We know that Toyota has been preparing the arrival of a new electric SUV on the market for some time now. It will be officially unveiled on March 11. The company recently shared a profile image to give us a glimpse of what's in store.
The new image tells us that the lines of the vehicle resemble that of the bZ concept unveiled in 2022.
That model, by virtue of its format, was positioned below the bZ4X in the range. It remains to be seen whether the production version will have the same size and mission.
Toyota praises the “high driving dynamics and surprising space” that its model will offer, which will arouse “strong emotional appeal”. It will be interesting to see whether the vehicle's styling will carry a copy of the signature reserved for the bZ4X, whose styling is polarizing; some love it, others hate it.
The bZ concept may well have served as a basis and inspiration for the new model, and if so we can anticipate something about the size of the C-HR SUV, with similar styling features, such as door handles integrated into the pillar at the rear, aggressive signatures for the headlights and lamps, and light bars on both the stern and bow, a fashionable approach across the industry.
As for the name, we'll have to wait and see, Toyota having announced its intention to leave behind its naming strategy based on the letters bZ (Beyond Zero).
The other big question is whether the small SUV will be offered in North America. We can guess that it would be very popular in Canada, especially in Quebec, but the company has to consider the American market when deciding to launch a model on our continent.
The bZ concept was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2022, in a very different context of course with the Biden administration in charge. Now, with the change in philosophy in Washington, it's normal to have doubts about a North American future for the small EV.