New Toyota bZ Woodland for US Market

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I have not made it a secret. I think the Toyota BZ4X is one of the ugliest vehicles I’ve ever seen. I’m really disappointed with Toyota’s first attempt at a modern electric vehicle, and I think the design is actually an anti-selling tactic so that Toyota can say people don’t want EVs and keep lobbying against strong CO2 regulations. US sales of the vehicle don’t flatter either. It’s not on the bottom of the pack. (It’s a Toyota — how could it be?) But it’s not near the top. The BZ4X had 5,610 sales in the US in the 1st quarter, putting it in 12th place. Honda’s similarly late entry into the EV market, again not especially innovative or attractive, got almost twice that many sales.

Now, Toyota has announced an update, a new but similar model. That is the bZ Woodland. I don’t know if it’s just the color scheme, but I do think this looks more acceptable. It still has the weird overuse of black in the body around the wheels (and Toyota doesn’t even bother to highlight this in its marketing as some kind of cool, innovative design), but it somehow looks more fitting and appropriate. Could the bZ Woodland thus do much better than its BZ4X predecessor?

“The bZ4X Touring, the Japanese domestic model of the bZ Woodland is scheduled to launch^*1 in Japan around spring 2026,” Toyota writes. “^*1The partially redesigned bZ4X is also scheduled to launch in Japan the second half of 2025.” The new bZ Woodland is then supposed to arrive in the US in about a year, in the spring of 2026.

Toyota spends a bit of time in the news release talking about its “multi-pathway approach toward achieving a carbon-neutral society.” In other words, it’s still not all-in on BEVs. However, when it comes to the United States, the company does see this as a market where it should focus on BEVs. (That one caught me by surprise.) “The US market is expected to see steady growth, primarily in BEVs, and US manufacturers have a high market share in BEVs. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen products. To accelerate the multi-pathway approach, Toyota is introducing the new bZ Woodland along with the bZ^*2 and TOYOTA C-HR as a BEV lineup to cover SUVs, a major segment of the North American market,” the company writes.

For the US market, Toyota is making the bZ Woodland a bit larger and is also pumping in a bit more performance. Here are some details:

New bZ Woodland (North American specifications)

The new bZ Woodland uses lithium-ion batteries with a total power capacity of 74.7 kWh^*3*4 to ensure a cruising range of approximately 260 miles^*5 (AWD model), thanks in part to the highly efficient eAxle.
It comes with battery pre-conditioning^*6, with a development target of rapid charging in approximately 30 minutes^*7 under cold conditions by maintaining the battery at a temperature optimal for charging.
It uses NACS^*8 as the rapid (DC) charging standard.
The AWD model adopts a high-output type front and rear eAxle. In addition, the use of an evolved control system allows greater freedom in distributing front and rear driving force, achieving excellent driving stability even in outdoor situations.
The new bZ Woodland features luggage space with a generous capacity of 30 cu.ft^*3.
It is scheduled to launch in North America in early 2026.

But, of course, Toyota has to keep emphasizing that it’s not all-in on BEVs. The company adds, “Moving forward, Toyota will continue to address customer needs in each region and contribute to carbon neutrality by developing various options―including HEVs, PHEVs, and FCEVs―while striving to make ever-better cars.”

Oy. “Carbon neutrality” with HEVs and FCEVs….

Well, let’s hope the bZ Woodland attracts more eyeballs and gets more of a push than the mediocre BZ4X. Overall, I think it has more potential for decent sales and perhaps even breaking into the top 10 of BEV sales in the US. However, Toyota’s going to need to try hard to market it and put in the effort to improve its specs and offer it at a competitive price, because the US market is getting more competitive quickly.