Although Toyota‘s top executives have stated they do not want to stay committed to EVs, that does not mean they will not produce them. The Japanese conglomerate currently only produces the bZ4X, but it has proposals for many more models, some of which may use the names it has lately trademarked.
A Toyota BZ Forums member discovered four trademarked potential new model names. BZ1C, BZ2C, BZ3C, and BZ4C are their names, with no idea what the “C” stands for.
It could designate models with only two doors (true coupes), but this appears unlikely. Given that it is the most widely known use of the term in the automotive industry over the last decade, the more obvious answer is that it could be for coupe-like models.
However, it could easily refer to the fact that the models it would appoint are cars, not crossovers or SUVs.
The first two letters of the bZ4X’s name mean “beyond zero,” the number refers to the vehicle’s size, and the final letter indicates that it’s a high-riding crossover. The letter “X” is now ubiquitous in the automotive industry, and it is almost always used to define some taller vehicle that appears to be capable of off-roading.
The bZ Small Crossover Concept
Toyota announced in early December 2022 that it intended to introduce five bZ-branded EVs in Europe by 2026. One of them is the production model of the bZ Small Crossover Concept that features a fastback (or coupe-like) rear end and could utilize one of the newly trademarked names.
It is anticipated to sit below the bZ4X in the product line. Its production name could be bZ2C or bZ3C. Remember that while manufacturers may trademark specific words, they do not necessarily intend to use all of them, which could be the case this time – Toyota may have done this to ensure that another company does not obtain the rights to these names.
