Returning late to the urban SUV segment, Toyota is already preparing to split its offer. To support the recent Yaris Cross, only available in hybrid with us, the Japanese brand will indeed offer a new 100% electric model which should be called bZ2X.
Putting all your eggs in one basket is always very risky. Without abandoning the hybrid or its work on hydrogen, Toyota is therefore preparing a wide range of battery electric vehicles (BEV). An offensive announced at the end of 2021 by presenting no less than 11 new features at once, while the Japanese brand seemed so far quite opposed to this type of engine. Among this myriad of models, there is one that seemed particularly suited to Europe: the “Small SUEV”. In series, this urban SUV should logically be called bZ2X. It will adopt a format close to that of the recent Yaris Cross, with a length of between 4.15 m and 4.30 m, and will help Toyota win in a category where the manufacturer has been absent for far too long.
A style very different from that of the Yaris Cross
Larger than the future bZ1, which should remain under the 4 m mark, the bZ2X will come to compete with the Peugeot e-2008 and Opel Mokka-e, but also as an opponent of the new Mégane E-Tech Electric. Like the latter, it will also adopt retractable door handles, a shield with a complex design and C-shaped headlights. An aesthetic gimmick that Toyota does not intend to use too much on the rest of its electric range, thus continuing its strategy of offering very different styles depending on the model. We are here at the antipodes of the “Russian dolls” dear to many manufacturers, especially German ones. The look is also totally different from that of the Yaris Cross by being less square, less adventurous. Here, it’s more the sportiness card that is played, with a slightly sloping rear window, classically round wheel arches and a very reasonable roof height.
Technical characteristics to be confirmed
On the technical side, Toyota was stingy with details during its big presentation in the form of a show of force. Nothing therefore certifies that the new e-TNGA platform, introduced this spring by the bZ4X family SUV, will be used here. Especially since the launch of the bZ2X is not expected before 2024 or 2025 and the brand had entrusted us, during its annual Kenshiki Forum, with working on another very flexible basis. Baptized E3, this future architecture designed primarily for Europe would be able to accommodate both electric and thermal engines. Even if the Yaris Cross offers this possibility, it is also not certain that all-wheel drive is on the menu for this small electric SUV, as demand remains very low in this segment. As for the prices, with marketing in more than three years, it would be risky to give too precise prognoses. But, based on those of the competitors, it is difficult to hope to see them fall below 35,000 €. A salty addition that the ecological bonus could make more digestible… if it still exists at this date!
Source: Motor.es