Toyota previews two new electric cars with concepts in Shanghai

Rakish sports crossover and functional family SUV are two of the 10 Toyota EVs due in China by 2026

Toyota has taken to the Shanghai motor show to show off its next two bZ electric cars in concept form. 

The bZ Sport Crossover and bZ Flexspace are close previews of the Japanese giant's next production cars - due on sale in China next year but as yet not confirmed for a European or UK launch. 

The duo arrive as a wave of ten electric cars Toyota plans to sell in China by 2026.

The most distinctive of the pair is the luridly coloured bZ Sports Crossover - a sleek, high-riding four-door coupé that looks set to evolve into a performance-oriented sibling to the upcoming bZ3X we will get in the UK (previewed by the Compact Crossover concept). 

Toyota has given no details of what lies underneath the "active and distinctive" body shell, but it is highly likely to use the same e-TNGA architecture as the Toyota bZ4X, given it is being developed in partnership with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) which builds the bZ4X for the Chinese market.

Elsewhere, Toyota has borrowed an EV platform from Chinese manufacturer BYD for its new bZ3 saloon, but has yet to detail any other future cars that will arise from this tie-up.

Inside, the concept looks relatively ready for production, with a curved central infotainment display and large digital instrument cluster - while the unusually shaped steering wheel suggests the production car will get Toyota's new steer-by-wire technology, controlled via a yoke device. 

Toyota says it has been designed "with functions to provide a personal space for the younger customers" and that it will be kept up to date via over-the-air updates after purchase. 

Meanwhile, the bZ Flexspace concept looks to preview a new mid-sized electric SUV to sit above the bZ4X. It's a large, upright SUV - focused on families and touting a "reliable cruising range".

Details are similarly thin on the ground, but it wears Toyota's new 'hammerhead' front end and hosts a similar cockpit to the latest bZ production cars - complete with unconventional steering wheel. 

Toyota says the priority of the Flexspace is to provide a "cosy home" environment that's easy to live with every day, but it hasn't confirmed whether there's room for a third row of seats at the back