Toyota has revealed its first-ever Electric Vehicle (EV) concept as a part of its ‘Beyond Zero’ series of EVs. The vehicle ‘BZ4X’ is an all-electric crossover SUV that is underpinned by a dedicated EV platform that was built jointly by Toyota and Subaru, and reportedly features two electric motors and an all-wheel-drive powertrain.
While it has been a pioneer in hybrid and even hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, Toyota has been slower than some other major automakers, such as General Motors and Volkswagen, to enter the fully-electric vehicle market.
The BZ4X, which is being developed with Subaru, is one of 15 fully electric vehicles Toyota intends to offer globally by 2025, the company said. There will be at least one electric pickup in that lineup, and seven of those electric vehicles will be sold under a new BZ sub-brand for electric vehicles. BZ stands for Beyond Zero.
The BZ4X crossover SUV will be the first of the new EV lineup to make its debut because the SUV market is arguably the most popular across the globe these days.
The Japanese automaker said it plans to offer a total of 70 “electrified” models by 2025, including plug-in hybrids, regular hybrids, and hydrogen-powered vehicles. Toyota said it plans to become “carbon neutral” by 2050. That means the company’s products, as well as their production, will not add carbon dioxide to the Earth’s atmosphere. Other car companies, such as General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, have made similar pledges.
Toyota will manufacture the BZ4X in China and sell it globally by mid-2022.
