Featured Toyota acknowledges some negative bZ4X feedback

Other than the wheels falling off?

 

Sure, it's a good car. I mean, other than the range, charging speed, horrible infotainment, and berber remnant dashboard, it's a great ev.

 

Price might still be too high for the specs.

 

nice around town car at half the price

 

A good start:



Bob Willson

 

YouTuber The Car Care Nut is not too impressed with it, and he’s a Toyota Master Mechanic.

 

The Gen-1 was not all that good. But the Gen-2 had legs. Sounds like Toyota might put the A-team on it.

Bob Wilson

 

But this was their second attempt. The first was the UX300e that was released in Europe and China. It had the exact same criticisms as the bZ4X gets now; too expensive for the EV performance.
Lexus EV conspiracy theories | PriusChat

Some will cry "but that is an EV conversion of an ICE model". Well, that is all eTNGA is, an ICE platform tweaked for bigger batteries. The bZ4X is as close to the Rav4 Prime as the Rav4 hybrid to the US Venza.

Toyota did have a revelation that thear plan to use an ICE platform for EVs isn't working with the speed the market progressing. maybe the third try will be on a dedicated BEV platform.

 

Raleigh paper had news that Toyota's huge NC battery plant was going to be producing in March. 1400 employees now, hiring several thousand more. 14 production lines envisioned. Slow startup as Toyota's first owned battery plant. No details on form factor or chemistry.

 

I rarely say this about any Toyota, but the bZ4x should be cancelled....or get some huge changes...it's a black-eye on the Toyota reputation. (And here comes the comments about the Tundra and Tacomas! hehehehe)
Get your act together, Toyota!

 

In most cases, a production line can make any of the chemistries. As long as the equipment can physically handle the components, you can switch out different types of components. Form factor is pretty set, but many EV manufacturers can work with different form factors in the same model.

Toyota's bipolar batteries are probably like a form factor; you couldn't swap between bipolar and typical without effort. Solid state will require different manufacturing techniques. One company is working on ones that could use existing lines, but haven't heard such about Toyota's effort.

 

Toyota's $14B battery plant in Triad to begin production by March | wfmynews2.com

A huge contribution to the American economy-"Right now, 1,400 people work there. Eventually, it will employ more than 5,000 people."

There is a video you can watch if you click the link.

Toyota shares NC factory targets for shipping first batteries, hiring 3,000 workers

10 Things to Know: Toyota’s New Battery Manufacturing Plant in North Carolina - Toyota USA Newsroom
"Toyota will invest $13.9 billion in the plant, which raises its total global investment in electrification efforts to $16 billion."

What a home run for the economy of North Carolina!

 

If President Trump places tariffs on vehicles built outside the US, I'm hoping Toyota moves their Mexico Tacoma plant back to the San Antonio plant. Tundra sales aren't great so just split the plant into Tundra/Tacoma.

 

Wasn't that just stated 3 posts & 1hr prior ?
But the OP is about what's going on now, & about the current model production - not what's down the road. We are all hoping crossing fingers that something down the road will be much better.

 

If a $16 billion dollar investment doesn't tell an individual what's going on and how important Toyota feels this is to their success nothing will.

"Specific production lines will be tailored to support hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. Toyota previously targeted this month for the plant’s first shipment, but Holland said heavy rains during construction pushed the expected deliveries back several weeks.

Mass production trials for these batteries are underway. Once ready, they will be placed inside Camry Hybrids. Toyota then anticipates opening a new battery manufacturing line in Liberty every four months through the end of the decade.

In March, the Japanese automaker expects to ship its first car batteries from its new multibillion-dollar site southeast of Greensboro. And by the end of December, Toyota plans to hire another 1,600 workers, bringing the Piedmont factory headcount to around 3,000."

These are just a few quotes from the above articles.

Sensible, conservative successful companies do not throw around $16 billions dollars - Toyota is one of the leaders in sensible, conservative, successful companies. This has been proven by their measured response to EV's and BEV's which has been currently proven to have been the right approach.

Toyota: 2024 TIME100 Most Influential Companies | TIME

Toyota's contribution to American economy and to American Manufacturing economic success.

 

Toyota plans to have this plant producing 30GWh of batteries by 2030.
Toyota Supercharges North Carolina Battery Plant with New $8 Billion Investment - Toyota USA Newsroom

Ford's plant in Kenticky will start in 2025, and is planned to make 45GWh. They are expecting to need around 140GWh annually by 2030 to meet North America demand.
https://fordauthority.com/2024/08/ford-blueoval-sk-battery-plant-will-come-online-in-mid-2025/
https://corporate.ford.com/articles/electrification/ford-commits-to-manufacturing-batteries.html

Toyota's plug ins will likely still be constrained by battery supply, with continued expansion of hybrids, in the future.