SPY PICS: Toyota bZ4X arrives ahead of Aussie launch

First customer versions of the long awaited 2024 Toyota bZ4X have finally arrived on Australian soil ahead of their official release – the timing of which is yet to be announced – as you can see in these pictures snapped at Port Adelaide by a carsales reader.

The local introduction of Toyota Australia’s first EV has been delayed several times over the past 18 months, following the all-new mid-size electric SUV’s release in Japan, China and the US in mid-2022, when it was originally also due to be launched in Australia.

Toyota Australia most recently said the bZ4X will be released here in February – the same month as its sister model, the Subaru Solterra – but we’re yet to receive a launch invite, local pricing is still to be announced and there won’t be a whole heap of them available, given Toyota Australia is only importing 1500 units in its first 12 months on sale.

We don’t know how many bZ4Xs were included in this initial shipment, but the images reveal there to be at least two – the obvious subject of the photos and another parked nearby on the fringes of one image’s border.

Toyota Australia has previously stated its first EV will challenge the Tesla Model Y on price – which suggests a starting price somewhere around $66,000 plus on-roads – but is yet to detail the local line-up.

Such positioning would see the Toyota undercut its Solterra sibling by roughly $12,000, but the Subi is only being offered here in dual-motor all-wheel drive guises in keeping with its longtime market USP.

The Solterra draws energy from a 71.4kW lithium-ion battery which provides a claimed WLTP range of up 414km, while 150kW DC fast-charging replenishes the battery from 20-80 per cent in a claimed 30 minutes.

Offering an entry-level single-motor (front-drive) bZ4X will ensure Toyota one-ups Subaru on both price and driving range in the bottom halves of their respective model ranges, but pricing for Toyota’s inaugural EV also depends on exactly what its standard equipment list looks like.