Toyota’s China-only bZ3X is the cheapest EV from the brand

If you thought that yesterday’s updates to Toyota’s electric platform were a lot, wait until you hear about the Japanese company’s offerings in China. Aside from the bZ4X that is sold worldwide, a joint venture with GAC resulted in three additional models, namely the bZ3 sedan, the bZ3C (a coupe crossover that is yet to be launched), and the just-launched bZ3X compact crossover.

So, what makes this special? Its selling price makes it the most affordable BEV the automaker has put out in China so far. It starts at 109,800 RMB, which pegs it just at Php 870,600, and the top-of-the-line variant brings that up to 159,800 RMB, or Php 1,263,000.

So, what do you get for that? It’s a five-seater crossover with dimensions of 4,600mm long, 1,850mm wide, and 1,660mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,765mm. Size-wise, it’s just as big as a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-5.

It sports the brand’s current Hammerhead shark aesthetic, which can be found on its other models like the bZ4X, Camry, and Crown series, and wheel sizes range from 18 to 19 inches, depending on variant.

The interior is full of luxuries and tech, such as white leather upholstery, electrically adjustable, climate-controlled seats that fold flat, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 14.6-inch infotainment screen running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor, a 50W fast wireless charging, up to an 11-speaker sound system, and multiple color ambient lighting, to name a few.

GAC-Toyota has also partnered with Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta to pad the advanced driver assistance systems on higher variants, equipping higher variants with LiDAR sensors, self-driving that’s capable of Navigate on Autopilot functionality within supported cities and highways.

Most importantly, it comes with three different lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery capacities and range figures: 50.0 kWh (up to 430 km), 58.4 kWh (up to 520 km), and 67.9 kWh (up to 610 km). A single electric motor is mounted on the front, capable of either 201 horsepower (150 kW) or 221 horsepower (165 kW).

Chinese car anoraks will notice these figures are similar to those of the GAC Aion V, which is a result of the GAC-Toyota partnership to build these China-only bZ models. Would you consider buying one of these if they ever become available in our market?

Photos from Sam Surla and GAC-Toyota