Goodbye 'bZ': Toyota changes the name of its electric cars

Japanese manufacturer abandons 'beyond zero' and switches to a system more familiar to customers

Photo by: Toyota

By: Riccardo Ciriaco

Jan 17, 2025 at 4:17am ET

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The suspicion arose in December after the presentation of the new Urban Cruiser, which was also shown at the Brussels Motor Show in the last few days. In this case, however, it was a remake of the old combustion SUV, which obviously kept the name of the original version.

Now, however, comes official confirmation: Toyota will abandon the 'bZ' acronym to identify the brand's future electric cars. Instead, the Japanese manufacturer will use a naming system more familiar to customers' ears.

Beyond zero emissions

The bZ4X will therefore remain the only creature sold by the manufacturer worldwide to be christened with the curious alphanumeric combination; a combination that conceals the meaning of 'beyond zero', i.e. the company's ambition to offer cars with 'beyond zero' performance, referring to the release of emissions (while 4 and X indicate the size and type of vehicle, a crossover).

Toyota bZ4X

The interior of the Japanese electric SUV

Announcing the change of pace is the marketing director of the European division Andrea Carlucci in an interview with Autocar. What is missing, however, is an indication of the next nomenclature system adopted by Toyota.

The bZ4X story

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The fact remains that the company seems unhappy with the results of the bZ4X, an electric SUV launched in 2022 as the first of seven 'bZ'-branded electric cars in a total range of 15 battery-powered vehicles.

But a subsequent recall campaign and the SUV boom penalised the manufacturer's frontrunner, leading to the decision: Toyota says goodbye to the 'bZ' brand.