Different from the rapid rise of new domestic forces, 2022 should be regarded as the inflection point of the electrification transformation of Japanese brands, after all, when other brands are running rapidly towards new energy, Japanese brands are still preparing in the rear, fortunately, japanese brands have begun to catch up.
Two days ago, Honda's first pure electric model, the Honda e:NS1, was announced to be listed in China. Soon after, Toyota, as an old rival, also announced that its first pure electric model, the Toyota bZ4x, opened pre-sale work.
After seeing this scene, I have to say that there is still a certain tacit understanding between the two fields, after all, the two releases of pure electric models can do the front foot and the back.
On April 28, Toyota bZ4x, a pure electric SUV built based on Toyota's e-TNGA architecture BVE exclusive platform, officially opened pre-sale in China, and the new car was positioned as a mid-size SUV, with a pre-price range of 220,000-300,000 yuan.
The new car still continues the design of the overseas version of the model in terms of appearance and interior, and provides two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions for consumers to choose, in fact, such a design is more Lexus style, sharp edges and overall layout, replacing the Lexus logo without any sense of violation.
It is worth mentioning that FAW Toyota, which has the same origin as GAC Fengti, also opened a pre-sale on the same day, and the two remained consistent in price, which is very rare, after all, in the past, Toyota believed in the "sister model" strategy, and there were few cases of "North and South Toyota" simultaneously selling a model.
Looking back at the design of the bZ4X, the new car adopts Toyota's new design language to advertise the identity of the bZ4X pure electric model.
For example, in the front part of the face, bZ4X adopts the closed grille design commonly used by new energy models, and unlike domestic new energy models, the lines of bZ4X are richer, and the visual experience brought by it is more three-dimensional.
In addition, in order to optimize the aerodynamics of the vehicle, the bZ4X has also added a large number of kits on both sides of the body and the lower surround to reduce the resistance encountered by the body.
Unlike other models, the Toyota bZ4X is also quite bright in the side part of the body, including the use of a multi-segment waist line and a prominent wheel shape that tells the three-dimensional sense of the body. Coupled with the sneakback shape adopted at the rear of the car, it gives people a visual feeling of a coupe-type SUV.
In terms of size performance, the body size of the new car 4690/1860/1650mm and the wheelbase of 2850mm are also among the first-line models in the same class.
In addition, in order to cater to the aesthetics of consumers, the Toyota bZ4X is rarely equipped with a penetrating taillight, with a protruding tail box cover at the upper tail and a tail wing shape above. It not only takes into account the sense of movement of the vehicle, but also highlights the fashion sense of the whole vehicle.
Unlike the "great change" in appearance, bZ4X can still see a lot of Toyota's shadow in the interior performance, but it is not difficult to understand, after all, as a "giant" company with an internal combustion engine, it always needs to inherit something.
It is not difficult to see from the picture that the bZ4X does not use the popular through-screen, and still adopts the design method of the independent central control screen, but when you turn your head, you will be relieved because it is designed by Toyota.
Although the design of the central control screen has not been greatly changed, the bZ4X dashboard shape is very cool, different from the common dashboard, Toyota bZ4X's dashboard uses a suspension design, bringing a more intense driving atmosphere.
In addition, it should be noted that the new car has been "hollowed out" in the lower part of the center console, which also effectively increases the utilization rate of the space in the car.
As Toyota's first pure electric model, the biggest highlight is undoubtedly the vehicle's power system. According to the information released by Toyota, the bZ4X is divided into two power forms: front-drive and four-wheel drive, and the front-drive version is equipped with a motor with a maximum power of 204 horsepower, and the official acceleration time of 100 kilometers is 7.5 seconds.
The four-wheel drive version adopts a front and rear dual motor layout, the maximum power of the front and rear dual motors is 109 horsepower, and the comprehensive power is 218 horsepower. Although the horsepower is not much improved, it is fortunate that the four-wheel drive system is added, so the four-wheel drive version of the model has the fastest acceleration of 100 kilometers to 6.9 seconds.
In terms of endurance performance, the entry-level model is equipped with a lithium battery pack with a capacity of 50.3Kwh, and the theoretical maximum cruising range is 400Km, which is undoubtedly not enough compared with the general endurance of 500Km for domestic new energy models.
Of course, in addition to the entry-level model, toyota bZ4X's main sales model is all equipped with a battery pack with a capacity of 66.7KWh, and the cruising range is also divided into 500Km, 560Km and up to 615Km.
However, from the perspective of the corresponding models, Toyota has played a little clever, the two-wheel drive version of the model contains 400Km and 615Km two different endurance, the four-wheel drive version is 500Km and 560Km. In other words, the mainstream mileage is all covered by the four-wheel drive version.
According to the news previously revealed by Toyota, FAW Toyota's version of the bZ4X will officially roll off the production line in June this year and be delivered around August. And GAC Toyota should be similar, as for the future performance of how it is not easy to judge.
After all, there are BYD in domestic brands and Tesla in overseas brands, both of which are the "big guys" in new energy companies, and under these two, there are new forces represented by "Wei Xiaoli", and Volkswagen's ID series models are also not to be underestimated in the domestic market, toyota's new energy road can be said to be full of thorns.