Toyota officially presents the bZ4X 2023, its first electric vehicle
Toyota took advantage of the Los Angeles Auto Show to unveil the North American version of its first electric SUV, the Toyota bZ4X 2023, a model expected to be released later next year. This model officially allows Toyota to make the leap into the marketing of fully electric vehicles.
The Toyota bZ4X therefore represents the first in a series of seven future electric models which, like Hyundai’s IONIQ, will be grouped into the Japanese manufacturer’s “beyond zero” BZ family. In order to situate you, the model will fit into the compact SUV segment; its dimensions are similar to the Toyota RAV4, it will probably be just a little smaller from what we have learned.
In terms of style, the Toyota bZ4X 2023 offers lines a little more angular than the other models of the manufacturer. The stylists wanted to infuse it with a design combining high-end and technological effect.
The new Toyota bZ4X is based on Toyota’s platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles. Called eTNGA, this platform was unveiled in conjunction with Subaru which, for its part, will use it as a base for the Soltera, its first electric vehicle which has also just been presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Toyota has been stingy with technical details on the model. We know that the bZ4X 2023 would initially be offered in two versions: front-wheel drive and all-wheel-drive. It should be equipped with a 71.4 kilowatt-hour battery positioned in the floor. The front-drive version will have an electric motor of 150 kilowatts (201 horsepower) while the all-wheel-drive livery will offer a pair of electric motors, one front and one rear, with a power of 80 kilowatts each. for a total power of 160 kilowatts or 215 horsepower. According to Toyota, the 0 to 100 km / hour would be crossed in just 7.7 seconds. The vehicle should also have good off-road capabilities.
Autonomy estimated at 400 kilometers
Speaking of range, the Toyota bZ4X 2023 will have a range of around 400 kilometers in its front-wheel drive XLE version. Of course, the AWD version, although more efficient if we consider our climate, will be slightly penalized in terms of autonomy. The manufacturer also mentions having added a heat pump in order to reduce the loss of autonomy linked to the heating of the passenger compartment.
In terms of price, the manufacturer has not disclosed any details, but it is a safe bet that it will try to position its basic version in the range to take advantage of provincial and federal subsidies.
The bZ4X will be the first model to feature the latest version of the Toyota Safety Sense ™ (TSS 3.0) safety suite. This suite has been improved by extending the detection range of the millimeter wave radar and the monocular camera. Toyota has improved the performance of each function and added new ones to help the driver under normal driving conditions. For example, the pre-collision system has been enhanced to incorporate low-light cyclist detection, daytime motorcycle detection and guardrail detection. In addition, the lane recognition capability of the lane keeping aid device has been improved.
The 2023 Toyota bZ4X is expected to hit dealerships in mid-2022. Toyota is confident that the battery pack will maintain 90% of its original performance for at least 10 years.
