Toyota teases new compact electric SUV in latest video
Toyota is giving us a look at its new compact electric SUV in a recent teaser video. The Japanese automaker hopes a smaller bZ compact SUV can help close the gap as global EV sales heat up.
It’s no secret Toyota is one of (if not the) biggest laggards in the EV industry. Electric vehicles accounted for less than 1% of Toyota’s 5.8 million total car sales through July.
Toyota struggled with the rollout of its first all-electric vehicle, the bZ4X, but believes its next-gen models will help level the playing field.
After unveiling a series of new innovations over the past several months to help boost EV production, improve vehicle efficiency, and cut costs, Toyota is teasing its next-gen electric model.
Last November, Toyota revealed the bZ compact SUV, slated to sit below the bZ4X. “We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the Beyond Zero moniker,” David Christ, Toyota’s vice president and GM, explained.
Toyota claims the new compact electric SUV is designed as a fully electric vehicle “using a clean-vital design approach.”
Christ says the bZ compact SUV concept includes an aerodynamic design and intuitive tech features “never before seen in Toyota model.”
He teased last year, “The bZ Concept showcases another possible vision of the very near future.” Toyota is giving us a sneak peek of what that may look like in its latest video teaser.
Toyota teases new electric SUV
You will first notice the full-length LED light bar that runs across the rear, connecting the taillights.
Once zoomed in, you can clearly see “Z Compact SUV” on the license plate. The camera zooms in on a “BEV” badge next to a blue circle. This blue circle was also shown on the prototype last November.
Toyota’s tagline translates to “This badge from the Prius conveys the message that we value the happiness of people living on earth and want to pass it on to the next generation.” Let’s hope Toyota’s next-gen models can help with that.
The new Toyota compact electric SUV hints at a futuristic look with an aggressive wheel stance, short overhangs, and sweepback angles.
The inside is focused on minimalism and connectivity with an “in-car agent” named “Yui” that can connect passengers to the vehicle.
Toyota has yet to reveal powertrain details but is vowing its next-gen EV models will be more efficient with advanced batteries offering nearly 500 miles range by 2026.
Powered by a 71.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, the current bZ4X offers up to 252 EPA miles range, starting at $42,000.
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Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.
“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”
The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.
The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.
U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.
Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.
“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”
Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.
“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”
Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.
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Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.
Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!
Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.
Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.
Stumbled upon the Bezosmobile [Slate Automotive…idk?] being revealed with an absolutely bizarre marketing campaign
byu/jonjopop inspotted
Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.
The Slate breaking cover and causing buzz just ahead of what’s sure to be a painful Q1 earnings call for Tesla is a masterstroke of marketing – especially as doubts surrounding the viability of a “less expensive” Tesla Model Y or Model 3 continue to mount amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariffs and declining sales of the brand’s more profitable models both at home and abroad.
As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.
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