Lexus will unveil multiple concept cars at the 2023 Tokyo auto show which the automaker claims will preview a shift toward EVs.
At the show, Lexus will “debut its next-generation battery electric vehicle concept model lineup, with the aim of transforming into a battery electric vehicle brand by 2035,” according to a press release from Lexus parent Toyota.
Lexus teaser for 2023 Tokyo auto show
Accompanying teaser images show what appear to be the silhouettes of two crossovers on a show stand, plus the front end of what could be a sportier coupe or sedan.
Lexus has already teased electric sedan, sports car, and SUV concepts. The straightforwardly named BEV Sport, BEV Sedan, and BEV SUV concepts were first shown in December 2021 alongside a number of Toyota concepts. Lexus provided a better look at these concepts the following February, but with few technical details.
Lexus teaser for 2023 Tokyo auto show
The brand’s first EV for the U.S. market is the RZ 450e crossover, which tests the electric waters but isn’t a mass-market effort. It’s based on the Toyota BZ4X and Subaru Solterra twins and has an EPA-rated range of 220 miles with its standard 18-inch wheels and just 196 miles with the optional 20-inch wheels.
That doesn’t make for a very impressive start, but Lexus has some new features in the works that could help it catch up with other brands. The automaker told Green Car Reports last year that development was done on an 800-volt system for future EVs. Lexus has also teased a steering yoke with its RZ, suggesting it’s far better than the tech behind Tesla’s yoke, but it hasn’t arrived with that feature in the U.S. Will one of its other EVs showcase the yoke done right?
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