Will Toyota Electric SUV (BZ4X) Launch In India? | V3Cars

Jan 17, 2023, 05:00 PM IST
By Mahesh Yadav
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While we don’t have a direct, one-word answer to this question about the India launch plans of the Toyota BZ4X electric SUV, it’s probably hidden in the Toyota-Suzuki partnership. During a conversation with V3Cars, Toyota officials conveyed to us that in this mutually-beneficial partnership, Toyota will contribute with the technology while Suzuki will provide scalability.

The kind of scalability Toyota intend to have in India can only be achieved through local production. Suzuki are working towards that end goal as they are setting up a battery production facility in Hansalpur, Gujarat and a passenger vehicle plant in Sonipat, Haryana. To maximise the profits, waiting for the Suzuki’s battery plant is an easy choice. If they wait for that long, then the Sonipat facility will also become operational by then and the development of Maruti’s eVX will also have reached its final leg. So, it’s better for Toyota to work with Maruti Suzuki in the development of their first electric vehicle for India and make that their first EV for India.

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Also Read: 2023 Auto Expo - Toyota Showcased The BZ4X EV

Bringing in the BZ4X as-is will cost more even if they make it in India. Therefore, they’re more likely to only fetch the EV technology from the BZ4X and leverage Suzuki’s production expertise and efficiencies in India and enjoy the cost benefits of local EV production.

It’s worth noting that EVs aren’t new for Toyota. All of Toyota’s strong hybrid cars are capable of running on electric motors without running the engine. And they have more than 2 decades of experience making hybrids. So, you can expect a Toyota-engineered electric car to offer the same kind of long-term reliability, which we have come to expect from all Toyota cars.

For their first electric car, we can expect Toyota to launch a visually-different version of the eVX sometime late in 2025 or early 2026.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Fronx SUV Expected Price Calculation - With Logic

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