Lexus announces brand transformation

Lexus will release an all-new concept car next Tuesday night (9:00pm on March 30) that will mark the beginning of what the Japanese car-maker calls a “brand transformation”.

No details have been revealed apart from a side-profile teaser image of the new concept car and a short video previewing its front-end styling, which is expected to preview a new EV design direction from Lexus that was first teased last month.

However, given the Lexus RZ 450e name was trademarked in Australia in mid-2020, the brand’s new-generation EV is looking like a solid chance to be sold in Australia.

The fancy new concept car appears to be a large SUV with a sporty resolve, and its sleek coupe-like body shape, large wheels and a central ‘fin’ suggest there’s plenty of performance hidden beneath its angular exterior.

Expected to ride on parent company Toyota’s all-new e-TNGA EV platform, which will also spawn Toyota’s first mainstream EV SUV due to be revealed in April, the sleek new Lexus is expected to target e-SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQC, Audi e-tron and BMW iX.

It is tipped to get debut the brand’s new DIRECT4 electric drive system, a high-performance all-wheel-drive set-up showcased in the 2019 Lexus LF-30 concept.

The upcoming next-generation electric SUV will follow Lexus’ first ever EV, the UX 300e, which is coming to Australia in November 2021. Pricing has not yet been confirmed but you can read about our first drive of the Lexus UX 300e here.

Last month Lexus’ chief branding officer Koji Sato confirmed the company will “…launch the first model under our new vision within this year, and we will continue to introduce new models next year and beyond.”

While Lexus is late to the EV party compared to other luxury brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, the shift in direction is certain to focus attention on the brand. The question will be what sort of technical specs it can deliver – particularly in terms of battery density and cruising range.

As performance becomes academic given the massive and instant torque offered by EVs today, other important factors such as range, technology and amenity will instead be crucial factors in the EV war.

Lexus is also expected to beef up its high-performance ‘F’ range of vehicles in the near future. A new twin-turbo petrol V8 is expected to spearhead a renewed focus on sports cars as well, following in the footsteps of Toyota’s successful ‘GR’ sub-brand launch over the past couple of years.