Toyota bZ4X officially launches in Indonesia for RM355k

Toyota Astra Motor has just launched the bZ4X into the Indonesian market making it the second country in the ASEAN region - following Thailand - to add the brand’s sole pure electric offering into their local line up.

Priced from an equivalent of around RM355k, the bZ4X is sold as a single variant very similar to its Thai spec, but at a significantly higher price at approximately RM119k dearer thanks to much fewer EV subsidies.

The electric SUV is built on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform and boasts underfloor lithium ion battery with a capacity of 71.4kWh to send to a single front-mounted motor with 204PS and 266Nm of torque.

Curiously, this is notch down from what’s offered in Thailand where the bZ4X is given 218PS and 337Nm of torque.

Sure, that’s far from excessive in terms of on-paper stats (0-100km/h in 8.3 seconds), but the upshot from having a less power-hungry electric powertrain is increased endurance. Toyota Indonesia isn’t exactly forthcoming with its range on a fully charged battery, but logic says that it should exceed the Thai model’s claimed 516 kilometres.

Charging, as usual can be done over the slower AC charger or faster DC variety at up to 6.6kW or 150kW, respectively. The latter needs just 30 minutes to get the bZ4X’s reserves from 0-80%. What’s more is that the battery is covered under an 8-year/160,000km manufacturer’s warranty.

Equipment highlights include a panoramic sunroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, wireless smartphone charger, as well as a 12.3-inch central infotainment system that works in tandem with a digital instrument cluster.

The Indonesia-spec EV also comes with the full complement of active safety and driver aid features from Toyota Safety Sense, including Pre-Collision which includes AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), Lane Tracing Assistant, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Automatic High Beam, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.

All that’s left really is to speculate when UMW Malaysia will bring the bZ4X to our shores. Seems our neighbours in Indonesia and Thailand always get to play with the new toys first.

When it does make local landfall, it should make a great rival for the Kia EV6. The Korean contender, however, does pack a pretty formidable arsenal - dual electric motors, 77.4kWh battery, 325PS, 605Nm, 506km range - for its RM301k asking price.

To even have a chance at sparring with the EV6, the Toyota bZ4X made available to Malaysians would need to be better specified than either the ones offered in Thailand or Indonesia.

Should be interesting.