Toyota will restart production of its electric SUV model bZ4X, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Production of the model was previously suspended in June after problems were found with the bolts that attach the wheels to it and the wheels were in danger of falling off.
Toyota has now concluded its investigation and has announced that it will make local changes to the vehicle’s design to improve safety. The production line at the Motomachi plant in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is expected to restart in mid-October.
Reports suggest that the wheels of the Toyota bZ4X will be bolted using wheel studs instead of the previous bolts. The use of wheel studs has the advantage of reducing body weight, and Lexus has used wheel studs for some of its models.
The bZ4X was developed by two Japanese car manufacturers, Toyota and Subaru, and is Toyota’s first mass-produced electric vehicle. Following the restart of production, the combined production of the bZ4X and Subaru Solterra was around 1,000 units in October and around 6,000 to 7,000 units in November.
