Toyota will launch the bZ7 electric sedan in China, with a local team leading development, as the Japanese automaker increases its stake in the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) market.
GAC Toyota, Toyota's Chinese joint venture with GAC Group, shared the latest official images of the bZ7 yesterday, ramping up anticipation for the mid-to-large electric sedan and hinting at its imminent launch.
The bZ7 is coming, boasting an ultra-long 5,130 mm body and a golden width-to-height ratio of 1.30, GAC Toyota wrote on Weibo.
Earlier this week, the bZ7 appeared in a regulatory filing catalog from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, revealing its dimensions as 5,130 mm long, 1,965 mm wide, 1,500 mm high, with a 3,020 mm wheelbase.
The sedan will be powered by a motor supplied by Huawei, delivering a peak power output of 207 kW (278 horsepower).
Its curb weight is 2,105 kg, with a top speed of 180 km/h.
GAC Toyota had previously mentioned the bZ7 multiple times, stating the sedan would embrace locally developed smart technologies in China, including Huawei's HarmonySpace cockpit and Xiaomi's (HKG: 1810, OTCMKTS: XIACY) smart ecosystem.
The bZ7 represents the latest effort by Japanese automakers in China's EV market, where they have significantly ramped up their presence over the past year after years of relative silence.
On March 6, GAC Toyota launched the bZ3X with a starting price of just RMB 109,800 ($15,430), which Toyota said is its first pure-electric SUV priced around RMB 100,000.
The aggressive pricing strategy has positioned the model to compete in China's EV market, with the bZ3X securing over 10,000 orders within its first hour of availability.
On September 2, GAC Toyota's vice president of sales Peng Baolin said on Weibo that the bZ3X delivered 7,324 units in August, setting a new monthly record.
This marks the fourth consecutive month of month-on-month growth in the SUV's deliveries, with over 8,800 remaining orders pending delivery, according to Peng.
Toyota's initial success comes as it increasingly relies on its local team.
Yoshiaki Konishi, head of Toyota's EV R&D center in China, announced at a GAC Toyota tech event on June 12 that decision-making authority for new model development in China would shift from Japan to China.
Toyota would continue advancing its Regional Chief Engineer (RCE) system, appointing local personnel with deep China expertise to lead R&D for all new models, facelifts, and generational updates, he said.
In China's rapidly evolving market, Toyota should conduct independent local R&D separate from global models, Konishi stated.
($1 = RMB 7.1178)
