Toyota BZ4X News

Japanese automakers are facing a future-threatening crisis that threatens their very survival, says Toyota's global CEO Koji Sato, speaking in his role as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association .As reported by US industry title Automotive News, one of the world's most important automotive CEOs has unveiled a seven-point plan to ward off new challengers, principally from China, before calling on Japanese auto makers to unite in the face of the challenge."The question is how we can identify Japan’s winning strategies,” the executive said. “To survive the current difficult environment and grow as a mobility industry, I believe it is essential for the entire auto sector to unite and enhance our international competitiveness.”Mr Sato has identified seven major challenges facing the Japanese industry, and how to combat them, and has called on all members of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association to support the "plan of action".Step one in the plan is to lock down a stable supply of rare earth materials and lithium, given Japan’s dependence on their import. That puts the country on a collision course with China, who has exerted influence over supply chains.Step two is to forgo an EV-only approach to its future, with Toyota’s long-touted “multi-pathway approach” that focuses on hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure-petrol powertrains in the mid-term. Toyota is also a supporter of hydrogen fuel cell technology.Step three is to invest in the most circular economy possible, linking brands together in tracing data and componentry.Step four is to take a lead out of Korea and China’s books, with both countries only too happy to embrace international expertise, be it in design or engineering. The plan highlights the challenge of attracting international talent to Japan, and insists that must change, especially in an era of software-heavy vehicles.Step five is to chase-down Tesla in vehicle autonomy - a field Japan was once a leader in - by removing regulatory roadblocks and introducing a locked-in deadline for full autonomy.Point six is to reform the taxes applied to vehicle sales in Japan, which can add up to thousands of dollars over the ownership cycle of a vehicle.And finally, point seven is to lower production costs by commonising componentry at scale, and building efficiency into the supply chain.“I believe it’s crucial to focus on how we can revitalise Japan’s automotive industry while building a sustainable business model,” Mr Sato said at a JAMA function. “I will strive to ensure Japan’s automotive industry can play a solid role within the global landscape.”

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Toyota has detailed its Chinese-market bZ5 crossover SUV ahead of its launch overseas.The bZ4X is Toyota’s sole fully electric SUV offering here, but the bZ moniker (short for beyond zero) is home to an entire range of EVs in China that Toyota builds with its joint-venture partners.The bZ5, a joint-venture with China’s FAW, joins the already-launched bZ3 sedan (a joint-venture with BYD and FAW), bZ3X mid-size SUV and bZ7 sedan (both joint-ventures with GAC).The bZ5 shares similar styling points and interior features to the bZ4X, although it sources its 200kW electric motor from BYD and its 74kWh LFP battery from Fudi New Energy, which is claimed to grant it a range of up 550km on the CLTC protocol.Measuring in at 4780mm long, 1866mm wide, and 1510mm tall, it is more like a lifted sedan in a similar vein to a vehicle like the Polestar 2, rather than the more traditional SUV shape of the bZ4X, which it is sold alongside overseas.Inside the bZ5 scores a larger 15.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen to the one in the bZ4X, and, bizarrely, scores paddle-based light controllers, with buttons on the steering wheel for indicating, much like the new Tesla Model 3.The bZ5 is priced between the equivalent of $28,000 and $35,000 for its two-variant front-wheel drive only range.The bZ4X will remain Toyota’s only purely electric vehicle in Australia for the time being, with an update on the way designed to address some factors which have given it a less competitive edge over newcomer Chinese rivals such as the Geely EX5, which already outranks it.The brand has indicated in the past that it won’t seek to export its Chinese joint-venture electric vehicles, despite their seemingly appealing value proposition.Toyota chairman, Akio Toyota has spoken out against EVs recently, saying they have too high a carbon price to manufacture compared to its range of popular hybrids. Despite this, it has been on an EV blitz in China, a market that is not traditionally as strong for the Japanese giant as it is elsewhere in the world. It is also a market where electric vehicles are now very much in the mainstream, particularly in the larger cities.In Europe, Toyota will also soon launch a fully electric version of its C-HR small SUV, although this has also not been locked in for an Australian arrival, as the brand takes a more market-based tactical approach to its electric vehicle roll-out.This leaves the biggest news for the brand in Australia the new-generation RAV4 which is set to arrive later in 2025, and a production version of its monocoque ute EPU concept as part of a roll-out of six new electric vehicles to hit the market by next year.

