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Toyota bZ4X 2022.

Toyota unveiled its first mass-produced electric vehicle (it’s the size of a RAV4).

Toyota Motor unveiled the bZ4X, a prototype of a promising serial electric crossover, at the bZ4X international motor show that opened today in Shanghai.

This is the firstborn of the new bZ sub-brand, under which Toyota plans to massively produce only pure electric vehicles.

bZ stands for beyond Zero. Toyota thus emphasizes the initiative to create zero-emission models, that is, electric vehicles. This lineup will include 15 vehicles of various types and classes, and last year Toyota applied for trademarks from bZ1 to bZ5.

There are still few details about bZ4X. The car is built from scratch on the e-TNGA platform, developed in conjunction with Subaru for electric vehicles with front, rear or all-wheel drive.

In terms of dimensions, the car is comparable to the usual RAV4, but due to the larger wheelbase and smaller power plant units, the interior of an electric car is larger than that of a crossover with an internal combustion engine.

The exterior of the bZ4X is made in a new design key that Toyota specialists have developed specifically for the BZ sub-brand.

The car looks deliberately futuristic. The body is characterized by a complex plastic of external panels, a short hood, and narrowed matrix LED lighting technology.

There is no familiar grille ahead, as the electrical installation does not need large air intakes, unlike the internal combustion engine. The piled-up rear pillars give the car a visual swiftness.

The interior is detailed and creates the feeling that we are already facing a serial car. The use of a steering wheel in the form of a steering wheel is still questionable: only Tesla dared to such an experiment in real cars.

The aviation theme is supported by an unusual digital «gadget» towering over the front panel.

Specifications for the Toyota bZ4X have yet to be revealed. The company intends to launch serial production of the electric crossover by mid-2022.

It is assumed that the production version of the car will have minimal design differences from the prototype.

The Toyota bZ4X crossover will open the company’s electric range.

So Toyota is preparing to break into the electric vehicle market. Until now, this Japanese company has relied on hybrids and has made significant progress in this area: since 1997, more than 17 million Toyota gasoline-electric vehicles have been sold worldwide.

It is estimated that they have saved about 140 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Hybrids now account for 23% of Toyota’s global sales. But electric cars are on the agenda.

Toyota unveiled an extensive offensive plan in this area in the summer of 2019, and unveiled the first pre-production train at the Shanghai Motor Show that opened today.

The Toyota bZ4X is a crossover the size of the current RAV4. It is built on the e-TNGA electric platform, which has unified motor modules: theoretically, it can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

Of the features of the «trolley» — a steering mechanism without mechanical connection with the steering wheel (control by wires) and solar panels for recharging the battery.

The complex index of the model is quite amenable to deciphering. The letter bZ is coined for the entire family of e-TNGA electric trains and stands for “beyond Zero”, emphasizing zero carbon dioxide emissions.

The four speaks of the position of the model in the hierarchy, but «X» is a crossover.

The Toyota bZ4X SUV was developed in conjunction with Subaru, which will soon have an electric twin, but its main contribution to the project is setting up an all-wheel drive.

Alas, the partners have not yet published any characteristics of the car, but they showed the interior.

Instead of a steering wheel, a steering wheel is installed here, because a mechanism without a shaft allows you to set any gear ratio and steer without interception.

However, it is not a fact that this solution will live up to mass production. But the virtual instrument cluster, raised up in the manner of Peugeot cars, is likely to remain.

On the second row there is a flat floor and generous legroom for riders.

The serial Toyota bZ4X crossover should appear by mid-2022, these electric vehicles will be produced in Japan and China, and sold almost all over the world.

Next, Toyota will release a whole shaft of «electric trains»: by 2025, fifteen models will see the light, of which seven are of the bZ family.

Moreover, the company will involve not only Subaru in their development.

Depending on the target market, Daihatsu and Suzuki will be partners in the EV program, and in China, BYD, a local firm with extensive experience in the development and production of EVs.