Latest news with #bZ4x
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota Renames Its Only US EV, Adds 62 More Miles of Range, NACS Port for 2026
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Toyota has just one EV, the bZ4x, a name that always seemed unnecessarily complicated. Today, it announced the 2026 model, which will now go by just bZ. Alongside the simplified name, Toyota promises key performance improvements. It's upping the range from a mediocre 252 miles to up to 314 miles, which is more in line with the modern market. The bZ also features up to 50% more horsepower. It will arrive in the second half of 2025 for the 2026 model year. Toyota hasn't revealed the price yet (the bZ4x starts at $37,000). The bZ comes standard with a NACS charge port instead of the legacy CCS port, making it compatible with Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. It powers up from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes, which is a respectable charging speed. Shoppers can choose from several trims with different battery capacities: 236 miles of range, 278, 288, 299, and 314. Each has varying performance and rear-wheel or front-wheel drive. Toyota added a new instrument panel, upgraded center console, larger touch screen (14 inches), and customizable interior lighting with 64 color choices. Toyota also improved the styling all around for a "sleeker, more elegant look." To help preserve range in cold weather, all models come with a heat pump and new battery-preconditioning function to improve charging speeds in low temperatures. To help conserve range, drivers can turn on the heated steering wheel or seat warmers instead of blasting the central heat. We hoped Toyota would release an all-new EV this year, and it still could, but for now, it seems content to make some overdue upgrades on its sole offering in the US. The company plans to launch 15 electric models worldwide by 2027, but it's unclear how many will be available to American shoppers. Toyota's luxury division, Lexus, also makes the electric RZ, which could use a refresh as well. Toyota has been slow to embrace EVs. Its previous president preferred hybrids, at least in the short term, but then he was replaced with an EV-forward leader from Lexus in 2023. That executive change hasn't yielded any obvious changes in the company's EV strategy yet, possibly because the hybrid lineup continues to pay the bills, The New York Times reports. Other Japanese automakers have been similarly hesitant to go all-in on EVs but have warmed up to them more than Toyota in the past few years. Subaru, which previously only had one EV, the Solterra, debuted its second at the 2025 New York Auto Show and hinted at plans for a third. Honda also has just one EV, the Prologue, but it's a hit, and the company has been working on the 0 Series lineup, which debuts in 2026. Japan is much more hybrid-centric as a country. In 2023, hybrids made up 55% of new car sales there, followed by 36% traditional gas cars. EV adoption is at just 2% of new car sales, or even lower than the US's 8% and far below the 20% + in China and Europe.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota Renames Its Only US EV, Adds 62 More Miles of Range, NACS Port for 2026
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Toyota has just one EV, the bZ4x, a name that always seemed unnecessarily complicated. Today, it announced the 2026 model, which will now go by just bZ. Alongside the simplified name, Toyota promises key performance improvements. It's upping the range from a mediocre 252 miles to up to 314 miles, which is more in line with the modern market. The bZ also features up to 50% more horsepower. It will arrive in the second half of 2025 for the 2026 model year. Toyota hasn't revealed the price yet (the bZ4x starts at $37,000). The bZ comes standard with a NACS charge port instead of the legacy CCS port, making it compatible with Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. It powers up from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes, which is a respectable charging speed. Shoppers can choose from several trims with different battery capacities: 236 miles of range, 278, 288, 299, and 314. Each has varying performance and rear-wheel or front-wheel drive. Toyota added a new instrument panel, upgraded center console, larger touch screen (14 inches), and customizable interior lighting with 64 color choices. Toyota also improved the styling all around for a "sleeker, more elegant look." To help preserve range in cold weather, all models come with a heat pump and new battery-preconditioning function to improve charging speeds in low temperatures. To help conserve range, drivers can turn on the heated steering wheel or seat warmers instead of blasting the central heat. We hoped Toyota would release an all-new EV this year, and it still could, but for now, it seems content to make some overdue upgrades on its sole offering in the US. The company plans to launch 15 electric models worldwide by 2027, but it's unclear how many will be available to American shoppers. Toyota's luxury division, Lexus, also makes the electric RZ, which could use a refresh as well. Toyota has been slow to embrace EVs. Its previous president preferred hybrids, at least in the short term, but then he was replaced with an EV-forward leader from Lexus in 2023. That executive change hasn't yielded any obvious changes in the company's EV strategy yet, possibly because the hybrid lineup continues to pay the bills, The New York Times reports. Other Japanese automakers have been similarly hesitant to go all-in on EVs but have warmed up to them more than Toyota in the past few years. Subaru, which previously only had one EV, the Solterra, debuted its second at the 2025 New York Auto Show and hinted at plans for a third. Honda also has just one EV, the Prologue, but it's a hit, and the company has been working on the 0 Series lineup, which debuts in 2026. Japan is much more hybrid-centric as a country. In 2023, hybrids made up 55% of new car sales there, followed by 36% traditional gas cars. EV adoption is at just 2% of new car sales, or even lower than the US's 8% and far below the 20% + in China and Europe.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota set to unveil new model on May 21
