bZ4X previews Toyota’s new EV brand

Toyota is calling the concept bZ4X which is Toyota speak for an all-wheel-drive crossover that goes “beyond zero”, a reference to the firm’s commitment to carbon neutrality. Get used to bZ: it will become Toyota’s electric nameplate in the manner of Volkswagen’s ID or Mercedes’ EQ.

There are some concept whims in the cabin, including a wacky steering “yoke”, but overall inside and outside this appears very real-world. With its blanked-off grille and “hammerhead” front-end it’s pretty much what you would expect a battery evolution of the latest aggressively styled RAV4 to look like.

It sits on a bespoke electric version of the firm’s TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform that underpins the current hybrid RAV4. The electric (e-TNGA) platform has been developed with Subaru and will form the basis of a new family of electric cars for both brands. The platform boasts an impressive wheelbase and as a consequence rear legroom is said to rival that of SUVs a class up.

Motors on both front and back axles provide the all-wheel-drive traction that Toyota says gives the bZ4X genuine off-road capability. Steering is – or can be, in markets where it is allowed – by wire, what the company says is a world first. Directing the bZ4X via the “yoke” gives the driver greater control and is more fun, they say, but whether we will see it here is a moot point.

The rest of the cabin looks production ready. Like Peugeot, Toyota has gone for a low-set digital instrument display which you look at from over, not through, the steering “wheel”. Even with a conventional wheel, still expect panoramic visibility for the driver. As well as the steer-by-steer, other forward-looking touches include solar charging to keep the batteries topped up when parked.

This electric RAV4 style crossover might be the first bZ model but it’s far from the last, with Toyota saying it will offer at least 15 battery-electric vehicles by 2025. It’s not giving up on its self-charging hybrids though, expecting that they will account for 70 per cent of European sales by the same date.