The Toyota bZ3 was recently shown in patent photos in China, where it would be manufactured under the BYD brand in a partnership between the two companies.
The car will feature electric motors and batteries manufactured by BYD and will be available in two different power outputs.
The Japanese carmaker revealed a sedan around the size of the Camry in December, and it was widely speculated that it would be one of the first electric vehicles from this new portfolio to enter production.
Toyota has just lately introduced its bZ (for “beyond zero”) sub-brand for battery-electric automobiles, and we have known for some time that at least a handful of these vehicles will compete with the Tesla Model 3 on pricing. The Toyota bZ3, the concept for which was shown this month, seems to be an electric vehicle with that goal in mind.
However, it looks that for the time being, it will only be available in China.
Because Toyota will partner with BYD of China to produce the sedan, which shares a platform with the Camry.
Two different power outputs (136 and 244 hp) and at least two different trim levels are planned for the bZ3. These photos, released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, show an automobile that is widely speculated to use electric motors and batteries manufactured by BYD.
The e-TNGA architecture from Toyota should still underpin the car. Although we don’t yet have official range numbers for the bZ3, we anticipate that the sedan will have a range of at least 220 miles when fully charged. While Chinese pricing information has not yet been made public, it is widely assumed that the vehicle will be priced similarly to the Toyota Camry.
China is the world’s biggest EV market, thus naturally several international manufacturers have released models tailored specifically for the Chinese market. Toyota has said that it will offer a Camry-sized electric vehicle as part of the bZ portfolio, so we can’t rule out the possibility of the bZ3 making it to Europe and North America. The debut of that model had been scheduled for this year, but delays have pushed it back.
The bZ3, however, is a fair preview of what Americans may see in the near future in terms of design. The bZ3 is, all but in name, a manufacturing version of the bZ SDN idea unveiled in December.
Although Toyota has not announced specific plans for the car’s release in countries outside of China, it is hard to see a version of this sedan not making it to the United States, particularly because it looks to be targeted quite squarely at Tesla’s smaller sedan.
Should Toyota bring the bZ3 to the United States if it costs about as much as a Camry? Please share your thoughts in the section below.
READ MORE- Reasons to Hold Out for the 2024 Kia EV9 Midsize Sport Utility Vehicle – Top Future Cars
