Although the second generation of Toyota’s all-electric bZ model has not been announced for the United States market just yet, photographs leaked by China’s Ministry of Industry give us an excellent look at the company’s competitor to Tesla’s Model 3.
The top image is of Toyota’s recently unveiled bZ SDN concept car. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this was really a sneak peek of the upcoming Toyota bZ3 sedan that made its debut last week through CarNewsChina. BYD will manufacture the bZ3 in China using Toyota’s eTNGA platform and provide batteries and electric motors. This is quite similar to the process used by the nation and GAC to produce the bZ4X crossover.
It has been stated that the bZ3 will be available with either 183 or 244 horsepower, with power going to the back wheels through a battery pack of unspecified size. Compared to the Model 3, which begins at 279 horsepower and goes up from there, it doesn’t seem very fast at all. Aside from the GR series, Toyota has never really been known for its speed, and the bZ4X is no exception.
An external preview of the bZ3 is provided here, and it seems like a production-ready version of the bZ SDN, which was itself a handsome sedan. I’ll go on public as saying that I’m a fan of Toyota’s take on geometric shapes; the car’s short rear deck especially calls to mind the Lucid Air, although in a less refined form. Even so, I believe everything is now tidy.
The great unknown is whether or if Toyota will ever sell this kind of vehicle in the United States. We don’t have enough information to say for sure, but it’s certainly possible. The bZ3 visually resembles the forthcoming Crown, but the Crown will not be a battery-electric vehicle. Therefore, Toyota needs a small electric car, and the bZ3 would fill that need. If the company tries to sell vehicles in the West, they may swap out the BYD mechanicals for Toyota parts. We can only hope that this tiny EV doesn’t pick up the bZ4X’s distaste for maintaining its wheels.
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