What does US$21,000 get you in automotive terms? Kia Soul, Chevrolet Trax, Nissan Versa, Hyundai Venue … You see a trend there, right? None of those cars is electric, and none of them are flagships by any stretch of imagination.
But there is one car that is all of that and a whole lot more. I’m talking about the Toyota bZ7. Granted, it is currently a China-only model, but once you look at all that it offers for what it’s priced, you’d be willing to sign a petition to get it to your country.
The pure-electric sedan follows the bZ3X to become only the second model in Toyota's Chinese-only lineup. It comes powered by Huawei’s DriveONE electric drive system, which delivers a maximum power of 277.5 hp (207 kW) and helps the car reach a top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h).
The bZ7 has been launched in five trims that come packed with 71-kWh and 88-kWh capacity lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries from CALB. These packs offer a CLTC range of 373 miles (600 km) and 441 miles (710 km), while 3C fast charging adds nearly 186 miles of range in 10 minutes.
But it’s hardly the reason the bZ7 has received over 3,000 orders in 1 hour since its launch in China. That’s after the car exceeded 10,000 units in pre-sale orders, even before the official launch!
You see, it’s the package as a whole. For the sedan, Toyota partnered with most of China’s software biggies, including Xiaomi, Huawei, and Momenta, to stand a chance to compete against the likes of BYD and Geely.
Aside from the motor, the bZ7 comes equipped with Huawei's HarmonyOS 5.0 intelligent driving system. This, paired with Xiaomi's "Human x Car x Home" smart ecosystem, allows you to directly control everything straight from the car’s infotainment, including all your smart home appliances.
On top of that, it gets Momenta's R6 advanced driving assistance system (ADAS), which supports around 50 safety and convenience functions, including navigation on autopilot in cities and on highways, all thanks to a roof-mounted LiDAR.
Outside, it features sharp headlamps and a broad lower grille that match the C-shaped daytime running lights and horizontal LED light strip. From the rear, it looks like a fastback coupe, and I sort of like it. In terms of its size, it’s almost the same size as the BYD Han L and Tesla Model S.
Toyota has equipped the bZ7 with "dual-chamber air suspension + SDC shock absorber + pre-scanning system" that actively examines the road ahead. This system then alters vehicle height and suspension stiffness accordingly to make the ride more plush.
Inside, there’s a 15.6-inch floating multi-function touchscreen and a smaller 8.8-inch instrument cluster that comes with a panoramic 27-inch Heads-Up Display (HUD). You also get “zero-gravity seats” with heating, cooling, and massage functionalities to further the comfort. The bZ7 also comes with a Yamaha audio system, front and rear wireless charging pads, a single-side rear tray table, an in-built refrigerator, and four doors with double-layered, frameless acoustic glass for a quieter cabin
Currently, it’s priced between 147,800 and 199,800 yuan (about US$21,500 - $29,000) in China, and that’s including limited-time incentives. Sure, Toyota is somewhat late at the EV party, but the resurging demand for the car does suggest there was a lot of anticipation for the Japanese carmaker’s new EV.
The sedan is the result of the GAC-Toyota joint venture, and although it is only meant to be a China-only model, the bZ7 ticks almost all the boxes for multi-market introduction. Fingers crossed?
Source: Toyota
