FAW Toyota started presales of its first electric model on Thursday, marking the start of the Sino-Japanese joint venture's ambition in the world's largest electric vehicle market.

The mid-sized model, called the bZ4X SUV, was built on the e-TNGA platform which Toyota has developed exclusively for electric vehicles.

The model, with five variants, is expected to take on Volkswagen's electric ID series models in the Chinese market.

China has the world's largest market for electric vehicles but so far most of them are from local carmakers or premium brands, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

The bZ4X has a wheelbase of 2,850 mm and a driving range up to 615 km on one charge. 

The car has a mode for off-road driving, called X-Mode. The model also has a roof solar panel, which can generate electricity equivalent to 1,750 kilometers of driving distance per year.

The joint venture said the bZ4X is also among the first models to sport the latest version of the carmaker's active safety system, Toyota Safety Sense.

FAW Toyota is one of the most popular carmakers in China. Last year, despite the COVID-19 and chip shortages, it sold 860,019 vehicles, up 8 percent year-on-year.

The joint venture expects its annual sales to exceed 1 million this year, which would enable it to join the ranks of carmakers whose cumulative deliveries have totaled 10 million units in China.