√2023 Lexus RZ450e electric SUV coming soon, three new models due within 18 months

Toyota’s luxury division Lexus is preparing to launch its first electric car – ahead of three all-new models due in Australia in the next 18 months.

Lexus Australia is planning a wave of new models – including a range of electric cars, and three as-yet-unseen models that will join new market segments for the Toyota-owned luxury division.

The Lexus line-up already offers the option of hybrid power on every model except the LX four-wheel-drive – but Lexus Australia chief executive John Pappas told Australian media this week a broader range of hybrid and electric cars is coming.

This is due to begin in May 2023 with the Lexus RZ450e mid-size SUV, the brand’s first dedicated electric vehicle – and the second electric car in the Lexus line-up – following in the tyre tracks of the UX300e small SUV which is based on the petrol-powered UX.

As reported by Drive in October 2022, the Lexus UX300e is due to get a significant range boost later this year, with its 54.4kWh battery replaced by a 72.8kWh unit increasing driving range from the current 315km claim to 450km.

Mr Pappas revealed to media Lexus is due to unveil three new models – each in a new market segment for the brand – before the end of this year, ahead of first Australian showroom arrivals by the middle of next year.

“[This year] globally we’ll reveal three fantastic new models in three new segments … they land here over the next 18 months or so,” Mr Pappas told media.

The executive did not confirm the identities of these three vehicles – including whether they would be petrol, hybrid, electric, or a mix of the three.

Lexus is due to unveil a new large SUV with three rows of seating called the TX later this year, which will be twinned with an upcoming stretched version of the Toyota Kluger seven-seater, called the Grand Highlander (the regular Kluger is known as the Highlander in the US).

However, it is not clear if the Toyota Grand Highlander or Lexus TX will be manufactured in right-hand drive – as they will be built in the US, with a focus on the North American market.

As previously reported by Drive, overseas reports claim Lexus is working on a new entry-level model for Japan later this year – expected to be a Lexus twin of the Toyota Yaris Cross city SUV, or a high-riding successor to the Toyota Corolla-based CT hatchback.

The designs of both vehicles were previewed at a Toyota media briefing in December 2021, in a photo (above) showing the future Lexus line-up – including a range of electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles shown included successors to the LFA supercar and IS mid-size sedan, plus a large SUV with three rows of seating, likely to be positioned between the RX and off-road ready LX SUVs.

Brightened preview of the future petrol-powered Lexus model range.

Whether these vehicles will form the basis of the three new models remains to be seen, but the concepts shown in 2021 appeared close to production.

However, reports out of Japan claim the LFA successor is not due until closer to 2025, and would launch with V8 plug-in hybrid power.

Mr Pappas reiterated plans by Lexus headquarters – and its parent company Toyota – to initially employ a range of technologies to reduce emissions, and gradually roll out a range of electric cars before going electric-only in 2035.

“We expect battery electric vehicles to take the lead, but that will require, no doubt, a holistic approach to overcoming challenges, including charging infrastructure and electricity supply,” said Mr Pappas.

“In the years ahead Lexus will continue to develop a portfolio of electrified technology with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full electric solutions that meet the diverse needs and expectations of our customers across Australia.”

“Our first [electric vehicle], the UX300e, arrived just 15 months ago, and this year it will gain a new battery, increasing its range significantly to around 440 kilometres,” Mr Pappas said.

To date Lexus has reported 2.3 million hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles as sold globally over the last 17 years, with 37,000 of those delivered in Australia.

While the bulk of those vehicles are petrol-electric hybrids, the tally also includes the UX300e electric SUV and NX450h+ plug-in hybrid SUV.

Mr Pappas described hybrid vehicles as accounting for “almost half” of the brand’s sales in 2022, the highest level yet. By 2025 Lexus Australia says it is aiming for hybrid and electric vehicles to account for 80 per cent of its sales.

Lexus has previously announced that it intends to shift to purely-electric power globally by 2035.

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