Toyota is a big believer in hybrid tech, and its latest claim shames electric cars.Toyota Chairman, Akio Toyoda, recently spoke to US publication Automotive News and the interview has since been published on the company’s in-house outlet, the Toyota Times.Toyoda, whose predecessors started the company, explained the massive impact its hybrids have had on the environment.“We have sold some 27 million hybrids. Those hybrids have had the same impact as 9 million BEVs on the road,” said Toyoda.No car company has yet to sell 9 million electric cars, though Tesla and BYD are very close, which in theory means Toyota has done the most to cut emissions.Toyoda broke it down even further and said if Toyota had built 9 million EVs in Japan the environmental impact would have been much worse than the hybrids.“But if we were to have made 9 million BEVs in Japan, it would have actually increased the carbon emissions, not reduced them. That is because Japan relies on the thermal power plants for electricity.”This is because the production of batteries and electric car components that need rare earth metals are very energy intensive when mining, refining, shipping and the rest are taken into account. Even post production, where an EV is driven makes a huge difference to its emissions, with the energy mix of the country or whether charged with rooftop solar impacting its emissions.This all brings us back to Toyota multi-pathway approach, which is Toyota putting on an each way bet, or more accurately betting on every runner in the field.Toyota believes the best way to reduce emission is through a variety of technologies and not just battery electric vehicles.The company has been very vocal about that last point, that EVs alone aren’t the answer.“When the term carbon neutrality became popular, we said as a company the enemy is carbon. We have to focus on what we can do immediately to reduce carbon dioxide. That is the basis of our decision. It has not changed and will not change,” said Toyoda. “We should look at all options and work in all directions. As a company, we have been very consistent in saying what we’re fighting against is carbon dioxide.”There is no denying Toyota has been slow to join the electric car party.Hybrids are all the rage right now, but it currently sells just the bZ4X in Australia, which is a very slow seller and is outsold by machines from new brands such as the Geely EX5.Kia sold twice as many EV5 electric SUVs in May as Toyota has sold bZ4Xs this year alone. Kia has a more multi-pathway line-up with its range of hybrids, petrol-powered and electric vehicles.Toyota has promised more electric vehicles with the electric C-HR due next year and there is the promise of six models by 2026 including a ute and potentially a 4WD. There are also a range of for China-only EVs.If they’ll be strong sellers or also-rans is yet to be seen, but Toyota has given its rivals a mighty head start.

Toyota has revealed its potent new electric SUV.Dubbed the bZ4X Touring, it is a stretched version of the bZ4X SUV that is currently on sale.It is confirmed to land in Australian showrooms in the first half of next year, and resembles an EV version of the Subaru Outback SUV-cum-wagon.Toyota hasn’t revealed many details yet, but it will have two electric motors pumping out 280kW sent to all four wheels.It will come with the same circa-75kWh battery as the refreshed standard bZ4X, which should push its driving range past 500km but exact specification will be revealed closer to the car’s launch date.Toyota won’t reveal prices until closer to its launch date but expect it to be pricier than the current all-wheel drive version of the standard bZ4X that will set customers back about $80,000 drive-away.That price would put it at a substantial disadvantage compared to fellow mid-size EVs such as the Tesla Model Y and Kia EV5 and the wave of Chinese newcomers such as the XPeng G6 and Geely EX5.Toyota's current bZ4X sales run rate is about 80 cars a month, which puts it at about 1000 a year and substantially below rivals.Toyota Australia’s sales and marketing chief, Sean Hanley, said the vehicle would appeal to those in need of extra cargo space and the bigger battery and all-wheel-drive set-up would appeal to those wanting to do long-distance touring.The bZ4X Touring is expected to come with the same upgrades earmarked for the standard version later this year.That means a new 14-inch multimedia screen and 7.0-inch driver display.It’ll have roof rails and chunky wheel-arch guards and rear cladding that give it strong Subaru Outback vibes.The reveal of the new body shaped variant of the bZ4X follows the reveal of the electric C-HR, which is believed to be headed our way in the coming years.Toyota said the CH-R EV's max driving range is 600km via the benchmark WLTP testing cycle, but this has not been homologated yet.

Toyota buyers around the world are facing extended delays on delivery of their newly purchased cars due to a rise in the popularity of hybrids. We asked Toyota Australia if the shortage affects us here, too.The delays are all down to a shortage of components for hybrid vehicles which have become popular following several years in which fully electric vehicles went through a boom, only for interest to start tapering off.The surge in popularity for hybrids has forced Toyota to rush to meet the increase in demand with the company saying it would boost production. Toyota also released a statement appearing to play down the matter. "Currently, the production capacity for hybrid parts and components from our suppliers and our in-house parts manufacturing is line with our annual production plans and our vehicle assembly capacity," it said.A concerning factor is that the shortage of parts affecting vehicle delivery time is widespread. Hybrid stock is low in the United States, Japan, China and Europe according to a report from Reuters news agency.Australia has also seen an increase in demand for hybrid vehicles with last year’s total sales up by 39.9 per cent on 2023 and while there is still a growing appetite for electric cars here, the uptake appears to be slowing with 2024’s total up by 10 per cent.The news appears to support Toyota’s long held view that despite an interest in fully electric vehicles consumers would return to hybrids. Toyota Australia has long maintained hybrids would become the preferred choice over electric cars. The company has only one electric vehicle - the bZ4X - on sale here, while the rest of its range is almost entirely hybrid including the RAV4, Kluger, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Yaris and Yaris Cross. CarsGuide asked Toyota Australia if the current hybrid shortage would affect local buyers.“Hybrid-electric vehicles account for more than half our sales this year,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said. “Supply is healthy, both now and confirmed for the coming months. Customers placing an order today can expect to receive their vehicle in less than four months on average.”Currently wait times are nothing compared to how long customers were waiting on cars in 2022 when COVID-19 and a semi-conductor shortage blew delivery times out to a year for certain in-demand Toyota models.  

