production.
Open Concept Interior
Inside, Toyota says the bZ4X features an open concept interior. Since electric vehicles lack a transmission (and the transmission hump that divides the right and left sides of a gasoline-powered car’s cabin), designers of EVs often strive for a more spacious feel. Photos don’t show as radical an open concept as some recent EVs. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, for instance, simply omit the division between seats.
Toyota uses a center console that replicates the old-fashion transmission hump but left open space beneath it.
The most prominent visual change is the curious instrument cluster. Rather than using a conventional binnacle cover, the screen features an open top and sits far forward from the driver. Toyota says that should improve forward visibility. There appears to be a button for one-pedal driving, like that of the Nissan Leaf.
Toyota didn’t reveal any mechanical or performance details about the bZ4X.
Toyota says the car will be the first of seven that will sport the BZ moniker. It stands for “beyond zero,” in reference to the automaker’s attempt to build cars that go beyond zero emissions. It’s part of a company plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Toyota plans at least 15 global EVs altogether and “around 70 electrified models” — a term that also encompasses hybrid cars – “globally by 2025.”
