- the toyota bz4x electric crossover, previewed by this concept vehicle, will be the first of toyota's new beyond zero evs to arrive next year.
- it's built on the toyota and subaru co-developed electric platform, and this model has a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup.
- there will eventually be 15 new toyota evs, with seven to carry the bz name.
toyota says it has 15 new electric vehicles on the way, of which seven will use the moniker bz, for beyond zero. the first to arrive will be the bz4x crossover, previewed by this concept vehicle—a logical choice, since the rav4 was toyota's best-selling car in the u.s. last year. the bz4x will arrive in mid-2022 with others, including an electric pickup truck, to follow in the next few years.
the bz4x concept is similar in shape and size to the rav4 crossover but lower, with a longer wheelbase and sharper styling. from the outside, the concept captures the ethos of bold, futuristic ev looks, but we can't say the same for the interior. it's taken over by an awkwardly bulky steering column, with a digital gauge cluster set back far apart from the steering wheel that has an oversize hub with buttons for the cluster and driver-assistance features. a large touchscreen extends up out of the center console, which has a rotary shifter placed in the middle and storage underneath with two usb-c ports.
toyota hasn't said anything about battery size or range, but the bz4x will have to compete with other electric crossovers such as the ford mustang mach-e, with up to 305 miles of range, and the tesla model y with 326 miles of range on its long range model. the bz4x, along with additional upcoming toyota models, will be built on the e-tnga electric vehicle platform that toyota developed alongside subaru, and it supports single-motor front- or rear-wheel-drive setups or dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models, like this bz4x. a single-motor bz4 should also be available, and we'll see an electric vehicle from subaru, too.
we'll know more details about the toyota bz4x soon, and it will arrive in the u.s. in the middle of next year. we expect the production version to cost around $40,000 given that the plug-in-hybrid rav4 prime starts at $39,220.