Lexus HZ firming as battery-electric IS replacement

There’s a new electric model on the horizon from Lexus and it’s a good chance for Australian release, judging by a recent trademark application filed by the luxury brand’s parent company, Toyota.

The new model in question will adopt the HZ moniker, with three different variations being submitted for trademarking in Europe – HZ300e, HZ450e and HZ550e – as well as one Down Under, specifically the HZ300e nameplate.

All four submissions were filed within 48 hours of each other however, the bigger numerical ones (HZ450e and HZ550e) are yet to be seen locally, with HZ300e being submitted to IP Australia exclusively under Class 12 (automobiles and structural parts thereof).

Predictably, Lexus Australia declined to comment on the subject because it relates to a future product and the fact it wasn’t involved in the trademark application; the submission was made by Toyota Motor Corporation from Japan.

None of our sources could shed light on the matter either, but logic would suggest that – unlike the Holden HZ many Australians will be familiar with – the new Lexus HZ will likely be a new small or mid-size battery-electric model positioned below the RZ medium electric SUV in the local hierarchy if or when it’s given the greenlight for our market.

Much like its parent company, Lexus is yet to truly embrace battery-electric vehicles, given it has just two EVs available locally – UX 300e and RZ – although it’s been made abundantly clear by top brass from both Toyota and Lexus that there are plenty more on the way.

The inclusion of the ‘300e’ suffix in the local trademark suggests the vehicle in question will feature a circa-150kW/300Nm single-motor powertrain as per the UX 300e, which in turn points to the HZ being a more compact offering and possibly even a passenger car instead of an SUV.

Lexus denotes the identity of its dedicated EVs through the inclusion of a Z in the primary model name (ie: RZ and TZ) and then hammers the point home with a lower-case ‘e’ at the end – RZ450e, UX300e – which in turn confirms the HZ300e as an EV, however, the ‘H’ prefix has been used before, specifically on the HS small-medium sedan.

The HS was never offered in Australia but was produced for several key markets including Japan and the US between 2009 and 2019, positioned as a front-drive alternative for the rear-drive Lexus IS and a smaller alternative for the front-drive, Camry-derived ES – both of which were/are officially classed as medium sedans.

Connecting all these dots together suggests the HZ will be a compact sedan, perhaps previewed by the Lexus Electrified Sedan concept in February 2022 (pictured here) and possibly derived from the Chinese oriented and produced Toyota bZ3 small sedan.

Built and developed in collaboration with BYD, the bZ3 pairs the e-TNGA architecture with a single-motor BYD powertrain comprising a single electric motor (135kW-180kW) and a lithium-ion phosphate Blade battery.

Even if the Lexus HZ doesn’t feature BYD componentry, it’s almost guaranteed to ride on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform and occupy the small-medium sedan space as a rival for the Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and possibly even the BMW i4.

Australia looks set to only receive the entry-level variant at this early stage, but the European trademarks suggest there’ll be gutsier dual-motor versions offered in other markets, possibly including an all-electric replacement for the lauded Lexus IS F.

Alternatively, the Lexus HZ could turn out to be a small electric SUV based on the upcoming Toyota bZ3X, just as the Lexus RZ is closely related to the bZ4X mid-size electric SUV that’s due to kick off Toyota Australia’s EV assault in February 2024.

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