Toyota has finally given up on its insane EV naming scheme. The bZ4X will remain as an example of what happens when you try too hard to name a car ("bZ" stood for "beyond Zero", in case you were wondering, "4" was the size of the car in Toyotaspeak and "X" referred to it being a crossover). And what happens is you end up with gibberish that seems to have been generated by a random letter and number generator intended to create secure passwords (we're surprised special characters weren't used too!).
Thankfully, this chapter will be behind us. Toyota has confirmed that its new Urban Cruiser EV is going to start a new trend for the marque, and that is using names from its back catalogue for upcoming EVs. We are, of course, all for this.
This comes straight from Andrea Carlucci, Toyota Europe's director of marketing and product development, who said the bZ4X will "remain a bit isolated" in the company's portfolio. Interestingly, returning to sanity (aka actual names) was apparently "a clear request from Europe that was very much heard and followed by Japan".
What's wrong with Americans and why were they okay with gibberish naming (that's what this implies), we'll probably never find out. Carlucci said: "We have a number of models. If you start multiplying by technology, by segment, the nameplates tend to proliferate too much. We wanted to rationalize this". Better late than never, right?
Engineers & scientific minds as such love numeric names signifying something about the engine or powerplant. Now, in EV scene, I guess we can choose max power in kV as a measurement.
Aside from the name, the thing's just ugly. It has inferior range and charging speeds. The instrument panel's obstructed by the steering wheel. No rear wiper. It's as though they'd never been in the transportation business before.
Yes, because the naming was the problem for Toyota. Not the fact that their offerings are mediocre at best. In a few years they might catch up, unless they continue on their agenda of "how bad EVs are", and "hydrogen so much better&quo...
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