Talk of slowing electric car demand in the Australian new car market is rife, but an unexpected voice has said there is big growth coming.Between 2022 and 2023, EV sales increased by a meteoric 161.1 per cent (from 33,410 to 87,217), but in 2024 that increase was just 4.6 per cent. So far in 2025 sales are down 37 per cent.Hybrid and plug-in hybrid car were up about 76.0 and 100 per cent in 2024 — but a senior Toyota executive of all people said EVs will take up a much larger share of the market within the next several years.The reason it might be surprising to hear that come from a Toyota Australia exec — namely Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley — is Toyota currently sells just one electric car in Australia, the bZ4X.In 2024 the brand shifted fewer than 1000 units of the bZ4X, 977 to be specific, compared to the 241,296 total new Toyotas Australians bought for the year.That means that for every (roughly) 241 new Toyotas sold in 2024, just one was a bZ4X. And for every 114 new EVs of any brand, only one was a Toyota.It’s a far cry from the usual one-in-five new cars being a Toyota that the brand has become used to.Toyota’s of course going to have to find a way to increase its share of the EV market if it’s going to maintain market dominance, but just how much of the market will be electric cars in a few years’ time? What about a decade?“I mean, everyone’s got predictions, but my thoughts around this are BEVs will probably cap it around that 30 to 40 per cent of the market at some point,” Hanley said.“I'm not entirely sure that'll be in the near future, but it'll happen.”Despite the EV slowdown, Hanley said he expects to start seeing more clarity in where the market will plateau for different forms of electrification between 2030 and 2035.“The idea that EVs will keep dropping, dropping, dropping south is not going to happen. They're actually going to grow. Yeah, let's be upfront. They're going to grow.“And that's why we’ve got to be part of that phase, because it's going to happen. NVES will play some role in that growth. But in actual fact, car companies and customers will drive that growth.”So why would a senior executive at a brand that’s currently behind the curve when it comes to EVs be so outwardly confident electric cars are will make up more than a quarter of the market within a decade?After all, Toyota is 19.6 per cent of the new car market overall, but just 0.9 per cent of the new electric car market going by 2024’s sales figures.Hanley said Toyota is going to grow its EV portfolio in Australia, along with the rest of the brand’s ‘multi-pathway approach to decarbonisation’.“Despite popular opinion, Toyota is actually saying Toyota EVs will grow over the next four, five years.“Probably thinking around 30 per cent would be where I see it . But give or take, it could go to 40 right?“That would be the top end, but it certainly will be more than 10 per cent you've seen or the less than 10 per cent you see today.”For reference, Hanley’s correct about the EV sales share still not having reached 10 per cent for a calendar year - 2024’s EV sales share was about 7.6 per cent of the total new car market.What exactly Toyota’s EV line-up for Australia will be isn’t clear — but Toyota Europe is about to unleash a slew of new electric models over the next year or so.The brand just revealed its new C-HR+ electric car in Europe but it seems to be destined only for that market for now.It’s one of at least six EV models Toyota plans to have on sale by 2026 (including the bZ4X), but amongst the teaser silhouettes were two cars that seem much more suited to local tastes — the LandCruiser Se and EPU ute concepts.When they were revealed in 2023, Sean Hanley said the chances of Australia getting them would be “extremely good” if they reach production. It seems now that they will.Hanley reiterates that, aside from the GR sub-brand’s performance cars, Toyota aims to implement some form of electrification on “the vast majority of Toyotas”.“Where it gets interesting is when people hear that, they suddenly think ‘oh, so Toyota is going to be all BEV’,” Hanley said.“Well, no, actually, we're not. That's not what we're saying. When we talk about electrification, we talk about all forms, whether it be plug-in hybrid, battery electric, fuel cell electric or hybrid electric.”How long it takes, and whether Toyota is able to replicate its market dominance within the EV space is yet to be seen, but the brand certainly has a way to go if that’s the aim — the rise from less than one per cent of the electric car market to around 20 per cent to match its overall market position is a long one.