Frankly, it’s hard to believe that Toyota currently has no pure-electric mass-market offerings to its name right now. You just sort of assume that the Japanese manufacturer, one of the largest on the planet, has stuck its hand into that cookie jar at one point or another. But this isn’t the case.
This is about to change, though, when the company launches the bZ4X in 2022—and it appears Southeast Asia will be getting the vehicle this year as well.
In a recent statement, Toyota Motor Thailand president Noriaki Yamashita bared that our Southeast Asian neighbor will see a local introduction of the bZ4X within the year.
“Last year, we’ve already introduced BEV in Lexus UX300e and PH-EV in Lexus NX450h+. As for Toyota brand, bZ4X which is the first model as the bZ series will be introduced this year,” Yamashita said.
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“We will also explore further localization in a bid to make Thailand the key production hub for multiple electrified vehicles. This initiative aligns with the Thai government's direction towards electrification, the BCG economy and decarbonization goals.”
The bZ4X will be the first of Toyota’s new line of ‘Beyond Zero’ electric offerings. It’s one of 15 new EVs the company hopes to launch before the year 2025. Toyota previously confirmed that the fully-electric SUV (which was co-developed with Subaru, by the way) will be available in both front-and all-wheel drive. The former does 201hp and 264Nm, while the latter can do up to 214hp and 336Nm of torque.
Sounds promising. Now, it’s a little early for Filipino car buyers to get their hopes up, but it isn’t uncommon for Thai launches to see a wider release in Southeast Asia not long after. This is definitely a car the Philippine market should keep an eye on.
Toyota bZ4X photos
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