Toyota GR bZ4X Is Being Considered As A High-Performance Electric SUV

Toyota has big plans for electric vehicles over the next decade. The company will launch 15 EVs under the Toyota and Lexus brands, with the first, the bZ4X, going on sale this year. It’s a crossover, like most new cars these days, but a hotter GR performance variant could join the lineup in the future.

BZ4X chief engineer Daisuke Ido revealed to Electric Switchbrother publications for car, that the GR bZ4X is being considered. But before you go crazy dreaming of possibilities, Ido also notes that “it’s still not a concrete idea.” We are in the early stages of such a model, and fixing it will take time.

Ido told the publication that the challenge in creating the GR bZ4X was ensuring it met the GR’s high handling and performance standards. The GR may need to make significant modifications to the crossover if it wants to wear the brand badge, and that also requires a major power boost.

The front-wheel drive single-motor model produces 201 horsepower (150 kilowatts). There’s a dual-motor bZ4X with all-wheel drive, but output only increases to 215 hp (160 kW). Lifting the power up to 402 hp (300 kW) will certainly help. The bZ4X is similar in size to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Kia EV6 GT, which produce 459 hp (342 kW) and 576 hp (429 kW), respectively. A little enthusiasm in the steps of Toyota will not harm the crossover.

We don’t know if the GR BZ4X will happen, but Toyota unveiled the BZ4X GR Sport earlier this year at the Tokyo Auto Salon. It didn’t feature the GR BZ4X, with the all-electric crossover getting bigger wheels, black trim, and sport seats for an upgrade. Toyota also did not mention the concept’s powertrain.

The Toyota bZ4X 2023 will start at $43,215 (price includes $1,215) for the entry-level XLE model with front-wheel drive. The top Limited trim with all-wheel drive starts at $49,995, and the GR variant is sure to top that price. However, we doubt we’ll see anything from Toyota soon regarding the GR BZ4X. This may be nothing more than a dream, but automakers have always been coy about future products.