Toyota has officially released the bZ4X, the company’s first all-electric vehicle in a long time, in the United States, with a starting price of $42,000.
The bZ4X electric SUV was initially presented by the Japanese carmaker last year, but the huge missing ingredient was the price in the United States.
Toyota stated today that the bZ4X would be available in US dealerships this week, with a starting price of $42,000.
“Coming to dealerships this spring with an EPA-estimated range rating of up to 252 miles, the 2023 Toyota bZ4X will have a starting MSRP of $42,000. According to the EPA, the average estimated fuel cost savings over five years for the 2023 bZ4X XLE FWD compared to the average new vehicle is up to $5,000,” the company stated.
Since Toyota uses the franchise dealership model, the buyer and the dealer always negotiate the final price.
This summer, Toyota plans to attain the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. After that, it will begin a phase-out period during which buyers will receive less money over time.
The all-wheel-drive variant is just approximately $2,000 more expensive than the front-wheel-drive version, but it’s much less efficient, with the AWD losing roughly 24 miles of range.
The XLE FWD model offers a range of up to 252 miles. The XLE AWD model has a range of up to 228 miles. The XLE FWD has an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 131 MPGe city, 107 MPGe highway, and 119 MPGe combined. The XLE AWD has an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 114 MPGe city, 94 MPGe highway, and 104 MPGe combined.
The ‘Limited’ variant has a few more elegant design features and 20?? wheels instead of the XLE version’s 18?? wheels.
The bZ4X is on the larger side of the small SUV market in terms of size. It is slightly larger than Toyota’s popular RAV4. It is 3.7 inches longer than the RAV4, measuring 184.6 inches, and has a 6.3-inch larger wheelbase, measuring 112.2 inches. However, it is 2.0 inches lower than the RAV4, standing at 69.0 inches tall and 0.2 inches wider, standing at 73.2 inches. The front seat of the bZ4X has 42.1 inches of legroom, and the rear seat has 35.3 inches of legroom. The cargo volume behind the second row is 27.7 cubic feet.
This is a fantastic price point, and Toyota may be able to sell all of the electric SUVs it can manufacture. But on the other hand, Toyota is well behind the competition in terms of bringing all-electric vehicles to market, and it has a track record of producing only what is required to comply with rules and avoid fines.
In an era where automakers like Tesla invest in a supply chain capable of sustaining millions of BEVs per year, this is no longer a realistic strategy. Toyota is starting to realise this, but it will take years for the company to reach major levels of BEV production.
