Sedans are not dead… at least not with a certain SUV format and 100% electric technology. This is also what Toyota wants to demonstrate with its next bZ5, which will arrive in Europe in three years.
It seemed that the sedans were dead, but they are reborn, yes, in a different format. We are seeing it in Kia, Volkswagen announces it and, now, Toyota is also drawing it. The need to increase the number of electric car launches is causing the development of new sedans, yes, with the body somewhat raised to bring its image closer to the SUV. The EV6 can be a good example, and the future Aero B or ID.6, the project that Volkswagen will serve to replace the Passat with a new electric car, also walks the same line.
Now it is Toyota that proposes a new electric sedan. After having its new bZ4X ready, a new electric SUV that will be released this summer, the new Beyond Zero family of 100% electric vehicles from the Japanese manufacturer will be expanded with the bZ5. On this occasion, the first information already points to a sedan of around 4.73 meters in length, which will finally take over from the missing Avensis, and that the Camry has not been able to fill in the range.
TOYOTA BZ5: SUV LOOK AND E-TNGA PLATFORM
The new Toyota bZ5 will arrive first in the Asian market, and China, in particular, to land in Europe probably as early as 2025. Taking many features of the bZ SDN concept car presented in December 2021, at the same time that the brand announced the plan to launch 10 new electric vehicles in the coming years, this new saloon will have a body with adventurous details that form a fusion of vehicle styles.
Thus, also following a trend similar to that shown today, for example, by the Citroën C5 X, the Toyota bZ5 will have a certain SUV aspect, with the underside of the body painted black and displaying good aerodynamics, the result of a pretty sporty silhouette.
Also developed from the new e-TNGA modular platform, developed by the Japanese group specifically for its new electric vehicles, it will offer great flexibility, housing the battery on the floor between the axles to also offer a large space on board. Technically, you can bet on a single electric motor placed in the front train or two electric motors, with a second machine located in the rear train to also have all-wheel drive.
The forecast is that this new Toyota bZ5 provides a base power of 150 kW, equivalent to 204 hp, reaching 230 kW (313 hp) in its version with two electric motors and all-wheel drive. The autonomy that is being considered at the moment encrypts its range at about 450 kilometers. But it is still early to confirm many of the details that this new 100% electric sedan will include. *Photos are representative.
