Although there have been reports about Toyota’s plan to drop the uninspired “bZ” nomenclature, it looks like the switch to a more familiar naming system for electric cars isn’t happening globally. Meet the new bZ7, a production version of a namesake concept introduced last year. It’s a large sedan for the Chinese market, where it follows the launch of the bZ4X, bZ3, bZ3X, and bZ5.
Toyota remains tight-lipped about the bZ7, only saying it’s more than five meters long, so nearly 200 inches, making it bigger than a Camry. It’s larger than the Nissan N7, another regional electric sedan from a Japanese brand. While Nissan teamed up with Dongfeng, Toyota joined forces with GAC to bring this car to life.
Photo by: Toyota
It blends styling cues from several existing models, such as the Prius and Crown, but its split headlights and roof-mounted sensor help it stand out. It’s more than just an upsized version of the more affordable bZ3, a smaller electric sedan Toyota has been selling in China for a couple of years. Despite the gently sloped roofline and relatively short rear, it’s a sedan rather than a five-door liftback.
Compared to the namesake concept car, the final version gets flush door handles and regular mirrors instead of cameras. However, the rest of the styling has been largely retained, and we can also see the interior for the first time. It appears more upmarket than the usual bZ product, which makes sense since Toyota calls the bZ7 its flagship electric car in China.
There’s white perforated leather, wood trim, and ambient lighting on the dashboard and door panels. Despite the large center screen, Toyota was nice enough to add a few physical buttons. We’re also noticing Huawei branding on the wireless charging pad, along with a trapezoidal digital instrument cluster. The two-tone steering wheel has a Volvo vibe, and the opening in the dashboard suggests the bZ7 has a head-up display.
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Source: Toyota
While pricing isn’t mentioned, the bZ7 surely commands a significant premium over the bZ3. The Tesla Model 3 rival kicks off at the equivalent of $23,200 in China. Toyota plans to have the big sedan on sale within a year.
This isn’t the only new electric Toyota sedan at Auto Shanghai 2025. Luxury brand Lexus is also there with the next-generation ES as a pure EV, which will be sold alongside the usual hybrid versions.