Future Toyota Electric Vehicles to Reclaim Classic Model Monikers

Say goodbye to "bZ4X" and other confusing alphanumerics. Toyota is changing its naming strategy as future cars get EV counterparts.

Before long, purchasing an electric Toyota won’t require solving equations involving b, Z, or X anymore.

At its annual Kenshiki Forum event in Brussels last week, Toyota officials announced a plan to walk away from its confusing and often-criticized naming scheme for electric cars, which has yielded models with names like bZ4X , bZ3 and bZ3X Instead, new electric vehicles will be christened using names from "Toyota’s existing and well-known model lineups," according to officials.

"Andrea Carlucci, who leads marketing and product development for Toyota Motor Europe, stated, 'This strategy will be further developed since every upcoming electric vehicle will naturally form an essential component of our Toyota range,'" he explained.

Although no Toyota representatives at the event would explicitly state which specific new models would adopt this revised nomenclature, they did express an intention to leverage the company’s established brand value, much like how previous model generations have done. RAV4 EVs .

However, CarluCCI suggested how things could progress with the introduction of two new and anticipated electric vehicle models. One of them is the Urban Cruiser , which is currently a compact electric crossover available in Europe under a nameplate that has been intermittently used over the past twenty years and recalls the well-known Land Cruiser brand. The other model is the new C-HR+, a mid-size crossover. that shares the name with a hybrid version However, it is entirely different from the vehicle mentioned.

Masaya Uchiyama, who serves as the lead engineer for the bZ4X, stated InsideEVs that the decision was part of the mainstreaming of all-electric vehicles.

We chose 'bZ4X' as the name since it was something fresh. Uchiyama said. " Currently, BEVs [Battery Electric Vehicles] are growing in popularity and becoming more commonplace. Initially, they appealed mainly to innovators and early adopters. However, these days, BEVs are attracting the ‘early majority.’ We believe it’s time to establish a common or well-known term for BEVs since this type of vehicle is no longer considered exceptional.”

Uchiyama is accurate regarding this aspect. Electric vehicles constituted approximately one-tenth of all new car sales in the United States during 2024, setting a historical high. The figures are more impressive in Europe, where they account for an even greater proportion. approximately 15% of new car sales comprising electric vehicles In January within the European Union, those figures rise considerably based on which European nation you consider; for instance, in Belgium, electric vehicles (EVs) account for almost 30% of the new car market , while in Norway—where the bZ4X has consistently topped the sales charts—as electric vehicles (EVs) are essentially 90% of newly sold cars .

Toyota has been traditionally hesitant about completely adopting electric cars and has instead leaned on its "multi-pathway" approach to offering many different types of vehicles. Yet the continued growth of the EV sector, especially in Europe, has led the world's largest automaker to step up its game there. Toyota intends to unveil three more all-electric models by the end of 2026; one is presumed to be a pickup truck, and another could be a production version of The Land Cruiser Se concept .

Auto manufacturers frequently face challenges when deciding how to christen their upcoming electric vehicles (EVs) as these become increasingly common, potentially even supplanting gasoline-driven models across various ranges. Some companies choose distinctive monikers for their electric offerings—for instance, the Kia EV3 or the Hyundai Ioniq 5—while others hesitate to forsake long-established brand value and familiar identification cues. For example, Audi has been hesitant lately discarded a complex plan EVs would include even-numbered vehicles such as the A4 and Q6, whereas gas-powered cars would have odd numbers.

On Toyota's part, it's improbable that many individuals will lament the absence of the " Beyond Zero 4 Crossover especially since this electric version of the RAV4 is nearly identical. Introducing electric variants of the Sienna, Tacoma, and Corolla could make these models even more appealing, encouraging enthusiasts to switch from gas-powered vehicles.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

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