Toyota, Nissan EVs draw back Chinese drivers with local designs

Affordable new models like bZ3X and N7 buoy slumping sales

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Toyota Motor's bZ3X electric sport utility vehicle ranked among the top-selling foreign new-energy SUVs in China last month. (Photo by Shizuka Tanabe)

SHIZUKA TANABE

GUANGZHOU -- Japanese automakers that have struggled in the fiercely competitive Chinese market are trying to turn around their fortunes with electric vehicles tailored to local tastes, an approach that is starting to bear fruit for Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor.

Toyota's bZ3X electric sport utility vehicle has proven popular since its release in March, ranking among the top-selling foreign new-energy SUVs -- a category that includes EVs and plug-in hybrids -- in April, according to one research firm.

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