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First Look

Toyota debuts two electric SUVs, but they’re only for China

The bZ3C and bZ3X jumble numbers and letters on an EV in a more creative way than any other car maker

Published: 25 Apr 2024

Remember the bZ Sport Crossover and bZ FlexSpace from last year’s Shanghai auto show? Well, Toyota has readied them for production and they shall now be known as the bZ3C and the bZ3X respectively. And they shall only be available in China.

Details of the two new battery-electric SUVs are scant, but we can make out some of the styling choices from the images. The bZ3C features a single LED strip connecting the two angular headlights at the front end, flush handles and a minimalist cabin with slim seats and a landscape centre display.

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It's targeting a younger audience, apparently, with ‘Reboot’ being the theme behind the design. We're not quite sure what it's rebooting, but we'll update when we find out.

Meanwhile, the bZ3X has been built around a ‘mobile Cozy Home’ concept. Fireside reading and cups of cocoa isn’t the name of the game though. Toyota said the family wagon – looking like a viable Kia EV9 rival – will offer plenty of interior space, enhanced by the pano roof. The bZ3X will also apparently "realise high performance": whether that means it understands high performance as an abstract concept, or whether it'll be really fast, hasn't been made clear.

Anyway. Developed in partnership with BYD, FAW and – for the bZ3X – GAC, both models benefit from the input of Toyota's 'Intelligent ElectroMobility' centre.

It said the models will be kitted out with all the latest driver assist tech and deliver "a safe and comfortable driving" experience – a minimum viable proposition if ever there were one.

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