Mastodawn

RE: https://mastodon.online/@electrek/116331049080423778

well duh, Toyota.

Toyota has a solid rep for durable, reliable cars. Many Toyota owners have been clamouring for a Corolla BEV. The bZ is the next best thing, it's not far off from the Corolla in size.

But nooo, ever patriotic Toyota got sidetracked to the hydrogen dead-end because some doofus in the Japanese govt was persuaded that HFCVs were the future. But a coal-H2 gasfication project set up by Kawasaki and the Aus govt in Melbourne has collapsed as unfeasible.

FINALLY a Toyota BEV!

Wine of the Bean 13h ago

@weezmgk Interestingly enough, the bZ4X is manufactured by Chinese company GAC. GAC also manufactures Honda EVs, and has it's own Brand of EVs called AION, which are sold in Australia. The Aion V and UT are some of the top value EVs for sale in Australia full-stop.

Toyota is making a BEV Hilux...and it's pretty bad from what I've read so far.

Comrade Weez 13h ago

@WineoftheBean Did Chasingcars get it wrong? They quote Toyota as stating the BZ4x for Australia is made in Aichi, Japan. https://www.chasingcars.com.au/news/electric-vehicles/toyota-australia-says-bz4x-battery-has-higher-quality-longevity-than-rivals/

Comrade Weez 13h ago

@WineoftheBean EVs built on combustion vehicle platforms don't generally have a great rep. I would anticipate the same for a Hilux BEV if this is what Toyota are doing.

Wine of the Bean 13h ago

@weezmgk Only the batteries.

Comrade Weez 13h ago

@WineoftheBean That's not what Toyota have said.

Wine of the Bean 12h ago

@weezmgk Ah. ONLY the bZ4X. All other models built by the joint venture.

Comrade Weez 12h ago

@WineoftheBean Only the bZ4x for Australian delivery. For other markets, bZ are made in China.

Wine of the Bean 12h ago

@weezmgk Meanwhile, we're currently waiting on delivery of an Aion UT. 😉

Comrade Weez 11h ago

@WineoftheBean That's pretty cute. Trophy Housemate's wish was for a Corolla BEV or near enough in size. Her original impression of bZ4x from photos and reviews was that it was a hulking SUV. She finally met one on the street and was happily surprised. She's also been put off by very small EVs like Atto1, GWM Good Cat etc. I think we'll be buying a bZ4x in about 6 mos.

Wine of the Bean 11h ago

@weezmgk Hopefully with the MY2026 spec...Much better range.

The Aion V is very similar in size, 510km range, but at least $10k cheaper. Definitely worth a look. We've test driven both Aion models, and picked UT mostly based on similar size to our smaller hatch.

Comrade Weez 10h ago

@WineoftheBean I'm sure you will be happy with it.

OTOH, Trophy Housemate places a very high value on peace of mind knowing her car won't leave her by the side of the road (or cause big repairs shitfights with a dealer/mfr). This terrifies her more than it should but I'm not going to argue with her irrational fears. It's worth another $10K to her to have a sense of security.

Wine of the Bean 10h ago

@weezmgk Wholly agree on that sentiment.

We've had zero issues with our Skodas over the past 10+ years, but they don't produce a value-oriented EV to our liking.

thefathippy 12h ago

Too little, too late?

Comrade Weez 11h ago

@thefathippy Possibly, but Toyota can run on reputation in this case. Toyota owners are THAT dedicated to the no-brainer reliability rep of Toyota. And they'll pay for it, even on the 2nd hand market. The bZ in the US is suddenly outselling the top-selling Chevy Equinox EV https://electrek.co/2026/04/01/toyotas-electric-suv-suddenly-one-of-americas-top-selling-evs/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Toyota’s electric SUV is suddenly one of America’s top-selling EVs

Toyota sold over 10,000 electric bZ SUVs in the first three months of 2026, beating out GM’s top-selling Chevy Equinox...

Electrek

𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝙵𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙 11h ago

"suddenly" is a tad late !!

Comrade Weez 10h ago

@Sheep_Overboard I think it tells the tale that there was a customer base waiting _very specifically_ for a Toyota BEV.