Toyota is a leader in hybrid tech in the automotive industry, but plenty of other automakers have beat it to the electric vehicle races. Automakers like Ford and Volkswagen have already launched successful electric vehicle platforms, and Toyota is lagging behind. Could the Toyota bZ4X get overshadowed by its competition?

The Toyota bZ4X has plenty of competition

Toyota changed the automotive industry when it first introduced the Toyota Prius. The Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle from a major automaker sold in America. Today, plenty of other automakers have followed suit and incorporated hybrid vehicles into their lineups. Hybrid options remain a core part of Toyota’s lineup, but it has yet to mass-produce an electric vehicle for the American market.

Tesla has become the biggest producer of electric vehicles in America and is responsible for the majority of the new electric vehicle market share. Since the automaker only produces electric vehicles, it has an edge over automakers that are still new to the EV game.

The Toyota bZ4X will arrive in 2022, but will its arrival be eclipsed by the success of other electric vehicles? The market is only getting more saturated with time, and the Japanese automaker has yet to release any shocking details about the cornerstone of its electric future.

According to Car and Driver, the bZ4X electric SUV model will have a driving range between 200 and 230 miles. Flashier models like the Kia EV6 are already gaining plenty of attention through clever commercials and advertising. Will the Toyota bZ4X be exciting enough to compete?

The Toyota bZ4X has yet to display a “wow factor”

The Toyota bZ4X includes some impressive battery technology, but Toyota has yet to reveal any impressive driving range specs or features. The bZ4X’s battery will be resistant to extreme temperatures. Extreme hot and cold temperatures have caused plenty of electric vehicles issues in the past, including Tesla models.

The bZ4X may have solved a huge battery issue, but it’ll take more than that to impress most consumers, thanks to competition like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Kia EV6. With the bZ4X’s release only months away, Toyota will have to highlight the electric SUV’s best qualities to compete with the best electric SUVs on the market.

Toyota’s partnership with Subaru could backfire

Toyota partnered with Subaru to create the bZ4X. As a result, the bZ4X will come standard with four-wheel drive. The bZ4X could share qualities with some of Subaru’s successful SUV models. This means that the bZ4X could potentially have some off-road capability. The Subaru Solterra, on the other hand, has specifically hinted at off-road capability.

The Solterra is being marketed as an electric SUV capable of tackling trails and exploring the road less traveled. The Subaru Solterra will certainly be marketed as the more capable electric SUV, so will the partnership between automakers do more harm than good for the bZ4X in the long run? The Toyota bZ4X has plenty of challenges to face when it is finally released. Will it rise to the occasion or be eclipsed by other electric SUV models?