While the BZ3X sedan is only for China, there’s talk a Suzuki spin-off might avail globally.

ONLY consumers in the ‘birthplace’ of a New Zealand-favoured Tesla will see Toyota’s foil to that car – at least, as a Toyota.

Talk the BZ3 electric sedan, which Toyota revealed overnight as the Japanese brand’s answer to the Tesla Model 3, might yet have a parallel future as Suzuki’s first electric car continues to simmer.

That sharing agreement raises potential that while BZ3X is only for China - which, as all Musk-ovites know, is where NZ-market Model 3 (and Model Y) sources from – the Suzuki could yet be a more global project.

It’s early days for both. The Suzuki deal is still under consideration and seems unlikely to produce a car before 2025, according to overseas’ reports. That’s a year after BZ3X production begins, at a plant in China.

The four-door is Toyota’s second car in the ‘Beyond Zero’ series, following the BZ4X mid-sized sports utility, co-developed with Subaru.

BZ4X and Solterra are both coming to NZ next year, though Toyota NZ recently advised its model will now be a late-2023 starter, due to delays in its production now resolved.

The sedan is less related than might seem apparent. It was developed by a joint venture, but this one doesn’t involve Subaru. Instead Toyota is working with BYD, best known here for their electric car, the Atto 3. 

The joint venture is called BTET. It combines Toyota’s e-TNGA vehicle arc with BYD’s space-efficient and energy-efficient lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, a type used by the Atto 3.

Toyota has released little technical detail about the BZ3 sedan, except to say it will have a maximum range of 600km. The WLTP figure for the Model 3 Long Range is 602km.

As for Suzuki’s involvement? It enjoys a closer working relationship with Toyota than might be apparent in NZ.

In Europe the two companies share a number of models, notably the Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid-based Suzuki Across and Toyota Corolla wagon-based Suzuki Swace.

Earlier this year Suzuki Japan reaffirmed commitment to launch its first high-volume electric car by 2025. It has also invested heavily in an EV manufacturing facility in India.

Suzuki also recently previewed a future model in the form of a battery-powered concept in early 2020, called the Futuro-E – which, industry observers say, shares at least some resemblance to the BZ3X.