Toyota has unveiled two new electric vehicles at this week’s Auto Shanghai, the bZ Sport Crossover and bZ FlexSpace, with the aim of bringing them to full production and sale in the Chinese market in 2024.
Toyota’s bZ (beyond Zero) series is based on a BEV-dedicated ‘e-TNGA’ platform, these latest arrivals being two of 10 zero-emissions models Toyota plans to release globally by 2026.
Unashamedly pitched at a youthful Gen Z audience, the racy five-door crossover is designed to “continue to evolve after purchase” and incorporates “intelligent features such as driver assistance and automatic parking”.
The bZ FlexSpace Concept SUV is focused on family-oriented utility and is being jointly developed by Toyota and Guangzhou Automobile Group (the latter currently China’s fifth largest auto manufacturer).
Designed around a ‘Cozy Home’ theme, this more conventional SUV prioritises space-efficiency, advanced safety and reliable cruising range.
Detailed specifications are yet to be confirmed, but both cars feature a striking exterior as well as an ultra-minimalist interior design including a yoke-style steering wheel.
Both concepts feature a minimalist interior design.
These new concepts expand Toyota’s bZ line-up, joining the bZ4X compact SUV, Toyota’s first production BEV, scheduled for Australian launch late this year, the bZ small SUV concept unveiled in late 2022, and the bZ3, a small, five-seat, battery-electric sedan from BYD Toyota EV Technology, revealed earlier this year.
Although the bZ Sport Crossover and bZ FlexSpace are confirmed for the Chinese market only at this stage, earlier this year Toyota Australia’s vice-president of sales and marketing, told CarsGuide: “We will launch at least three EVs in the space of three years with more in the pipeline.”
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