PLUS: Honda plans two EV sports cars, Nissan updates the Leaf, and Lucid reveals new Air variant.
The Toyota bZ4X is finally here, shipping to dealers in ZEV states this month, with the automaker joining the modern EV party. The bZ4X will serve as the automaker's mainstream launch point after smaller-scale EV experiments years ago, and it will also give us the Lexus RZ 450e and the Subaru Solterra siblings in the near future.
The "bZ4X is the first Toyota vehicle to be launched under the global bZ series, with more bZ vehicles on the horizon intending to elevate the BEV segment for years to come. 'bZ,' which stands for 'Beyond Zero,' was developed with human-centricity at the heart, meaning it hopes to provide more than a mobility solution but also an innovative space for customers," the automaker says.
Toyota announced the pricing for the bZ4X this week, offering the crossover in front- and all-wheel-drive flavors and two trim levels: XLE and Limited.
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A 12.3-inch screen will be a standard item, as will a number of safety and convenience features. |
The single-motor XLE will kick things off with a 201-hp motor up front, drawing power from a 63.4-kWh battery for a 252-mile rating. This model will start at $43,215, prior to any state or federal incentives. Quite a few items will be standard, including the 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a whole host of safety and convenience features, so this won't be a bare bones model at all.
Those who'll want to get the AWD model won't have to stretch their budgets, as the dual-motor version will require just an extra $2080.
The bZ4X, which will go on sale in all other states later in the year, will face a rapidly growing group of competitors, including from Volkswagen, Nissan, Kia, and Tesla, with more close on the horizon.
Read on to find out more details about pricing and equipment for this crossover.
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Another version of the Lucid Air is on the way, promising 1050 hp. |
Speaking of new EVs, this week Lucid announced yet another version of the Air sedan, called the Air Grand Touring Performance. Just like its name suggests, performance will be the main goal of this variant, which promises 1050 hp and 0-to-60-mph launches in just 2.6 seconds, losing a bit of range in the process compared to the longest-ranged Lucid model. But the sedan will still handily beat its Tesla Model S Plaid nemesis when it comes to range, with Lucid promising an EPA-estimated 446 miles.
Even though Lucid's luxury yacht has been in production for just a few months, it's already easy to get lost among all the versions offered, unless you've spent an hour or two on Lucid's website memorizing all the specs. The Grand Touring Performance model will effectively be the closest thing to a non-production-limited variant of the Air Dream Edition Performance model, which served up 1111 hp and up to 471 miles of range but only made up a portion of the 520 Air Dream examples offered to early birds. The newest addition to the menu, therefore, will sit just above the Grand Touring model, which serves up 819 hp and 516 miles of range.
Read on to find out what else this version will offer buyers, and how much it will cost.
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Honda has repeatedly confirmed it will be working with GM on a number of electric models, and plans revealed thus far have focused on family cars, including the upcoming Ultium-based Prologue sport utility. This week Honda disclosed it also plans two electric sports cars, including what could be a spiritual successor to the Honda NSX, which the US received as an Acura. The automaker shared teaser images of the two EVs this week. |
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Nissan has revealed a prototype production facility for solid-state EV batteries, with the automaker among several to seek to bring batteries of this type to market this decade. Nissan and others have high hopes for battery designs and compositions that could finally reduce the industry's reliance on lithium-ion batteries.
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