Toyota’s electric SUV may soon get a fresh start. After a rocky debut, the Toyota bZ4X is reportedly due for a rebrand, with a new name coming as soon as 2026.
Is Toyota giving the bZ4X a new name?
After launching the bZ4X in 2022, Toyota’s first electric SUV had a bumpy market debut. In June 2022, all bZ4X models were recalled over concerns that the wheels could fall off.
Since then, Toyota has struggled to gain traction. Through the first nine months of 2024, Toyota sold 13,577 bZ4X models in the US. Although that’s double the roughly 6,500 sold through Q3 2023, it’s still less than 1% of its over 1.7 total vehicles sold through September.
As Toyota looks to turn things around, the bZ4X is due for a complete rebrand. Speaking at a recent auto press event in Quebec, a regional director for Toyota Canada said the company is preparing to change the bZ4X name.
According to Motor Illustrated, Patrick Ryan, Toyota’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said the name change will occur over the next year.
Top comment by Eric George
I'm pretty sure the BZ4X name was to ensure they wouldn't sell many, therefore supporting their theory that people don't want EVs because hybrids are so much better. Now that they are realizing they were wrong and have to catch up, they need a name customers can actually remember and pronounce at the dealerships.
Toyota just revealed the 2025 bZ4X last week, so it will likely be for the 2026 model year. Prices for the 2025 Toyota bZ4X start at $37,070 in the US, or $6,000 less than the outgoing model. The FWD model has an EPA-estimated range of up to 252 miles, while the AWD trim has a range of up to 222 miles.
Toyota promotes its bZ branding as “beyond Zero” in reference to EVs cutting emissions. Meanwhile, the “4” determines its format (think RAV4), and the X tells us it’s a crossover.
In the US, all Toyota vehicles are badged with an actual name other than the RAV4 and bZ4X. A new name may make sense since bZ4X is a bit of a tongue twister and had a less-than-favorable reception.
After unveiling its new Urban Cruiser electric SUV earlier this month, will Toyota follow a similar route with the bZ4X? Although its first three-row electric SUV is now delayed until 2026, we could see a completely different naming system rollout.
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