Farewell to "bZ4X" and similar complex codes. As upcoming vehicles transition to electric versions, Toyota is revamping its naming approach.
Before long, purchasing an electric Toyota won’t require solving equations involving b, Z, or X anymore.
At its annual Kenshiki Forum event in Brussels last week, Toyota officials announced a plan to walk away from its confusing and often-criticized naming scheme for electric cars, which has yielded models with names like bZ4X , bZ3 and bZ3X Instead, new electric vehicles will be christened using names from "Toyota’s existing and well-known model lines," according to officials.
"Andrea Carlucci, who leads marketing and product development for Toyota Motor Europe, stated, 'This strategy will be further developed since every upcoming electric vehicle will naturally form an essential component of our Toyota range,'" he explained.
While no Toyota officials at the event would confirm exactly what new models would arrive with this new naming system, they indicated a desire to lean on the company's existing brand equity, not unlike the two generations of RAV4 EVs .
2026 Toyota bZ4X Live Images
However, Carlucci suggested how things could develop with the introduction of two new and anticipated electric vehicle models. One of them is the Urban Cruiser , which is currently a compact electric crossover available in Europe under a nameplate that has been intermittently used over the past twenty years and associated with the renowned Land Cruiser brand. The other model is the newly introduced C-HR+, a mid-size crossover. which shares the name with a hybrid variant However, it is entirely different from the original vehicle.
Masaya Uchiyama, who serves as the lead engineer for the bZ4X, stated InsideEVs that the decision was part of the mainstreaming of all-electric vehicles.
We chose 'bZ4X' as the name since it was something fresh. Uchiyama said. " Currently, BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are growing in popularity and becoming more commonplace. Initially, these vehicles appealed mainly to innovators and early adopters. However, they are now attracting the ‘early majority.’ We believe it’s time to choose a common or well-known term for BEVs since this type of vehicle is no longer considered extraordinary.
Uchiyama is accurate regarding this aspect. Electric vehicles constituted approximately one out of every ten new car purchases in the United States during 2024, setting a new record. In Europe, however, the figures are more impressive, exceeding those in the U.S. approximately 15% of newly sold cars are electric In January within the European Union, those figures rise considerably based on which EU country you consider; for instance, in Belgium, electric vehicles account for almost 30% of the new car market , while in Norway—where the bZ4X has consistently topped the sales charts—a significant number of electric vehicles (EVs) are essentially 90% of the new cars sold .
Toyota has been traditionally hesitant about completely adopting electric cars And rather than focusing solely on this strategy, it has adopted a "multi-pathway" approach to provide various kinds of vehicles. However, with the persistent expansion of the electric vehicle market, particularly in Europe, even the globe’s biggest car manufacturer feels compelled to enhance its efforts in this area. By late 2026, Toyota plans to introduce an additional trio of fully electric models; reports suggest that one might be a pickup truck, while another could possibly be based on a concept car. The Land Cruiser Se concept .
Land Cruiser Se Concept
Auto manufacturers frequently face challenges when deciding how to christen their upcoming electric vehicles (EVs) as these become increasingly common, potentially replacing gasoline-powered models across various ranges. Some companies choose distinctive monikers for their EVs like the Kia EV3 or Hyundai Ioniq 5; however, others hesitate to discard long-established brand associations and familiar identities. For instance, Audi has been cautious about letting go of traditional naming conventions. lately discarded a complex plan Where EVs would have even-numbered models such as the A4 and Q6, while gas-powered vehicles would use odd numbers.
On Toyota's part, it's improbable that many individuals will lament the absence of the " Beyond Zero 4 Crossover especially since this modern electric RAV4 is essentially an electrified version under another name. Introducing electric variants of the Sienna, Tacoma, and Corolla could make the transition away from gas-powered vehicles far more appealing to enthusiasts of these models.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
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