This was a big week for Toyota and Lexus EVs. Toyota showed off a completely new model, alongside a revised bZ4X, and Lexus showed its revised RZ with a bunch of new technology. Lexus also announced that the updated RZ is just one of three new EVs that will be shown this year. Unfortunately, Lexus was mum on the details, but we think we have some idea of what's in store.
An Electric Version Of A Current Model
The first of the two EVs coming will be shown in a few months. During the presentation about the RZ, a Lexus representative said that this EV will be based on "a core model." So it won't be an all-new nameplate. That certainly helps narrow down what it could be. We would imagine that Lexus wants an EV that will have strong sales, and the brand's top sellers, at least in the US, are the RX, NX and ES. The RX is the runaway winner as the only model to top 100,000 units in the US. That's not surprising considering its name recognition and the fact it's a midsize SUV, which is a hot selling body style. It seems like a natural choice to create a fully electric version to go along with the hybrid and plug-in models.
2025 Lexus RX Gold Front Angled View
The NX is another strong seller with nearly 75,000 sales last year, but the RZ already fits the small SUV role so it seems less likely. Then there's ES, the third-best seller. It sold a bit more than 43,000 units last year, an improvement over 2023. Being a sedan, it has an aerodynamic shape that would make it easy to deliver long electric range, but sedans still don't have the popularity of SUVs, so it also seems less likely than the RX.
Lexus LF-ZC concept front three-quarter
Something More Radical
That leaves us with one more Lexus EV to figure out. This one might actually be easier. At the 2023 Tokyo Mobility Show, Lexus showed a pair of concepts, and it said it had plans to bring them to production. They were the LF-ZC and LF-ZL. The LF-ZC was roughly comparable to the RX in size, though lower and sleeker. The LF-ZL was larger, more like a Lexus LX, and more conventionally SUV-shaped. Each had extreme designs that would need significant revisions to reach production, particularly the minimalist, bamboo-clad interiors. Of the two, we're leaning toward the LF-ZL as being slightly more likely for production. If the other EV is based on the RX like we expect, the LF-ZL would sit comfortably above it, giving Lexus an EV line-up that spans more segments. The LF-ZC would seem too close to an electric RX to make much sense. Though if Lexus takes a different route with its EV based on an existing nameplate, it might opt for the LF-ZC instead.
Lexus LF-ZL concept front three-quarter
Either way, this year's final Lexus EV reveal will probably happen at the Tokyo Mobility Show this October. The Lexus representative revealing the RZ said that everything else this year is leading up to it. This Lexus will also be using the next-generation of Toyota's lithium-ion batteries. Toyota says they'll charge faster, be more compact, and store more energy than current examples. In both the LF-ZL and LF-ZC, Lexus estimated around 500 miles of range using those batteries. They could have even more range in the future when Toyota hopes to eventually have solid-state batteries available. For now, though, we'll just be looking forward to this year's reveals.
Source: Lexus Getting Serious About EVs With Two New Models This Year
