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<\/a><\/p>\nToyota Motor Corp is accelerating up its push into electric vehicles with the release of its first SUV built on a new EV platform, joining Volkswagen AG\u2019s splashy bet on the future of electric cars.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s largest carmaker previewed its \u201cbZ4X,\u201d an electric SUV sitting on its new \u201ce-TNGA\u201d platform at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show on Monday. The vehicle is a compact SUV that resembles Toyota\u2019s popular Rav-4, but is built on a entirely new platform and features a distinctive yoke instead of a traditional steering wheel, as well as a system that can recharge the car\u2019s battery using solar power.<\/p>\n
By 2025 Toyota plans to introduce 15 EVs, including seven \u201cbZ\u201d series models globally, said Toyota chief technology officer Masahiko Maeda, speaking at a briefing Monday. The bZ4X is the first of the \u201cbZ\u201d series, which stands for \u201cbeyond zero,\u201d or cars that exceed being \u201cjust zero-emission,\u201d according to Toyota.<\/p>\n
Toyota plans to produce the bZ4X in Japan and China and sell it worldwide by mid-2022.<\/p>\n
The move from Toyota comes as major automakers pivot toward electrification, with countries from Japan to the UK pledging to phase out gasoline-only vehicles over the coming decades.<\/p>\n
Until now, hybrid heavyweight Toyota had taken a more cautious approach to EVs, but that\u2019s starting to change with the latest debut. By comparison, Volkswagen, Toyota\u2019s main global rival, announced last month a $29 billion bet on new battery technology to accelerate its shift to EVs.<\/p>\n
\u201cToyota isn\u2019t behind Volkswagen and others when it comes to EV development, it just hasn\u2019t been as vocal as others,\u201d said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida. \u201cThe ambitious announcement for new models was a surprise, but it was just Toyota finally revealing what it\u2019s been working on for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Japanese automaker says the e-TNGA platform will speed up deployment of new EVs, reducing development time and allowing different models to be designed in parallel. The platform can be fitted to a broad range of vehicle sizes, and while certain key elements remain fixed, the battery and electric motor \u2014 the most expensive parts of an EV \u2014 can be adjusted based on the model.<\/p>\n
The ability to produce cars of different prices and sizes based on its modular platform will give Toyota the ability to reach a wider swathe of consumers \u2014 younger consumers in China demanding smaller and cheaper models such as the $4,230 SAIC Motor Corp-General Motors Hongguang Mini EV.<\/p>\n
The e-TNGA platform is a similar approach to that Volkswagen is taking with the MEB car platform, used by the German automaker and its subsidiaries for electric car development.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the years since we first introduced the Prius, we\u2019ve not pushed forward with any single technology, instead preparing numerous options including fuel cell, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles,\u201d Toyota\u2019s Maeda said. The company will expand its number of electrified models, which includes hybrids, to around 70 by 2025.<\/p>\n