Toyota is set to reveal a new model on May 21, and it could be the next RAV4 SUV. Details on this new model are very limited at this stage with no information on its powertrain, performance figures, or equipment but Toyota has released some teaser shots that hint to what's in store. This new car will sit alongside the Japanese firm's expanding lineup of electrified SUVs with the Yaris Cross, bZ4x, Urban Cruiser, CH-R and CH-R+. From the photos, there is a digital driver's display and a central infotainment screen, and what looks like a rear-view mirror that can double up as a rear camera. Furthermore, there is a raised centre console and two deep cup holders along with a centre armrest that could feature extra storage. In terms of size, the aerial shots of the car show that it could sit in between the smaller Urban Cruiser and larger CH-R+ in the Toyota range. Under the bonnet, it's likely that it will use a hybrid setup, similar to the old RAV4's powertrain. Or, there could be the option of an electric variant, using the same 57.7kWh, 73kWh and 77kWh battery packs featured in the firm's new CH-R+ and bZ4x SUVs. Toyota will reveal this new car at 2 am GMT on May 21, with further details soon to be released.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota's Chairman Shared This Controversial Opinion About EV Sports Cars
As the former President and CEO and now chairman of Toyota's board, Akio Toyoda has long balanced his corporate responsibilities with a passion for racing. Under the pseudonym "Morizo Kinoshita," he created a second identity on the track, competing in major motorsport events such as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2009, 2014, and 2019. Often behind the wheel of Toyota- and Lexus-branded race cars. In fact, his input behind the wheel at races and behind development, production, and race cars has been cemented so deeply into Toyota lore that cars like the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition have been named after him. In a recent interview with Automotive News, Toyoda doubled down on his skepticism of battery-electric vehicles. However, when acknowledging that some Toyota engineers want an EV sports car, he said that the idea doesn't exactly align with his values. "There will always be people inside Toyota passionate about developing electric sports cars," Toyoda told AutoNews. "But for me, as the master driver, my definition of a sports car is something with the smell of gasoline and a noisy engine."In addition, he still believes that the company has a mountain to climb when it comes to building a selection of EVs that fit with Toyota's mantra of providing affordable, high-quality cars to its customers. Currently, in the United States, Toyota offers only one EV: the bZ4x, a crossover co-developed with Subaru. "Toyota is a mass-production brand, so we also need to think about affordability, even with BEVs," he said. "Once Toyota has the capacity to offer affordable BEVs, then maybe that's a moment when I as a master driver will be introducing a BEV sports car." In response to a question asking him if in his capacity as Toyota's "Master Driver," would he ever race an EV in a competitve race, the man known to enthusiasts simply as Morizo expressed that he wouldn't want to race an EV because the kind of races he likes to do (endurance races) would be less about driving skill and more about the cars' technical limitations. "No! It's not exciting," he said. "Because you won't be able to go around the circuit for more than an hour. The kind of races I enter are mostly endurance races, so with the current BEVs, it's not going to be a race of the cars. It's a race of charging time or battery exchange or something. The next master driver will have to take on that challenge. That's their job." I am not exactly surprised about Toyoda's deterrance towards this sort of thing. He has been openly critical about EVs in the past, and this is just more ink in that section of the book. In a statement at a Toyota company event in January 2024, Morizo argued that EVs "come as a set with infrastructure," arguing that many Toyota drivers live in parts of the world with little to access to electricity. "No matter how much progress BEVs make, I think they will still only have a 30 % market share," Toyoda said. "Then, the remaining 70% will be HEVs [hybrid-electric vehicles], FCEVs [fuel cell electric vehicles], and hydrogen engines. And I think [gas] engine cars will definitely remain. I think this is something that customers and the market will decide, not regulatory values or political power." In the same AutoNews interview, he defended the company's push toward hybrids by saying: "we said as a company the enemy is carbon," additionally noting that in the span of making 27 million hybrid cars, it "had the same impact as 9 million BEVs on the road." "But if we were to have made 9 million BEVs in Japan, it would have actually increased the carbon emissions, not reduced them. That is because Japan relies on the thermal power plants for electricity," he said. "We should look at all options and work in all directions. As a company, we have been very consistent in saying what we're fighting against is carbon dioxide." Taken together, Toyoda's on-track alter ego and his cautious stance on EVs paint a clear picture: he's someone who believes driving should remain an emotional, accessible experience, not just a political or regulatory checkbox. Whether it's pushing Toyota's race cars to their limits or advocating for a more flexible approach to carbon reduction, Toyoda consistently champions a future where car enthusiasts still have a say in how that future looks.
