Toyota BZ 4X
Source: Toyota Motor Corp.
Source: Toyota Motor Corp.
Toyota Motor Corp. accelerates its entry into electric vehicles with the release of its first SUV built on a new EV platform. Volkswagen AG’s dazzling bet on the future of electric cars.
The world’s largest carmaker previewed its “bZ4X”, an electric SUV that sits on its new one “E-TNGA” platform at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2021 on Monday. The vehicle is a compact SUV that resembles Toyota’s popular Rav-4, but is built on an all-new platform and features a distinctive yoke instead of a traditional steering wheel, as well as a system that can charge the car’s battery using solar -energy.
Toyota plans to introduce 15 electric vehicles, including seven ‘bZ’ series models worldwide, by 2025, Toyota Chief Technology Officer Masahiko Maeda said at a briefing on Monday. The bZ4X is the first of the “bZ” series, which stands for “more than zero,” or cars that go beyond “just zero emissions,” Toyota said.
Toyota plans to manufacture and sell the bZ4X in Japan and China worldwide by mid-2022.
Toyota’s move comes as major carmakers focus on electrification, with countries from Japan to the UK pledging to phase out petrol-only vehicles in the coming decades. Until now, Toyota hybrid heavyweight had taken a more cautious approach to electric vehicles, but that is starting to change with the latest debut. In comparison, Volkswagen, Toyota’s main global rival, announced one last month Betting $ 29 billion on new battery technology to accelerate the shift to EVs.
“Toyota is not behind Volkswagen and others when it comes to electric vehicle development, it just hasn’t been as boisterous as others,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida. “The ambitious announcement for new models was a surprise, but it was just Toyota who finally revealed what it had been working on for a while.”
The Japanese automaker says the e-TNGA platform will accelerate the implementation of new EVs, shorten development time and design several models in parallel. The platform can be fitted to a wide range of vehicle sizes and while certain key elements remain fixed, the battery and electric motor – the most expensive parts of an electric car – can be adapted to suit the model.
The ability to produce cars of various prices and sizes based on its modular platform gives Toyota the ability to reach a wider range of consumers – younger consumers in China. demanding smaller and less expensive models like the $ 4,230 SAIC Motor Corp.-General Motors Hongguang Mini EV. The e-TNGA platform is a similar approach to Volkswagen’s approach to the MEB car platform, which is used by the German car manufacturer and its subsidiaries for the development of electric cars.
Source: Toyota Motor Corp.
“In the years since we first introduced the Prius, we have not progressed with any technology, but have prepared many options, including fuel cell, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles,” said Toyota’s Maeda. The company will expand its number of electrified models, including hybrids, to approximately 70 by 2025.
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