At a press conference, Akio Toyoda confirmed that the future of Lexus is electric. This as the Japanese premium car maker has plans to pursue carbon neutral vehicles, while still keeping its trademark, Lexus Driving Signature.
Per Koji Sato, President of Lexus:
Extracting the full potential of the vehicle through electrification technology… That is what electrification means to Lexus.We will deliver a unique electrified Lexus that combines linear motor acceleration/deceleration, brake feeling and exhilarating handling to further pursue the joy of driving.In particular, we believe that the Battery EV will become the future symbol of Lexus as a model that most clearly expresses the evolution of the automobile brought about by electrification.The process of strengthening the fundamentals and pursuing the Lexus Driving Signature will not change even if it is a Battery EV.Through Battery EV's, we will develop Lexus into a brand that offers a variety of experiences harnessing performance development that only a car maker like Lexus could do, and by honing the craft of making ever more personal products.
Lexus will have a full line-up of battery EVs in all vehicle segments by 2030, and by 2035, its global sales will be 100 percent electric (at least in major markets such as Europe, North America, and China). With that in mind, Lexus has shown off four EVs which will serve as their opening salvo in the next few years.
The first is the Lexus RZ. Their first dedicated battery electric vehicle, and based off the Toyota bZ4X, it will carry the “450e” badge. If its e-TNGA twin is any indication, this luxury EV crossover will have standard all-wheel drive and dual electric motors generating 217 horsepower.
The big surprise though is the Lexus Electrified Sport. Toyoda considers this the spiritual successor to the brand’s high-performance LFA and will thus deliver a 0 to 100 km/h of around two seconds and a total cruising range of 700 kilometers thanks to the use of solid-state batteries.
Learnings from that project will also make its way to two other vehicles—the Electrified Sedan and the Electrified SUV. From here, it’s very clear what Lexus’s future design language looks like with the sedan looking pretty much like the sportscar but with toned down elements. Meanwhile, the Electrified SUV looks to be a three-row SUV based on proportion and could be based off the Toyota bZ Large SUV which was also shown at the press con.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.