The car is barely one month old and Toyota has already delivered 10,000 units
On launch, some were skeptical that Toyota’s $15,000 electric SUV would sell well, despite taking just under an hour to amass 10,000 preorders. Toyota has made good on those preorders, delivering all 10,000 to customers, and claims it has another 12,000 orders waiting for fulfillment.
A compact EV SUV based on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform, the bZ3X is the smaller sibling to the bZ4X American auto buyers are familiar with. That vehicle hasn’t been met with acclaim, which caused many to doubt the smaller bZ3X would fare any better. If sales reports are any indication, the bZ3X is about ten times more popular than the bZ4X.
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Why the bZ3X is selling so well
Starting at 109,800 yuan (roughly $15,000), the bZ3X can accommodate five passengers and has rear fold-flat seats for hauling oversized items. It has a suite of driver assistance features, a single LIDAR sensor to support its driver assist platform, and comes in seven trim level options. The top-end trims start at $20,000.
The bZ3X looks more SUV-like than the bZ4X. It has a more minimalist interior than you might expect for a Toyota, which favors tradition over progressive styling. A center-mounted 14-inch display and an 8-inch driver-side screen are the only interruptions in an otherwise sleek interior dash. The center console is also sparse, featuring only a few cupholders and dual wireless charging pads.
The SUV is also about the size of a Ford Mustang Mach-E. While small for most American auto buyers, the Toyota bZ3X is finding a lot of favor in China. If it were to come stateside, it would challenge the Tesla Model 3 and Model 4 for sales supremacy in the EV segment.
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How Toyota made such a popular EV SUV
In China, Toyota was operating its R&D efforts via three entities: FAW Toyota, GAC Toyota, and BYD Toyota. Engineers now lead projects from inception to production, a departure from previous project management structuring inside Toyota.
The bZ3X is an early glimpse at what consolidation and restructuring can produce. Though Toyota didn’t seem to arrive at the bZ3X any faster than it would under its former structure, the results might be better and more resonant to auto buyers in China than any Toyota that came before it. The same might be true for the flagship bZ7 sedan and new Lexus ES, both of which are products of the same design and production road mapping at Toyota and set to debut this year.
Final thoughts
We may never see the bZ3X stateside, which is a shame, but its success may influence the next generation of bZ4X. There’s no secret here; Toyota simply delivered a well-designed vehicle that checks a lot of boxes at a reasonable price point—that’s all most buyers are asking for when looking for a new vehicle.