Toyota’s official pivot to electric vehicles is getting tough. Less than two months ago, we admired bZ Compact SUV concept in Los Angelesand here it is, in metal (vinyl?) and in C-HR has faded here in the US, we can expect a quick turnaround on what promises to be a budget-friendly EV entry for the US market. If you ask the Autoblog staff, the C-HR is either fun and vibrant or completely casual. Like it or not, it’s certainly not dull. The bZ concept we saw in LA definitely stems from the same aesthetic spring, and we’re seeing hints of those styling elements underneath the camouflage on this prototype.
Several elements from the concept are evident under the camouflage of this prototype. The headlights aren’t quite as radical as what we saw on the show car, but they seem to be recessed into the horizontal crease on the nose in a similar way. Also clearly visible is the not-so-subtle spoiler that hangs atop the heavily raked hatch. Even if most of the details are concealed in plastic, it’s pretty clear that the production version won’t be far from what we’ve seen.
Apart from its size (it is smaller than the RAV4 and slightly larger than the aforementioned C-HR) and what it might look like, we really don’t know much about this new EV. Toyota has managed to keep the concept’s powertrain secret for the time being. The larger bZ4X comes with a 150 kilowatt (201 hp) motor in FWD, so we expect a smaller bZ variant to arrive with that figure. The bz4X all-wheel drive model features a pair of 80 kW (107 hp) engines — one per axle. Alone probably won’t be enough unless Toyota aims to be extremely economical and able to reduce weight with just a small engine. the battery.
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