2024 Toyota BZ4X electric SUV delayed again, thousands of cars coming in first year
The first electric car from Toyota in Australia is not due until early next year – rather than late this year – to ensure showrooms are well-stocked. Prices are still yet to be announced.
The 2024 Toyota BZ4X electric SUV has been delayed for Australia for the second time – and it is now about 18 months behind the original schedule.
The Japanese car giant says it has elected to delay the start of showroom arrivals for its first electric vehicle in Australia to February 2024, to ensure showrooms "have a reasonable level of stock," and the latest upgrades to the car.
Prices for the Toyota BZ4X in Australia are still yet to be confirmed, however Toyota has previously warned the BZ4X "will not be a cheap car" – as with most electric vehicles in the same category.
Solely using overseas prices as a guide, the top-of-the-range version could be listed for about $80,000 plus on-road costs.
The BZ4X will be sold through Toyota dealerships, either through an outright purchase, or a new all-inclusive lease program that includes registration, insurance (excluding excess), servicing, tyres and roadside assistance costs over the length of the lease.
Toyota says it has been allocated "thousands" of BZ4X vehicles in the first year of sales – numbers that, if all vehicles allocated are sold, could make it one of the best-selling electric-car manufacturers in Australia.
Today, Toyota is one of only a handful of Top 20 new-car brands that does not currently sell an electric vehicle – alongside Mitsubishi and Isuzu Ute, plus, for now, Subaru and Volkswagen.
The latest delay means the Toyota BZ4X will be beaten to market by its identical twin, the Subaru Solterra, which is due to commence deliveries by the end of this year.
"I can confirm that we have negotiated with our parent company to receive a substantially higher share of production than we originally planned," Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley told an Australian media briefing.
"We expect to be able to deliver several thousand cars in 2024, and they'll have an upgraded spec compared to what is currently available."
The allocation is more generous than other many car makers, which have been limited to a few hundred cars a year due to high demand overseas and constrained production.
However it is a fraction of the 40,000 vehicles US electric-car specialist Tesla is on track to report as sold in Australia this year.
When asked is Toyota has "given up" on beating Tesla in sales, Mr Hanley said: "This is a journey for us. We're not playing any short-term game. It's a long-term game for Toyota.
"We think that we're launching this car at exactly the right time. We'll progressively step up volume and models and range as we go forward."
Toyota has confirmed the BZ4X will be available with a choice of front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, sales of which it estimates will be split 60:40 respectively.
The Japanese car giant promises an "upgraded spec compared to what is currently available" for Australian models.
This is thought to refer to updated software designed to increase the driving range, and reduce charging times after the BZ4X performed below expectations in independent road testing in Europe. Click here for more details on the changes.
Information distributed to media by Toyota Australia shows local BZ4X examples will use the same 71.4kWh battery as current overseas models – though the new software is expected to make more of it usable, between a full charge and when the trip computer read-out hits 0km remaining.
There will be a choice of one 150kW electric motor in front-wheel-drive models, or an 80kW motor on each wheel axle for 160kW combined in dual-motor, all-wheel-drive versions.
DC fast charging at up to 150kW is claimed, which independent tests in Norway show is capable of a 75 per cent charge in 28 minutes with the new software. AC home charging functionality at up to 11kW is also offered.
The Japanese car giant has confirmed all Australian BZ4X models will be equipped with 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, heated front seats, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and Toyota Connected Services as standard.
Signage at a Toyota Australia dealer showcase in Melbourne attended by media including Drive shows all-wheel-drive models may gain equipment not fitted to the front-wheel-drive version.
Extra features shown in the preliminary specifications – which are yet to be confirmed by Toyota Australia – include hands-free parking, a 360-degree camera, "sporty-style" front seats, "premium" interior finishes, a panoramic sunroof, and the option of two-tone paint.
It suggests there may only be two model grades initially: a standard front-wheel-drive model, and the better-equipped all-wheel-drive variant.
The Toyota BZ4X will be sold through Toyota dealers – at negotiable prices – rather than through fixed-price, online sales as per Tesla, Polestar and some other new electric-car makes and models.
It will be available for purchase through a new 'Full-Service Lease' program run by Toyota Finance Australia, which bundles almost all running costs into one monthly cost – as per an online subscription service.
It is said to include "vehicle registration, compulsory third-party and comprehensive motor vehicle insurance, scheduled servicing and maintenance, tyre replacement, roadside assistance and Toyota Connected Services functionality," and is claimed to "alleviate any potential worry" about resale values. with running costs simply bundled into one manageable monthly repayment.
Buyers can optionally expand the lease program to include Toyota Genuine Accessories, a home wallbox charger, and a card for public electric-car charging stations.
More details of the 2024 Toyota BZ4X are due closer to its Australian arrival in February, pending any further delays.
"Production of the Australian-spec cars is being pushed back a few weeks into November. Rather than rush to market this year with a handful of cars, we've decided to ensure our dealers have a reasonable level of launch stock, with the first cars rolling out of showrooms in February 2024," Mr Hanley told media.
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