Toyota teases another electric car and it’s a liftback

Toyota only just announced its electric 4-door sedan for the Chinese market yesterday but there was something else during the unveiling. The company teased an image of another electric vehicle that is currently under development. The darkened image only shows a roofline and distinctive rear roof spoilers.

Initially the car in the image looks like the just launched bZ3 sedan but there’s a clear giveaway it isn’t - the deep cut in the roof reveals the car has a rear hatch that fully opens making it a 5-door liftback.

The car is definitely lower than the bZ4X and it seems to be similar in size to the bZ3. The two little roof spoilers are similar to the ones found on its crossover sibling. The rear hatch raises a little where the glass ends making it look a bit sporty - are we looking at a performance model? Maybe a dual-motor electric car based on the same e-TNGA platform?

The dual-motor version would use the drivetrain from bZ4X which would mean 160 kW or 218 HP and all-wheel drive setup. The Lexus RZ 450e using the same platform pushes 230 kW (312 HP) and is rather capable with its 5.2 seconds sprint from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h). If Toyota was brave enough and used that setup in a5-door sporty liftback, we’d have a family hooligan on the cards.

Toyota is going through some turbulent times at the moment, it is changing its plans when it comes to electrification of its portfolio. The company wants to reportedly focus on lowering costs - which it is famous for - rather than introduce a lot of models at once.

The company is keeping quiet about availability of the bZ3 outside mainland China, most likely it will remain exclusive to that market. Toyota has a good manufacturing base in China and its costs there are being kept low which means its portfolio will grow. Rest of the world will have to enjoy bZ4X for now and hope more cars eventually will make it to our shores.

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