The electric car Toyota Australia needs? Chinese Toyota bZ3C bests bZ4X with up to 630km of driving range and high-tech specs as potential rival to Tesla Model Y, Kia EV5 and BYD Atto 3

Revealed at the Beijing motor show as one of three new electric vehicles from Toyota as part of its Chinese joint-venture with First Auto Works (FAW), the bZ3C has been further detailed ahead of its launch overseas.

It looks like an electric take on the C-HR, although larger, at 4780mm long as opposed to 4362mm, the bZ3C blends Toyota’s latest design language inside and out with a battery sourced from BYD and internal tech and ADAS technology from FAW.

The company is yet to detail the kWh capacity of the BYD LFP batteries, but has stated range at 550km for the smaller of two sizes and 630km for the larger, both to the more lenient CLTC testing standard. It will also source its 200kW electric motor from a BYD subsidiary according to data filed with the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Inside, it scores a massive 15.6-inch multimedia touchscreen with entirely different software to the in-house Toyota software used in the bZ4X, although it continues to feature the same steering wheel and shift hardware that appears in other Toyota EVs.

It also features more high-end connectivity features, with 5G online systems, “AI” face recognition, and dual driver monitoring cameras. The bZ3C features an array of bright colours, which are additionally available with Toyota’s usual two-tone colour scheme it makes available on high-spec vehicles. Like many other Chinese vehicles, which feature high-end autonomous driving features, it has a roof pod that hosts the LIDAR suite.

Other features not usually seen on other Toyota vehicles include the pop-out door handles and full lie-flat front seats, which are popular features in other Chinese domestic models the bZ3C is attempting to compete. 

The official line from Toyota thus far has been that its joint-venture models are for Chinese domestic consumption only, and that it would not be exporting them, even to comparatively nearby markets such as Australia.

Toyota has described the joint-venture models with FAW a “reboot” for its Chinese operations, which “focuses on features that create a fun personal space for younger Generation Z customers.”

It also comes as the brand makes a series of admissions about its Chinese market operations including how the needs of consumers were totally different from what the brand was used to. As it ultimately admitted in a recent financial results briefing: “It’s not for Japanese manufacturers to make cars for Chinese people. It’s to help Chinese people making cars for Chinese people.”

The Chinese domestic market now has an entire range of products under Toyota’s all-electric bZ (which stands for beyond Zero) brand, which started with the Tesla Model 3-rivalling bZ3 sedan that launched alongside the international bZ4X but is now expanding to include the bZ3C detailed here and its larger sibling, the bZ3X.

Toyota’s Japanese-built bZ4X sold in Australia has had a tough time in its first year in our market, due in part to its late arrival compared to rivals, and its comparatively high price-tag for the range on offer.

To the end of October, Toyota has managed to move 853 examples of the electric mid-sizer priced from $66,000 before on-roads, compared to 12,516 Model Ys and 5256 BYD Atto 3s, although it has overtaken Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 (779 units) and has a comfortable lead over its sister car, the Subaru Solterra (360 units).

It will face even more stiff competition next year in Australia, as it will need to face the Kia EV5 and Volkswagen ID4, as well as newcomers like the Xpeng G6, Geely EX5, and Leapmotor C10.