Miami Herald
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Toyota's Chairman Shared This Controversial Opinion About EV Sports Cars
As the former President and CEO and now chairman of Toyota's board, Akio Toyoda has long balanced his corporate responsibilities with a passion for racing. Under the pseudonym "Morizo Kinoshita," he created a second identity on the track, competing in major motorsport events such as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2009, 2014, and 2019. Often behind the wheel of Toyota- and Lexus-branded race cars. In fact, his input behind the wheel at races and behind development, production, and race cars has been cemented so deeply into Toyota lore that cars like the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition have been named after him. In a recent interview with Automotive News, Toyoda doubled down on his skepticism of battery-electric vehicles. However, when acknowledging that some Toyota engineers want an EV sports car, he said that the idea doesn't exactly align with his values. "There will always be people inside Toyota passionate about developing electric sports cars," Toyoda told AutoNews. "But for me, as the master driver, my definition of a sports car is something with the smell of gasoline and a noisy engine." Related: Cadillac Confirms Another Future High Performance V-Series EV In addition, he still believes that the company has a mountain to climb when it comes to building a selection of EVs that fit with Toyota's mantra of providing affordable, high-quality cars to its customers. Currently, in the United States, Toyota offers only one EV: the bZ4x, a crossover co-developed with Subaru. "Toyota is a mass-production brand, so we also need to think about affordability, even with BEVs," he said. "Once Toyota has the capacity to offer affordable BEVs, then maybe that's a moment when I as a master driver will be introducing a BEV sports car." EVs are not "exciting" to drive, says Morizo In response to a question asking him if in his capacity as Toyota's "Master Driver," would he ever race an EV in a competitve race, the man known to enthusiasts simply as Morizo expressed that he wouldn't want to race an EV because the kind of races he likes to do (endurance races) would be less about driving skill and more about the cars' technical limitations. "No! It's not exciting," he said. "Because you won't be able to go around the circuit for more than an hour. The kind of races I enter are mostly endurance races, so with the current BEVs, it's not going to be a race of the cars. It's a race of charging time or battery exchange or something. The next master driver will have to take on that challenge. That's their job." I am not exactly surprised about Toyoda's deterrance towards this sort of thing. He has been openly critical about EVs in the past, and this is just more ink in that section of the book. In a statement at a Toyota company event in January 2024, Morizo argued that EVs "come as a set with infrastructure," arguing that many Toyota drivers live in parts of the world with little to access to electricity. "No matter how much progress BEVs make, I think they will still only have a 30 % market share," Toyoda said. "Then, the remaining 70% will be HEVs [hybrid-electric vehicles], FCEVs [fuel cell electric vehicles], and hydrogen engines. And I think [gas] engine cars will definitely remain. I think this is something that customers and the market will decide, not regulatory values or political power." In the same AutoNews interview, he defended the company's push toward hybrids by saying: "we said as a company the enemy is carbon," additionally noting that in the span of making 27 million hybrid cars, it "had the same impact as 9 million BEVs on the road." "But if we were to have made 9 million BEVs in Japan, it would have actually increased the carbon emissions, not reduced them. That is because Japan relies on the thermal power plants for electricity," he said. "We should look at all options and work in all directions. As a company, we have been very consistent in saying what we're fighting against is carbon dioxide." Taken together, Toyoda's on-track alter ego and his cautious stance on EVs paint a clear picture: he's someone who believes driving should remain an emotional, accessible experience, not just a political or regulatory checkbox. Whether it's pushing Toyota's race cars to their limits or advocating for a more flexible approach to carbon reduction, Toyoda consistently champions a future where car enthusiasts still have a say in how that future looks. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
