What’s new in the world of Toyota electric vehicles?
If you’re interested in electric cars at all, then you probably know that Toyota recently introduced a new BEV to the market – the 2023 Toyota bZ4X. It’s a Toyota full electric vehicle, which means it runs solely on electric charge and needs to be plugged in to power up before you hit the road. It’s a big step in the world of EVs for Toyota, but that’s not all that’s going on lately. Toyota of Clermont is here with the latest Toyota electric vehicle news for 2023.
What you should know about Toyota electric vehicles this year
Toyota is reconsidering its EV strategy long game. Akio Toyoda – the CEO of Toyota – recently stepped down from his post in January of this year. His replacement, Koji Sato, has made it clear that his interests lie in expanding Toyota’s footprint in the full electric vehicle market – a.k.a., adding more EVs to the everyday lineup. Rumor has it that Toyota recently acquired and disassembled a Tesla Model Y, which is actually a pretty common practice among automakers. Why? To assess which manufacturing techniques Tesla is using inside of their vehicles. Toyota is interested in designing a new platform for their Toyota electric vehicles (we’ll get to that next) and this could definitely help push their EVs to the next level.
Toyota and Lexus are working on a new platform for EVs. Toyota and Lexus are working together to create an all-new platform built solely for Luxus and Toyota full electric vehicles. Right now, their electric cars – like the 2023 Toyota bZ4X – sit on the e-TNGA platform. This is a slightly modified version of the existing TNGA platform, which many of Toyota’s vehicles rest on. However, this particular platform does have its limitations when it comes to EVs. It limits the size of the battery pack (which results in a shorter range). This means that Toyota electric vehicles that use the e-TNGA platform have a hard time keeping up with Tesla in terms of efficiency. A new platform built solely for EVs could result in further range AND new vehicles being added to the lineup. As noted, that Model Y disassembly may lend some insight. This new platform is supposed to be in production by 2026.
China got a new Toyota bZ3 sedan. We’ve talked about the bZ (Beyond Zero) lineup before, and how Toyota’s goal is to expand it to include a wide variety of Toyota full electric vehicle options on a global scale for consumers. In the U.S., we have the 2023 Toyota bZ4X and a bZ SUV concept (for now). China, however, recently got the second official member of the bZ family: the new 2023 Toyota bZ3. This sleek sedan was a collaboration between Toyota and BYD (a globally renowned EV company) and is built on the e-TNGA platform. However, the new bZ3 uses BYD’s lithium-ion battery, motor, and electric control system to extend the range of this EV to 372 miles. It has a starting MSRP of $27,700 USD, too, making it more affordable than many of its full electric counterparts. There’s no guarantee that we’ll ever see this Toyota electric vehicle in the U.S. market, but we do know more bZ options will continue to arrive at our Clermont Toyota dealership in the future (so we’ll keep you posted).
Find your next Toyota electric vehicle at Toyota of Clermont
Whether you have questions about Toyota full electric vehicles or want to see one for yourself, Toyota of Clermont has got you covered. For more EV info or to see the 2023 Toyota bZ4X in person, call us! We’re open seven days a week at (352) 404-7000. You can swing by and see us, too – we’re located just west of the Florida Turnpike at 16851 State Road 50.