Lexus recently introduced its first electric car, the UX 300e. This compact SUV, derived from the hybrid UX 250h, disappointed more than once by its low ambition: equipped with a 54.3 kWh battery with air cooling, the model promises just 190 miles of autonomy. Also, you will only be able to access 50 kW power fast charges through a CHAdeMO socket.
However, Lexus surprised locals and strangers by announcing that its first electric model will have a battery guarantee of ten years or 1 million miles, covering all those users who, within said period or mileage, see their capacity decrease pack below 70%. Toyota, with its electric cars, will also follow this strategy.
Despite the warm reception that the UX 300e has had among Internet users (it is still too early to say if customers will welcome it more warmly), Lexus is already working on a new electric model: the RZ 450e, a name that the premium firm has recently registered in regions like North America, Australia, and Europe. That is, it will be a global model.
Unlike the UX, which is a model that previously existed in the Lexus range, RZ does not correspond to any vehicle that the firm currently has for sale, which leads us to think that it will be a dedicated electric car and not derived from a thermal model—possibly using Toyota’s eTNGA platform for electric vehicles.
Some media speculate that the Lexus RZ is a “coupe” SUV since the brand currently uses the letter R on the RX and RC models, respectively, an SUV and a sports car. However, what is not clear is the meaning of the letter Z, as Lexus tends to use the S for its sedans (IS, ES, GS, LS), the X for SUV (UX, NX, RX, GX, LX ) and C for coupés (RC, LC).
Will Z be the letter of choice for Lexus for coupe SUVs, a niche that had not entered until now? This could imply that the model will be the size of an RX (4.89 meters long), which would place it in the E-SUV segment. On the other hand, the number 450 could refer to its autonomy: 450 km or 280 miles, a figure much better than that exhibited by the UX 300e.