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First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant

Sanjay · May 12, 2023 11:00 AM

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 01

This actually isn't the first time the Toyota bZ4X is seen in Malaysia – it was previewed back in January this year, however this time around there's greater clarity of its role in our burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 02

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has brought in six units for now, with each of them finding duty in stakeholder engagement as well as development work between the government and private sectors alike, as well as within UMWT.

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First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 01

A local launch is then definitely being looked into, but a definite timeline hasn't been made clear just yet. In part that's due to the further studies the car will undergo here, and partly too because there's a shortage of supply worldwide, evident in main EV markets like in the United States of America and Europe.

Also read: Toyota to launch 4 new hybrid models in Thailand this year; reiterates multi-pathway strategy for ASEAN

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 02

The cars will be used for data gathering, providing vital points of data to study usage and charging habits; things like distance travelled, battery wear in our hot and humid climate, and the icky-but-necessary identification of pain points among users.

Specs of the Toyota bZ4X in Malaysia

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 03

But for what it's worth, we like the specifications UMWT's brought in – the bZ4Xs displayed here are the ones with the maximum 500 km WLTP-rated range.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 04

A fully-flat floor allows for the slippery 0.28 cD (drag coefficient)

That however does come with its caveat: it's front-wheel drive, instead of all-wheel drive. Thailand has the latter; but that also means range is shortened to just 411 km on the WLTP test cycle.

Also read: To continue his teacher's dream, Akio Toyoda is racing in Thailand to show 5 solutions are better than 1

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 05

Regardless of range though, all bZ4X variants share the same 71.4 kWh lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery. Power in this case is sent to a front-mounted electric motor that produces 204 PS and 266 Nm of torque, enough to propel the car to 100 km/h from a standstill in 8.4 seconds.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 06

It's spun from the e-TNGA platform, one that's jointly developed by Subaru and shared by them too with the Solterra. The bZ4X can be juiced up with a DC fast charger with a rate of up to 150 kW, while the onboard charger accepts up to 6.6 kW AC charging via a Type 2 connector.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 07

A 90 kW charger can fill the battery up to 80% in 40 minutes, while AC charging can fully charge the car in about 12 hours. Reliability is of course, at the forefront, and Toyota is promising that the battery will retain at least 70 percent of its capacity after 10 years.

Also read: Toyota is quietly showing how everyone is missing the point about carbon neutrality

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 08

Tweed-like upholstery on the cabin are suitably upmarket and a nice design touch

Fully-imported (CBU) from Japan, the bZ4X is made at the Motomachi plant – the same one that boasts the assembly of the GR Corolla and hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) Mirai, among others.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 09

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 10

Kit inside include synthetic leather seats, a 12.3-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, and an easier-to-use round steering wheel instead of the yoke certain markets get.

Also read: Exclusive: Toyota's new President, Koji Sato speaks to us on the future of racing, carbon neutrality, and more

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 11

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 12

LED exterior lighting and 20-inch dual-tone wheels are the rest of the stuff we can see, and underneath it all the bZ4X comes with the full suite of the Toyota Safety Sense active safety systems.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 13

With these being evaluation units, the car isn't for sale just yet, conversely indicative pricing and all that are still not disclosed at the moment. UMWT however promises that BEVs are part of the company's product plans; a multi-pathway approach to their carbon-neutral aspirations.

First 6 units of Toyota bZ4X EV registered in Malaysia for evaluation and development; 500 km range, FWD variant 14

In short, BEVs are only part of the programme for Toyota: furthering the whole 'something for everyone' agenda will be the addition of more hybrids, and possibly even hydrogen-powered cars down the line. The article linked below goes into further detail from the company's recent carbon neutral symposium.

Also read: 

Sanjay

Senior Writer

With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.

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