Toyota will launch an electric sedan called the bZ3 in China in which the battery and the motors are supplied by BYD.
In the era of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, Japanese automakers dominated the affordable car market in China. But with the advent of the era of NEVs (NEVs), things are getting interesting.
FAW Toyota, a joint venture between Japan's Toyota and China's FAW, will launch an all-electric sedan in China called the bZ3, in which the motors and battery are supplied by BYD, according to a regulatory filing.
The information was revealed on August 25 when China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released its latest draft list of new models that will be allowed to be sold in China. The list is open for comment, and the public can submit feedback between August 26 and September 1.
Two versions of the Toyota bZ3 made it onto the list, where the core specifications are essentially the same.
Both versions of the bZ3 use lithium iron phosphate batteries provided by BYD's power battery arm FinDreams Battery, although the capacity is unknown for now.
The model uses electric motors supplied by BYD's motor division in Changsha, Hunan province, with one version equipped with a motor with 135-kW peak power and the other with 180 kW.
The model's length, width and height are 4,725 mm, 1,835 mm and 1,475 mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,880 mm.
For reference, the China-made Tesla Model 3 measures 4,694 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width, 1,443 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,875 mm.
There is no information about when the model will be released or the prices.
Below are images from the MIIT's website.
Notably, on July 21, BYD announced that the company had officially entered the passenger car market in Japan with the unveiling of three battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the BYD Seal, Dolphin and Atto 3.
While it's hard to say whether BYD's passenger cars will be a success in Japan, it will be the first Chinese NEV maker to announce its entry into the country in the EV era, after decades of its Japanese counterpart dominating China's affordable car market.
BYD previously said the Atto 3 is expected to launch in Japan in January 2023, the Dolphin in mid-2023 and the Seal in the second half of 2023.
BYD hopes to have 100 dealership stores in Japan by 2025, General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division Liu Xueliang, said in an interview with Kyodo News last week.
BYD confirms plans to launch premium brand by year-end, first model priced at over RMB 1 million
