Peter Lyon
November 1, 2025
Pushing the limits of electric vehicle performance, Toyota will debut its first-ever battery-electric SEMA concept build with the bZ Time Attack Concept at the 2025 SEMA Show—a purpose-built, BEV machine engineered to take on both time attack circuits and hill climbs.
Designed to explore the performance potential of Toyota’s BEV technology, this vehicle showcases competition aerodynamics, motorsports-grade suspension and engineering, and a significant increase in all-electric horsepower over stock.
The concept begins with a strong foundation: the 26MY AWD bZ, which already delivers 338 horsepower and a 0–60 mph time of just 4.9 seconds. Looking ahead, Toyota is also expanding its all-electric lineup with an all-new bZ model arriving for the 2026 model year, bringing improved range, power, and charging capabilities. In addition, Toyota will introduce two all-new BEVs in 2026—the bZ Woodland and the C-HR—further broadening customer choice.
“This year at SEMA, we wanted to push ourselves into unexplored territory,” said Marty Schwerter, lead builder and director of operations at Toyota’s Motorsports Technical Center. “It’s a chance to explore, learn, and create something that shows just how much potential exists within Toyota’s BEV platforms.”
Schwerter and his Toyota Motorsports Garage team have collaborated on standout Toyota SEMA builds for more than two decades. Still, the bZ Time Attack Concept presented several unique challenges, from balancing battery performance with weight distribution to designing an aggressive widebody and aero package suited for motorsports. Unlike conventional builds, the team had to rethink how aerodynamics and fitment could be achieved on an EV platform, while helping to provide safety and durability under extreme conditions.
“The goal wasn’t to simply create a showpiece—It was to see how far the new bZ platform could be pushed in a motorsport setting,” said Schwerter. “And that meant that we had to tackle the two biggest hurdles for any electric competition car: battery performance and aerodynamic integration.”
Packaging a widebody and full aero suite onto an EV chassis presented challenges not found in conventional builds, driving the team to rethink everything from airflow management to cooling strategies.
The solution came through a hybridized approach to fabrication. Toyota R&D, TRD, and a network of advanced suppliers combined laser scanning, CAD development, and large-scale 3D printing to bring the design to life. Fender arches were digitally modeled, printed at full scale, then hand-finished for extra strength. This method drastically cut prototyping time, allowing for rapid iterations of the one-off widebody and aero system.
The result: a car lowered a whopping six inches from stock ride height, with massive six-inch track increase and a fully integrated aero package including rear wing, side skirts, front splitter, and rear diffuser.
Under the skin, the bZ Time Attack Concept starts with a 2026 Toyota bZ AWD platform. Power delivery to all four wheels comes from Toyota R&D-tuned electric motors delivering over 300 kW (400+ hp), managed through bespoke ECU calibration. TEIN coilovers and springs suspend the chassis, while drastically improved braking performance comes by way of an Alcon system with Hawk pads adapted from Toyota’s 86 Cup and Corolla TC race programs.
A full FIA-spec 4130 chromoly cage stiffens the chassis, while the interior is fitted with OMP HTE-R racing seats and OMP harnesses. The chassis rolls on 19×11-inch BBS Unlimited wheels shod with huge 305/30ZR19 XL Continental Extreme Contact Sport 02 tires, adding substantial mechanical grip to go along with the impressive aerodynamic downforce.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
To be bluntly honest, while this bZ Time Attack Concept is very welcome, it is long overdue, partly because the brand has only marginal interest in EVs—with the bZ4X being Toyota’s first ever EV, and only one other EV since. The car will be on display at the 2025 SEMA Show from November 4-7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Toyota booth (Central Hall, Booth 22200). The concept is just one of over two dozen displays in support of this year’s display theme: Powered by Possibility, where Toyota celebrates innovation with a build for every powertrain, including gasoline internal combustion (ICE), BEV, hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and Fuel Cell Electric (FCEV).
