The next Lexus-badged electric car is due out in 2026, Nikkei reports quoting Koji Sato, current Lexus CEO and future leader of Toyota Motor.
According to Sato, the model will be designed from scratch and represent a next-generation electric car. Everything from platform to battery pack will be optimized solely with all-electric powertrain in mind. The company sees the growing demand for premium EVs and hopes to meet it at least to some extent.
Sato added that, as EVs become more popular, Toyota would have to seriously update its business practices not just in terms of design and production, but also sales and maintenance. Lexus would spearhead this transformation.
There is still no data about the car, aside from the fact that it is going to be a long-range SUV. Earlier rumors said Lexus could unveil a sports coupe based on the RZ platform, but this is apparently not the case. Sato himself took part in designing the RZ model (featured in the gallery here).
Lexus’ first all-electric crossover was introduced last spring as a particularly deluxe modification of the Toyota bZ4X. It offered 313 PS (309 hp / 230 kW) and up to 450 km (280 miles) of manufacturer-rated driving range.