UMW Toyota Motor today launched three battery-electric vehicles in Malaysia, led by the all-new Hilux BEV, with the updated bZ4X and the new Urban Cruiser rounding out the brand’s most serious local EV push yet.
Toyota’s local website now list all three models, with prices starting from RM198,000 for the Urban Cruiser, RM220,000 for the bZ4X and RM226,300 for the Hilux BEV, all on-the-road without insurance for Peninsular Malaysia.
The Hilux BEV is the main draw because it gives Toyota something few mainstream brands here currently offer: a fully electric pick-up sold as a production model rather than a concept or pilot fleet vehicle.
The ninth-generation Hilux BEV will be sold alongside the combustion-engined versions, which would come later.
It comes in double-cab 4×4 form and keeps the Hilux’s body-on-frame layout, so the traditional working brief remains intact even with the switch to electric drive.
It is assembled in Thailand.
On paper, the numbers are modest by passenger EV standards but more meaningful when viewed through a pick-up lens.
The Hilux BEV uses a 59.2kWh lithium-ion battery and dual front and rear eAxles producing a combined 144kW (196 PS). The truck has a 257km WLTP range.
bZ4X and Urban Cruiser complete line-up
Below the Hilux BEV sit two more conventional passenger EVs. The Urban Cruiser is the entry point at RM198,000, while the updated bZ4X is priced at RM220,000. They are shipped in as fully imported units from India and Japan respectively.
All three models come with a five-year vehicle warranty and an eight-year BEV battery warranty, with an optional ninth- and tenth-year extended EV warranty listed at RM5,700.
The Urban Cruiser is Toyota’s compact B-segment EV. It gets a 128kW (174 PS) front motor with 193Nm, a 61.1kWh LFP battery, and a claimed range of 426km (WLTP).
It also reported 67kW DC charging, 7kW AC charging, a 10.25-inch instrument display, 10.1-inch infotainment screen, sliding rear seats, JBL audio and a broad active safety package.
At RM198,000, it is Toyota’s cheapest EV in Malaysia, though that still places it well above the price band most compact SUVs compete in.
The bZ4X remains Toyota’s flagship EV here. It has 167kW (227 PS) and 269Nm for the local front-wheel-drive version, paired with a 73.1kWh battery and a claimed range of up to 525km.
It also reported 150kW DC charging, 22kW AC charging, a 14-inch infotainment display, panoramic roof, ventilated front seats, nanoeX air purification and Toyota Safety Sense. That leaves the bZ4X as the more polished family EV, while the Urban Cruiser serves as the smaller entry model and the Hilux BEV plays the wildcard.
Taken together, the three launches show Toyota finally putting real shape around its EV line-up in Malaysia. There is now a compact crossover, a larger flagship SUV and an electric pick-up, all arriving at once.
The Hilux BEV is the one people will talk about first, but the launch also shows Toyota is building out a more complete EV range in Malaysia.
