Toyota Teases New EV Model Based on bZ Compact SUV Concept

Toyota’s sudden rapid electromobility adoption sees the marque unveiling its ambitious EV battery technology roadmap. Before we get to see any additional details regarding these cutting-edge battery technologies, the Japanese marque has decided to feast our eyes with a short video teaser, revealing its new EV crossover model

Published via Toyota’s official Twitter/X account, said short teaser video provides us with a short glimpse on the new EV crossover’s rear part, which appears to be the bZ Compact SUV concept unveiled back in 2022. Aside from the bZ Compact nameplate, we can also see this mysterious EV model donning the same rounded blue badge as we saw on the Prius hybrid.

This new EV model will be based on the bZ Compact SUV concept

While Toyota has yet to reveal the exact name on this new EV model, plenty of rumours suggested that it’ll be named as the bZ3X, which would make much sense since the bZ Compact SUV compact stood below the bZ4X in the marque’s EV lineup.

Aggressively-styled by Toyota’s ED2 design house in France, the bZ Compact SUV concept bears a pretty close resemblance to the second-gen Toyota C-HR sporty crossover. While the EV concept’s innards feature a very futuristic-looking cabin design with an expandable curved display, we can’t be 100% certain whether its production version will carry over this cabin layout.

As of writing, Toyota has yet to reveal any details about the powertrain specs this new EV model will carry. For reference, the peppier dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) version of the bZ4X gets a decent total system output of 214 HP (160 kW), while offering up to 406 KM of EV range on the EPA cycle.

Could this rendered model be the new modular EV concept by Lexus?

Toyota has been quite busy in sharing its rapid EV adoption plans to the masses. Aside from revealing both its new battery tech roadmap and new EV model teaser, the Japanese marque has also announced that it will unveil a next-gen modular EV concept at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show (Tokyo Motor Show), under its luxury sub-brand Lexus.

The Lexus RZ EV SUV will be replaced by several new EV SUVs later in 2026

Set to debut later in 2026, this new EV concept will spearhead the brand’s next-gen EV lineup, which will outright replace the current RZ EV SUV. More importantly, this modular EV concept will also showcase Toyota’s latest EV battery tech, which the company claims will grant the EV model with over 800 KM of EV range on a single charge.

Toyota's new EV battery technology roadmap

Apart from the stellar EV range, this lithium-ion battery pack is also cheaper to be produced, with Toyota estimating them to be about 20% cheaper than the current battery pack used on the bZ4X.

This new EV concept modularity trait is stemming from Toyota’s adoption of the giga-casting manufacturing technique derived from Tesla. The car itself will come in a three-part structure which includes the front module that houses the electric motor, suspension, and steering rack, the battery pack in the middle section, while a second electric motor and suspension setup are placed in the rear module.

With no specific visual details given prior, this mysterious Lexus modular EV concept is slated to make its first public debut at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show 2023, taking place in Tokyo from Oct 26 to Nov 5. While the said launch date is still a month away, we can expect more details regarding this concept EV will be unveiled slowly as we get closer to its launch…