Toyota will collaborate with Suzuki to design a new electric car, which should take the form of a small crossover. A way for the two manufacturers to catch up while limiting development costs.
If all manufacturers will have to accelerate the development of their electric range, not all are in the same boat. Some already have a generous offer, like Volkswagen or Audi, but others are a little behind. This is for example the case of Toyota, whose catalog is still relatively sparse.
A new collaboration
And for good reason, until very recently, Toyota loudly proclaimed that it did not believe in electric vehicles at all. According to his former boss, Akio Toyoda, the hybrid would be the best solution and would be barely more polluting. But things began to change with the arrival of Koji Sato at the head of the Japanese brand.
Thus, the firm has unveiled its plan of attack and intends to catch up, in particular with electric cars offering very long autonomy. But another Japanese manufacturer also wants to progress. This is Suzuki, which announced its first electric car at the start of the year via the eVX concept.
It is now time to get down to serious and concrete things, as Suzuki has unveiled an interesting program for the Japan Mobility Show which will open its doors on October 16. The Japanese firm plans in particular to partner with Toyota to launch a small electric SUV which should use the GA-B platform of the current Toyota Yaris.
According to the Japanese site Best CarToyota wishes capitalize as much as possible on the success of urban SUVs in its home market and chose Suzuki for its knowledge in the field of small cars. It is rumored that this new arrival will also be intended for Europe as well as India. Which suggests that it will display a reduced price, which is obviously not yet known.
A future bZ2X?
Could the latter be located under 25,000 euros, in order to go hunting on the land of the future Citroën ë-C3 and the Volkswagen ID.2? Everything is possible, and it is even very probable. This newcomer could be called bZ2X and should be positioned between the Toyota Aygo X and Yaris Cross in the Japanese manufacturer’s range.
Its length could therefore turn around approximately 4 meters. In terms of style, it could be directly inspired by the Small Crossover Concept, unveiled in December 2021, alongside 14 other Toyota concept cars. It should offer some styling elements to the final model, even if nothing has yet been confirmed at the moment by the two manufacturers, who remain silent on the subject.
A visible patent on the USPTO websitethe American organization in charge of registered trademarks evokes the name FT-3e, which could be the name of the concept which will announce the production model. Will the latter be unveiled by Toyota at the Tokyo Motor Show? Nothing can be ruled out at the moment, even if no communication has been made.
At present, we do not yet know what engine will equip this new arrival, but there is no doubt that we will know more in the coming weeks.