The Toyota booth at the Shanghai Auto Show 2023 was dominated by bZ electric models.
Auto Shanghai 2023 may have been dominated by Chinese brands and their NEVs, but Toyota’s massive showcase also had some very popular items.
Toyota bZ3 Sedan
The vehicle that was front and centre at Toyota’s Shanghai booth was the China-exclusive bZ3 sedan. This was previewed back in October 2022 with BYD batteries and a BYD-affiliated company’s electric motor.
At the autoshow, the electric sedan was finally made available for sale and apparently it did quite well, garnering well over 5,000 orders on the first day of the show.
The bZ3 is priced between 169,800 yuan to 199,800 yuan or between RM109K-RM130K in our money. It its built on the same e-TNGA platform as the bZ4X with ranges and outputs between 517km-616km and 174hp-241hp depending on configuration.
2 New Toyota bZ Concepts
Besides the Toyota bZ3, the company also fleshed out two BEV concepts – the bz Sport Crossover Concept and the bZ FlexSpace Concept. The bZ Sport Crossover’s distinct silhouette makes it easy to pick out from the original range of Toyota electric concepts showed at the end of 2021.
These two models will be also developed for the Chinese market for launch in 2024, while eight others will be for the global market for release by 2026.
The bZ Sport Crossover Concept is jointly developed by Toyota, BYD Toyota EV Technology, FAW Toyota Motor and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China). It will be produced and sold by FAW Toyota Motor.
No specifications were shared, but the concept is built around the idea of personal space for Gen Z customers with functions that will evolve even after purchase. Automatic parking and driver assistance features will be included, of course.
The bZ FlexSpace Concept is more of a people mover in the shape of an SUV.
It is being developed by Toyota, GAC, GAC Toyota Motor Co., and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China). It will be produced and sold by GAC Toyota Motor.
Again, there are no specifications, but the big idea behind it is that Toyota wants to offer a large cabin space, ease of use, advanced safety and a reliable cruising range in an intelligent package for families.
