On April 28, 2022, Toyota’s first electric vehicle bZ4X based on the e-TNGA platform held a presale release conference, announcing the vehicle price and detailed product information:
- Designed based on the e-TNGA platform, with dimensions of 4,690mm × 1,860mm × 1,650mm and a wheelbase of 2,850mm;
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Equipped with a 72.8 kWh ternary lithium battery pack developed in cooperation with CATL, supports up to 150 kW DC fast charging, the 90 kW charger can charge the battery to 80% capacity in 40 minutes, and can be fully charged in about 12 hours using a standard charger (200V, 6 kW, 30A);
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The front-wheel-drive permanent magnet motor has a power of 150 kW and a peak torque of 265 N·m, and the dual-motor permanent magnet motor at the front and rear have a power of 80 kW and a peak torque of 336 N·m;
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Equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, including rear cross-traffic alert, full-range dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure warning, and pre-collision safety system;
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Adopting Subaru’s X-MODE four-wheel-drive technology, optional One-motion (yoke-style) steering wheel, achieving a steering amplitude of about 150 degrees Lock-to-lock;
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The rear longitudinal space is 1,000mm, equipped with seat and steering wheel heaters, and Toyota’s first radiation-type foot heating function for the front seats;
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Three interior styles and six body colors are available, among which the Twilight Gold is exclusively offered by GAC Toyota bZ4X.
In terms of price, the model distribution of the bZ4X from GAC Toyota and the Volkswagen ID.4 are very similar, and both have entry-level versions with smaller batteries and four-wheel drive versions. The bZ4X’s main sales are expected to be the 240,000 yuan RMB long-range Elite and the more feature-rich 260,000 yuan long-range Pro version.
GAC Toyota offers an optional “One-motion” remote control steering technology for the bZ4X, which uses a yoke-style steering wheel design with a total steering amplitude of less than half a circle, approximately 150 degrees.
The four-wheel drive version uses the X-MODE four-wheel drive technology developed in cooperation with Subaru, with two modes: “slippery road” and “tyres easily sinking”, which can independently control the output torque of all four wheels.
GAC Toyota stated that the bZ4X’s electronic control and thermal management technology can achieve a range of 615 kilometers under the CLTC working condition, with a battery capacity of 72.8 kWh and a weight of 2.25 tons. For reference, the Model Y long-range dual-motor version has a CLTC range of 660 kilometers.
The performance of the bZ4X is not outstanding, but the four-wheel drive version sells for 280,000 yuan. In terms of driver assistance, the bZ4X currently does not have an advantage compared to the ID.4, which supports “turn signal to change lanes” after an update. In addition, the acceleration performance and motor power of the four-wheel drive version are weaker than those of the single-motor standard range Model Y. Toyota may need large-scale production of electric vehicles to reduce production costs and prices.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.