Toyota announced Toyota bZ, its newly established series of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), in establishment of a full line-up of electrified vehicles, on April 19.
At Auto Shanghai, a motor show held in Shanghai, China, Toyota unveiled a concept version of the Toyota bZ4X, which will be the first model in the bZ series.
In establishing a full line-up of electrified vehicles, Toyota has been progressing its plan to introduce 15 BEV models by 2025, including seven new BEV models of the Toyota bZ series. In its development of BEVs, Toyota has taken two distinct approaches based on the idea of utilizing the advantages of BEVs, considering CO2 reductions from LCA.
The first seeks to realize "mobility for all," with a focus on small-capacity, short-distance, ultra-compact BEVs with establishing new business models such as commercialization of battery reuse and recycling. The Toyota C+pod, which was launched in December 2020, is one example.
In contrast, the new Toyota bZ series of BEVs takes on a "human-centered" approach aimed at widespread use in regions such as China, the U.S., and Europe, where there is significant demand for BEVs, and where there is a large supply of renewable electricity. "bZ" stands for "beyond Zero," and incorporates the desire to provide customers with value that exceeds mere "zero emissions."
Toyota intends to launch BEVs that will be welcomed by all customers. The Toyota bZ series models will be built on new BEV dedicated platforms.
Development of the Toyota bZ series is based on BEV-dedicated platforms that can be used with multiple variations in terms of size and design. Since it is difficult for Toyota to prepare such a wide range of choices by itself, it is jointly developing the series with partners who boast expertise in various fields. By coordinating with policies that encourage the use of renewable energies, Toyota hopes to expand the range of choice for customers, and contribute to the further reduction of CO2 emissions.
The Toyota bZ4X is an SUV BEV jointly developed with Toyota's partner, Subaru. This new vehicle adopts the e-TNGA BEV-dedicated platform that was jointly developed by the two companies; it takes advantage of the strength of Toyota, which boasts expertise in vehicle electrification, and Subaru, which possesses outstanding AWD technologies, and realizes driving performance that is both comfortable and enjoyable. ■