Lexus Electric Roadmap Teasers Have Us Drooling Over An LFA EV
Japanese luxury automaker Lexus is blowing up its Twitter account with new images of its incoming electric cars. We first got an idea of what's to come at Toyota's media briefing in December last year, where the auto giant announced plans of releasing 30 electric vehicles by 2030.
In that online event, we saw an LFA-like supercar, a four-door battery-electric sedan (that looks eerily similar to the current IS sedan), and a seven-seat electric SUV. But now, Lexus has officially lifted the covers off its prototype offerings that we assume will all arrive before the first half of this decade.
Lexus
Let's start with the fanciest (and presumably, the quickest and most potent) of them all, the Lexus Electrified Sport. Lexus is yet to confirm if the Electrified Sport is the next-generation LFA supercar, but it certainly looks like it. Details remain scarce as of press time, but Lexus claims its incoming supercar will have a solid-state battery pack, good for around 300 to 400 miles of driving range and zero to 60 mph in under 2.0-seconds.
Lexus
Next, we have the Lexus Battery Electric SUV Concept, a vehicle that the automaker describes as "just a small part of the Lexus Electrified Family." Lexus failed to divulge specific details like battery capacity and range. However, we figure we're looking at a thinly-veiled concept of the automaker's all-electric, seven-seat family SUV.
Lexus
In any case, the Lexus RZ 450e will arrive first, although Lexus has yet to announce an official launch date. And as you may well know, the RZ is a posh version of the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, riding on a similar e-TNGA platform as the Toyota and Subaru. We'll know more about the Lexus RZ in the coming months, but we reckon it'll have one or two electric motors and either a 71.4 kWh or 72.8 kWh battery – adequate for around 250 miles of EPA-rated driving range.
Last (and certainly not least) is the Lexus Electrified Sedan Concept, an EV that we predict is the all-electric incarnation of the IS sedan. It has a unique front end that reminds us of the Toyota FT-1 concept first seen at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, and we all know that concept became the BMW Z4-based Toyota Supra we know today. Still, the Electrified Sedan Concept has inherited some design cues from the FT-1, particularly those slim headlights and massive air intakes.
Lexus
We're pretty sure Lexus will start releasing a few more tasty details about its broadening EV family soon. Based on what we're seeing, it seems the brand's styling DNA has found a home in the electrified realm.