Toyota ready for EV boom in Australia with five bZ models

Toyota Australia will consider another four ‘bZ’ battery-electric vehicles to follow the 2023 Toyota bZ4X on sale here.

The first EV from Toyota is due to roll into local showrooms in the second half of 2023 after a series of supply-based issues pushed the bZ4X back from a late-2022 debut.

That timing makes Toyota late to the Aussie EV party currently dominated by electric car specialist Tesla, but the local market leader has made it clear the bZ4X won’t be going solo for long.

“The bZ4X has been confirmed for Australia and the other four bZ vehicles are part of the global line-up,” Toyota Australia sales and marketing vice-president Sean Hanley told carsales.

“At the appropriate time we will of course evaluate them for our market with the full intention of introducing as many of those vehicles as possible.”

The bZ – or beyond Zero – line-up currently includes two production models: the Toyota bZ4X SUV and the bZ3 sedan.

There are three other bZ models that have so far only been shown as concepts – the bZ Compact SUV, bZ Large SUV and bZ Small Crossover.

So how many does Hanley think will be signed off for Australia?

“It will be determined by our market and our market trend,” he stonewalled.

“We are blessed that we have a global car company that is investing a lot of money in battery technology, they are accelerating their bZ vehicle line-up and vehicle technologies. That is a good thing.”

Hanley didn’t rule out bringing battery-electric vehicles to Australia under the broader Toyota brand as well.

During a major reveal in 2022, Toyota global boss Akio Toyoda not only showed off bZ EVs, but several Toyotas as well – including a ute, sports car, crossover, a small SUV and a retro mini-SUV dubbed the Compact Cruiser.

“Let me tell you nothing is off the table,” Hanley said.

The signal that Toyota is looking to rapidly expand its EV presence backs up earlier statements from Hanley that Toyota wants to be the market leader in the segment.

That’s a tough challenge as Tesla, with 19,594 sales reported via VFACTS in Australia in 2022, has a solid advantage over Toyota.

And Volkswagen has signalled its intention to be EV market leader by 2027.

But Toyota at least has some skin in the game already as the dominant player in hybrids, with record 2022 sales – something Hanley believes will be an advantage.

“All I will say to the market is we have been investing in hybrid electric and electrification for a long, long time and the trust in the brand as you can see from our results I think is at an all-time high,” he said.

“Our job is to provide practical, workable solutions that allow people to do the things they want to do with their mobility requirements.

“That is our job … that’s exactly what Toyota will do. In the end the market will determine that, but our credentials and history is pretty solid.”

Despite the delayed introduction, Hanley was bullish about the arrival timing of the bZ4X and how that was coinciding with an increase in EV sales in Australia.

“Battery-electric vehicles are accelerating – it’s three per cent of the market last year,” he said.

“That good news, that’s a positive step. It’s good news for us because we are about to launch our first battery-electric vehicle in the Australian market. So it’s good timing.

“We think it’s a good time to launch the bZ4X in the second half and we are looking forward to that and we want to be part of that acceleration of battery-electric cars in this market.”