UPDATE: Carbuzz reports Toyota Bountiful has dropped the $15,000 markup on the bZ4X, which can be confirmed by visiting the listing page.
The 2023 Toyota bZ4X hasn't been very popular, but a dealership in Utah is trying to sell one for $15,000 over the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Toyota Bountiful in Bountiful, Utah currently has an Elemental Silver Metallic bZ4X listed on its website for an astonishing $70,507, exactly 15 grand over its $53,013 MSRP with the optional $2,494 Performance Package. The dealer's image gallery even shows the bZ4X placed behind red velvet ropes, befitting a car priced this high.
InsideEVs.com contacted the dealer via its web chat to ask why the dealer was selling it at a $15,000 premium, and their response was, "This one is currently priced at 15k over because of its limited availability in the Denver region." We're not sure why they mentioned Denver when Bountiful, Utah is located north of Salt Lake City, more than 500 miles away from Colorado's biggest city. Perhaps Salt Lake City is placed within the same region as Denver despite their distance apart.
Regardless, that answer surprised us considering the bZ4X doesn't appear to be popular with American consumers. December 2022 is the last month we have sales data for the car, when it sold only 634 units. To put that in perspective, the Tesla Model Y, which is ostensibly a direct competitor to the bZ4X, was the sixth best-selling car in the US last year with over 250,000 sales for the year – an average of 21,000 sold per month.
Gallery: 2023 Toyota bZ4X in US specification
Likewise, the bZ4X hasn't seen received much critical praise either. Our colleagues at Motor1.com called it "Electric Adequacy" in their own full review. It's also been dinged for its class-trailing range of just 242 miles, which in some cases has even proven to be optimistic. It also suffered an embarrassing recall early on for a dangerous issue that could result in its wheels falling off.
Subaru also sells a near identical version of the bZ4X called the Solterra, and its sales are equally meh. It also suffered the same recall for its wheels potentially falling off.
So despite the slow sales, not-so-glowing reviews, a recall, and the presence of a near identical alternative, Toyota Bountiful still thinks there's someone out there desperate enough to buy a bZ4X they'll pay $15,000 extra for the pleasure. We hope that somebody isn't you.
