Toyota Drops BZ Concept at 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show
LOS ANGELES – Lost in all the Prius hoopla is the Toyota bZ SUV concept.
The brand chose the show as a prime (get it?) opportunity to show a batter-electric SUV that could, and almost certainly does, preview a future vehicle for its lineup. Building off the bZ4X EV, this concept also showcases the use of “green” materials. The seats are made from plant-based materials, for example, and recycled materials are also used.
As is often the case with concepts like these, Toyota has decided to showcase connectivity features. There’s a voice assistant named Yui that responds to requests made by passengers, with the help of audio and visual cues. Yeah, we’d like to know a bit more detail than what the release says, too.
bZ stands for “Beyond Zero”, which is Toyota speak for a future in which alternative-fuel and zero-emission vehicles help achieve carbon neutrality (I am admitting a lot of buzzwords here for the sake of my sanity and yours). Toyota claims it will expand to have 30 battery-electric vehicles, including five with the bZ name, on sale globally. This is all in keeping with the company’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Take a gander and see for yourself.
This post will be updated, if possible, with in-person images and reaction from L.A., either later tonight or tomorrow.
[Images: Toyota]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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WTF?
Is that a CHMSL -way high- back of the shark fin antenna?
Yoke's a dealbreaker.