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Toyota’s first electric vehicle for the Australian market has gotten off to a slow start with the Japanese-built bZ4X EV notching up just 914 sales since its launch earlier this year. Meanwhile, competitors in this space, particularly from China, have continued to be a sales success in a slowing market. This includes the Tesla Model Y (19,392 sales), and BYD Atto 3 (5,523 sales), which have all taken a strong lead over the first full-battery electric Toyota.
There are several reasons the bZ4X has struggled for sales, but most commentators believe it comes down to two main points. The exorbitant starting price of $66,000 plus on-road costs makes it prohibitively expensive with a lack of government incentives, and second, you don’t get much for your money. The bZ4X has a real-world range of around 350km, according to most reviews online, and its competitors are closer to 500km. Buyers of EVs are savvy, tech-smart, and have no trouble cross-shopping numbers on a page. Unfortunately for the oddly named bZ4X, it loses the top trump game in every instance.
Oddly, Toyota seems to be keeping the best of its EVs in China. The new bZ3C that you see here could be the perfect product for the brand to further bolster its operations in Australia, but it’s built for the Chinese market only through a joint venture that sources the majority of powertrain components from BYD.
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Revealed at the Beijing auto show earlier this year, the swoopy bZ3C has the trademark ‘Hammerhead’ design language at the front end and includes far more sophisticated technology when compared to the bZ4X.
This five-seater crossover has a length of 4,780mm along with a wheelbase of 2,880mm but the differentiating element could be the sloping roofline juxtaposed against the latest Toyota design language. When compared to the more restrained Tesla Model Y, the bZ3C looks quite aggressive and has more presence than the more conventional-looking bZ4X.
Underneath the radical exterior, CarNewsChina says the powertrain features several BYD parts, including a 200kW electric motor sourced from BYD’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Fudi Power. It will be powered by a lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery from Fin Dreams, BYD’s battery-manufacturing facility where they make the famous blade batteries. The claimed range for the bZ3C is around 630km for the larger battery pack, and this would place it above the longest-range Tesla Model Y, which manages up to 533 km (WLTP).
The bZ3C has a lot of technology as Toyota attempts to reboot its EV operations in China while appealing to a younger audience. The interior for example has a massive 15.6-inch infotainment screen with no less than 200 third-party apps along with features like AI recognition and lidar technology plus more.
You’ll also find front seats that fold flat and merge with the second row for snoozing space. There are other elements like pop-out door handles that you do not find in other Toyota models sold globally which means these cars are developed with the Chinese markets in mind.
That said, the bZ3C can easily work here and give Toyota a stronger arsenal to fight off the new barrage of EVs coming soon to Australia.
Toyota says that there are no plans for exporting the bZ3C while it grows in the bZ EV brand further with numerous launches in many segments. For the Australian market, Toyota intends to add two new EVs along with the bZ4X by 2026.
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