It’s a Toyota Aurion for the EV generation! Large electric Toyota bZ7 sedan confirmed for China, but we’re still waiting

April 30, 2025April 29, 2025 John Mahoney 435 Views 0 Comments bZ7, Toyota

While Toyota drags its its heels when it comes to EVs in Australia, in China it’s about to welcome a fifth electric car to its lineup.

It’s called the bZ7 and it’s a large four-door sedan built to rival the likes of the Xiaomi SU7 and Tesla Model S.

Created as part of Toyota’s joint venture with GAC, a Chinese car-maker that intends to launch in Australia, the all-new bZ7 has been confirmed for a launch later this year.

Despite expressing an interest in the new bZ7, Toyota Australia said it has “no current plans” to introduce the latest large all-electric family sedan Down Under.

Which is sad for us who remember Toyota’s attempts to bust into the large car market against Ford and Holden in the old days with the Aurion and Avalon.

Arriving with smart looks and a sporty fastback profile, the new battery-powered large sedan looks heavily inspired by the 2024 Toyota bZ7 concept.

The production version borrows the concept’s slimline C-shaped LED headlamps that sit above the main beams tucked away within the lower bumper.

At the rear the new Toyota bZ7 borrows from the latest Prius and gets a full-width LED light bar, plus a high-mounted brake light and a small boot lip.

Simple surfacing along its flanks and large streamlined 21-inch alloy wheels, plus enclosed door handles all suggest designers have worked hard to cut drag to boost the EV’s range.

Introducing Toyota and GAC’s latest driverless tech, the bZ7 comes with a trick roof-mounted LiDAR scanning system that could see it eventually be offered with level 3 hands off/eyes-off the road driving.

The new tech is said to be thanks to a partnership with tech giant Huawei.

Inside, the bZ7 shuns a yoke for a proper three-spoke steering wheel, while elsewhere there’s a high-mounted free-standing infotainment touchscreen, a digital instrument cluster, wireless charging pads and a huge panoramic sunroof.

The new touchscreen is the first to be powered by Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system that has yet to be launched but should herald huge advances in connectivity, speed, response time and functionality.

Full technical details were not released at the show but beneath the skin it’s thought the Toyota will use a BYD-sourced Blade lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) battery pack that will provide a range between 500-600km.

Measuring in at more than 5000mm long, Toyota-GAC has announced that the Toyota bZ7 will be priced from 170,000 yuan ($A36,000) which makes it an absolute steal, considering its size.