After a flop, Toyota gets serious
The car manufacturer can confidently label Toyota’s first electric car bZ4X as a failed start. But the Japanese don’t want to leave it at that. By 2026, Toyota plans to bring five more purely electric cars to Europe. One of them is already showing up as a concept and indicates decisive improvements.
Toyota: Five new electric cars planned for Europe
Toyota has done a belly landing with the bZ4X. Now there must be clear signs that e-cars from Japan will do better in the future. Toyota has already given a first glimpse: by 2026 in Europe five new battery-electric models from the bZ series are brought onto the market.
It is not yet entirely clear which electric car will be the first, but the time frame is. Nice 2023 Toyota wants to launch the first of the five newcomers. It could be a small electric car Act, as Matt Harrison, Toyota’s European boss, has now confirmed on the sidelines of a manufacturer’s event in Brussels (source: Automotive News).
According to another internal source, it should again be an SUV. It remains to be seen whether there is disagreement or whether a very compact SUV is actually planned. Furthermore, there should be a larger SUV than the bZ4X, a sedan and even a fully electric pickup could be in the works.
Compact SUV: Toyota presents concept that gives hope
Toyota also showed the concept for another compact SUV in Brussels (seen in the picture below). The bZ Compact SUV Concept doesn’t yet have a name, but according to Automotive News it could Released in 2025 as bZ3X. In its presentation, Toyota emphasizes the advanced technologies. The curved screens are particularly exciting:
In addition to the Tesla-style steering element, the space available is positive. A direct comparison to the bZ4X is here much more space. There is no legroom in Toyota’s first e-crossover. The design typical of e-cars is otherwise available with a wide wheelbase and short overhangs, which should also provide more space in the interior.
Toyota wants to pay close attention to the price of electric cars in the future so that they can compete with combustion engines:
Like the bZ4X, the concept vehicle is based on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform. Whether it can still keep up technically by 2026 remains to be seen. According to Harrison, the new electric models for Europe show that Toyota is clearly committed to the battery electric vehicle (BEV). In Toyota’s message on the other hand, there is still talk of a broad approach that also includes hybrids and plug-in hybrids as well as hydrogen drives.
