We are living in a brave new world where seemingly every automaker is very quickly and hastily shifting towards electrified automobiles. Whether that would be plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles, they are all coming in fast. By the time the 2030s roll around, EVs will simply be superior to ICE-powered cars.
Toyota was one of the pioneers of electrification with the original Prius, and their intention was for hybrids to allow an easy, gradual shift into a world of EVs. But, the climate has (literally) changed, and every automaker is currently pressured to switch to electricity as quickly as possible. Toyota was opposed to this sudden change at first, but now, they're caving in, and the new BZ4X concept signals the arrival of all-new electric Toyota models.
10 The Exterior
On the outside, the BZ4X is very distinctive, and we happen to think it looks rather cool. You could say it's the lovechild between the current RAV4 and a car from Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077, but overall, the BZ4X is sure to turn heads when it goes into production.
A few notable automotive design trends are visible, like the rear light bar and the black fenders, but some trends are peculiarly absent. The teardrop shape of the roof is not as pronounced as it is in cars like the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model Y, and as an added bonus, Toyota hasn't followed the upside-down headlight trend like seemingly everyone else.
9 Beyond Zero
One of the major news about the BZ4X Concept is to do with the acronym in its name. While "4" is the position of the model in the upcoming lineup, and "X" in this case denotes two electric motors and AWD, the "BZ" part is the most interesting.
BZ stands for Beyond Zero, and it's one of the pieces that form the Toyota sustainable mobility puzzle. As well as manufacturing full EV, as part of the Beyond Zero philosophy, Toyota is also preparing to produce all of its future vehicles in a completely carbon neutral way, much like what Polestar is planning. By 2025, the automaker plans to launch 15 different electric vehicles, seven of those carrying the BZ moniker.
8 The e-TNGA Platform
A big piece of news in regard to the BZ4X is the brand-new platform that it's built on. The e-TNGA platform makes its first appearance on this concept, and it will underpin all of Toyota's electric vehicles in the coming years. The platform was co-developed with Subaru, so expect to see it on Subaru's upcoming EVs as well.
TNGA, in case you don't know, stands for Toyota New Global Architecture. The platform is built like a lot of other EV platforms, with the option of either a single motor at the rear axle or a dual motor setup with AWD. Sadly, there's still no word on battery pack sizes or range for the BZ4X, but we assume that will be revealed with the production version in 2022.
7 Finally, A Fully Electric Toyota
Although some might brush this off as yet another electric crossover, this car is more important than you might think, especially for Toyota. That's because it is the very first pure electric vehicle to ever come out of the brand.
As mentioned previously, Toyota originally intended for the shift to EVs to be more gradual and slow, which is why they kept pushing their series hybrid models. After being pressured to make the move faster, and with not much preparation, Toyota was forced to stick with plug-in hybrids, the usual series hybrids like the Prius, and also give hydrogen fuel cells a second chance with the Mirai, and the latter doesn't seem to be working for them due to how many hurdles hydrogen cars have to hop. It's good to see that Toyota is finally moving with the times.
6 That Collaboration With Tesla...
Not too long ago, there was a rumor floating around that Toyota was planning to develop a small electric crossover in collaboration with Tesla, and this seemed completely plausible since Toyota had a stake in the Tesla brand for a while.
Unfortunately, this collaboration is now very unlikely. The BZ4X Concept is entirely the work of Toyota, with no Tesla involvement anywhere. Furthermore, Toyota recently sold their stake in Tesla, so it's clear that they want to go to battle in the electric SUV segment entirely on their own.
5 On The Inside
Climb inside the BZ4X Concept, and you're greeted with an interior that's probably unlike any Toyota you've ever seen. Yes, we'll talk about the yoke. Most of the surfaces in the interior are covered in sustainable materials, like parts of the dashboard and the seats, which are also finished in a rather nice-looking cream color.
The instrument cluster is placed at the furthest possible forward point on the dashboard, like recent Peugeot models. There's also a huge infotainment display in the center, although Toyota has thankfully stuck to mostly physical climate controls. Finally, there's a rotary dial gear selector, and a bunch of controls flanking it on either side. The BZ4X is only a five-seater, and you also get a dual-panel sunroof, which is a nice touch.
4 Yes, It Has A Yoke
So then, the yoke. Following on from the insanity that is the yoke in the recent Tesla models, the new BZ4X has also swapped out the conventional steering wheel for this contraption, which controls a new and really complicated "steer-by-wire" system devised by Toyota.
While all of that sounds cool on paper, and the yoke itself looks very futuristic, we're not entirely sure that it'll make it into production. A multitude of countries and regulations worldwide prohibit a steering device like this, and this is driven home by the fact that there are photos of a BZ4X interior with a conventional steering wheel. Still, Toyota is adamant and will try to make sure that the yoke makes it into the production model.
3 The Details
Going back to the rest of the interior, it all seems to be very nice and well made, some might even say it's luxurious. The lid of the center console storage area has a cool little blue light show, and the stitching and materials used throughout seem pretty high scale.
Focusing on the various buttons and switches, we can see that the BZ4X is surprisingly loaded. There's an auto-hold facility, a heated steering wheel, what looks to be a 360-degree camera, one-pedal driving functionalities, and surprisingly, heated and cooled seats. Toyota hasn't spoken about the rest of the tech equipment, but it's very likely the BZ4X will get the latest raft of safety systems and semi-autonomous driving stuff when it enters production.
2 The Competition
When the BZ4X enters production, it'll have to fend off some pretty fierce competition. The two most suitable competitors are the Volkswagen ID.4 and the surprisingly solid Ford Mustang Mach E. Since the BZ4X will be targeting the European market, these are the cars it will mostly compare to, as well as the Tesla Model Y, and maybe the Audi Q4 e-tron as well.
For comparison's sake, both the Mustang Mach E and ID.4 can go a little over 200 miles on one charge, a number that can fluctuate depending on the battery pack size, the motor configuration, and various other factors as well. While the Tesla Model Y claims over 300 miles of range, the real-world tests should even out the playing field.
1 Pricing & Launch
As mentioned before, the BZ4X looks to be targeting Europe, as Toyota hasn't spoken about releasing the production version in North America, or at the very least, the release window. Before the BZ4X was revealed, it was stated that its main target market is Europe.
Obviously, nothing is known about the pricing right now, but the BZ4X will be arriving in Toyota showrooms come 2022, and the conservative price estimate right now is around $40,000, or around 33,200€/£28,800. That would make it way cheaper than the most basic Mach E (UK pricing) and right in line with the ID.4. The exterior and interior are already looking good, so if Toyota gets the range and power right, we could have a winner on our hands.