Toyota Turns Its Electric bZ4X into a Track Weapon: Meet the bZ Time Attack
At America’s biggest tuning show, SEMA, Toyota has unveiled something no one quite expected: a radical version of its electric crossover, the bZ4X. The car has been reborn as the bZ Time Attack—a name and character that sound far removed from Toyota’s usual playbook.
According to Car and Driver, the bZ Time Attack started life as a standard bZ4X, but little of the original family-friendly EV remains. Beneath the familiar badge and silhouette hides a machine built for the circuit. The twin-motor setup now produces over 400 horsepower, up from 338, although Toyota is keeping the exact figure under wraps.
Ride height has been slashed by 15 centimetres while the track width grew by the same amount. As Autoweek noted, the car features Tein coilovers, Alcon brakes, and Hawk performance pads borrowed from Toyota’s racing coupes. Inside, it’s all business: a full roll cage, OMP bucket seats, and multi-point harnesses have replaced the standard cabin comforts.
The exterior leaves no doubt about its intentions. Jalopnik described the car’s wild aero package, complete with a new front splitter, an enormous diffuser, and a towering rear wing that looks more suited to the Nürburgring than downtown Los Angeles.
Toyota insists this isn’t just a flashy showpiece. In its press statement, the company called the bZ Time Attack an experimental platform to explore the limits of electric drivetrains in motorsport. It’s part of a broader effort to prove that Toyota can make EVs every bit as dynamic as its petrol-powered sports cars.
Company insiders hinted the project could evolve into a dedicated track series, though no formal announcement has been made. InsideEVs added that the prototype will also be used to gather data on how batteries and cooling systems perform under sustained racing stress—crucial knowledge if Toyota plans to sell genuine electric performance cars in the future.
Until now, Toyota’s electric strategy has leaned heavily on hybrids and caution. The bZ Time Attack shows that even the world’s largest carmaker realises emotion now sells as much as efficiency. With Ford and Hyundai already sending their EVs to conquer the Nürburgring, Toyota can no longer afford to stand by.
This project won’t turn the bZ4X into a supercar overnight, but it signals a clear shift in attitude. The brand long mocked for being reliable but dull may finally be ready to shed that label. And if an electric Toyota crossover can chase petrol-burning sports cars around a racetrack, it could mark the beginning of a new era for the company—and for electric performance itself.
