Toyota plans to debut its first electric sedan in December 2022. Dubbed bZ3, the new sedan rivals Tesla Model 3, Changan Shenlan SL03, Volkswagen e-Golf, and other similar electric cars.
Toyota’s new electric vehicle (EV) is the product of its collaboration with FAW Group and BYD. The company’s first EV, bZ4X, was created in partnership with GAC Motor.
So far, the company plans to launch the sedan in China only, with a starting price of around $28,000 (Rs. 6.4 million).
Toyota bZ3 borrows BYD’s Blade LFP battery pack, though the battery size has yet to be revealed. It will be powered by one of two rear-axle mounted electric motors, one in the lower trim level producing 183 horsepower (hp) and the other in the higher trim level producing 244 hp.
The vehicle will include all the modern features found in Toyota Safety Sense, such as lane-keeping assistance, collision warning and avoidance, adaptive cruise control, autonomous braking, automatic high beam, road sign assist, and so on.
The compact EV currently faces huge competition in China and will likely struggle in grabbing a sizeable market share among affordable EVs.
Last year, Toyota announced its electric vehicle (EV) adoption strategy. However, new reports indicate that the company may be going back to the drawing board.
According to Reuters, Toyota has formed an internal group to devise strategies for improving its current e-TNGA flexible EV platform or developing a new EV architecture. The e-TNGA platform is already used in the bZ4X crossover SUV and will also underpin the upcoming Lexus RZ 450e in 2023.
While these changes are under consideration, Toyota is pulling the plug on the development of several EV projects, including a compact electric cruiser (inspired by the FJ Cruiser) and the Toyota Crown hybrid sedan.
Sources claim that Toyota’s EV development process is too slow and expensive in comparison to other manufacturers. To address the issue, Toyota is planning to rework its EV development strategy.