At last year's Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota unveiled the first pure electric vehicle bZ4X concept version. After nearly a year, this car is about to be officially mass-produced and will be listed in the first half of the year.
Looking at the name, you can see that bZ4X belongs to Toyota's new pure electric exclusive series "bZ", the full name is "beyond Zero", which also reflects Toyota's brand vision of "beyond zero emissions".
The design of this car is very aggressive, the lines are sharp, and the biggest features are the front face of the hammerhead shark and the front fenders that are different colors from the body.
The bZ4X is based on Toyota's e-TNGA pure electric architecture, with a length, width and height of 4690/1860/1650mm and a wheelbase of 2850mm.
The car will be available in both front-drive and four-wheel drive power forms, with the front-drive version of the motor with a maximum power of 150kW and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 8.4 seconds; the front and rear motors of the four-wheel drive version with a maximum power of 80kW and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.7 seconds, and using Subaru's X-MODE off-road technology - this is also the X-MODE debut of the electric car. In addition, Toyota has developed a new Grip-Control intelligent multi-terrain adaptation system for the bZ4X, which can improve handling, stability and passability in different road conditions.
It seems that in toyota's eyes, the bZ4X is first of all an SUV, followed by an electric vehicle, the chassis control advantage of traditional car companies is still a very important core selling point, and it is also unattainable by many new car-making forces in a short period of time.
It is worth mentioning that the bZ4X will also provide a solar charging dome, which can use solar power to generate 12V power or power batteries, and absorb about 1800 km of energy per year for vehicles, which should also be the first electric vehicle that can generate its own electricity. The WLTP range of the front-drive model is about 500km, and the four-wheel drive model is 460km, all of which can be charged to 80% of the power in 30 minutes - most importantly, Toyota deliberately emphasizes that its power battery can still ensure 90% of the storage capacity after 10 years of use.
Of course, the racing-style special-shaped steering wheel that appears in the car is also a highlight of the bZ4X, which can greatly reduce the steering range through steer-by-wire technology. However, tesla model S Plaid, which was also equipped with this yoke steering wheel, was not convenient to operate and had a small safety hazard because it was also equipped with in-line control technology, which caused a lot of controversy. However, the yoke steering wheel will not be installed immediately, and the domestic models listed in the early stage are only the traditional steering wheel - toyota bZ4X how to control it, and we need to actually test it.
In terms of other configurations, the Toyota bZ4X is also equipped with soundproof glass, steering wheel heating, seat heating, front seat foot radiant heater, etc., and is equipped with the latest TSS3.0 Toyota Safety Sense safety system.
As a pioneer of Toyota electric vehicles, the bZ4X will be the first to be produced by FAW Toyota, and will be produced simultaneously by GAC Toyota in the future, but it is still unknown whether the design and name will change. By 2025, Toyota will launch 15 pure electric models worldwide, while the bZ pure electric series will launch 7 products, of which 5 will be introduced to the Chinese market.
As we all know, Toyota has been working in the hybrid field for 25 years, and has been a leader in this field with the sales of 18 million electrified models worldwide. Since the introduction of the first hybrid model Prius in 2005, FAW Toyota has launched a series of new energy products in China, such as Corolla Dual Engine, Asian Dragon Dual Engine, RAV4 Rongfang Dual Engine, RAV4 Rongfang Dual Engine E+.
Compared with other joint ventures that have never been involved in new energy products, Toyota obviously has a deeper accumulation of technology and services. Another major advantage is that the 700+ dealer system covering the whole country can quickly radiate its own electric products to a wider range of mass consumer groups like Volkswagen.
With another joint venture giant entering the pure electricity market, the pressure on the new car-making forces must be much greater, but it is also a good thing for the industry that Volkswagen and Toyota can make more people pay attention to electric vehicles through huge brand influence and sales channels.
After all, make the cake bigger together, in order to have the motivation to develop a better electric car.
The author of this article is a kick car gang brother