Toyota And Suzuki Unite To Develop Small Electric SUV

Toyota bZ Small Crossover. (Doc. Global Toyota)

JAKARTA - It is no longer a secret that Toyota and Suzuki have entered into partnerships to develop the latest models, allowing these two manufacturers to share the same base and components to reduce research and development costs. And apparently, this partnership also extends to the electric car (EV) segment.

It is reported that these two companies will work together to develop a small SUV that is expected to launch in 2025. The car will be based on the Toyota bZ Small Crossover base introduced in 2021 along with a series of other environmentally friendly models.

According to a report from Best Car, Tuesday, October 3, Toyota plans to take advantage of the growth of small electric vehicles in the Japanese domestic market, and then expand the model to the global market.

The report indicates that Suzuki was chosen as the ideal partner for this collaboration because of his expertise in producing small cars.

The concept car bZ Small Crossover is one of 15 models introduced by Toyota and Lexus at the end of 2021. The car has been featured in digital rendering and as a prototype with a dark window, hinting that it will become the smallest member in the bZ family.

As a compact SUV, this model will be between the Toyota Agyo X with a length of 3,700 mm and the 4,180 mm Toyota Yaris Cross.

Toyota plans to present this bZ Small Crossover in the European and Japanese markets. Although the specifications are still limited, the manufacturer has confirmed that this car will use the eTNGA platform with a power consumption of around 125mas/km.

The SUV will debut along with the launch of Suzuki's first electric car, namely eVX. In the future, the bZ Small Crossover will be a competitor to other small electric cars, such as VW ID.1 and Hyundai Casper.

Toyota and Suzuki have close ties in terms of joint vehicle rebadging and technology exchanges to meet market needs around the world, including Europe, India, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.