RZ begins Lexus EV onslaught

Electric mid-size SUV adds a new dual-motor powertrain to Toyota's bZ4X formula

- FELIX PAGE

The new Lexus RZ 450e is the Japanese premium marque's first bespoke electric car, serving as a spearhead for a new family of dynamically oriented EVs.

Available to pre-order now ahead of deliveries beginning at the end of this year, it is a similar size to the best-selling NX. However, Lexus bosses are keen to emphasise that it is not intended as an electric successor to or replacement for that SUV, which only recently entered its second generation and gained a plug-in hybrid option.

The electric RZ will no doubt command a premium over its combustion-engined sibling, but Lexus's European boss, Spiros Fotinos, would only go so far as to confirm the brand is considering the cost of "other BEV-relevant vehicles" in this segment when determining pricing.

The RZ is based on the same EV-specific e-TNGA platform as the closely related new Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, but it places a more overt emphasis on premium appeal and performance, giving clues as to how Lexus EVs will be marked out from other vehicles that use the same architecture.

Design links to current Lexus models are evident in the silhouette and defining cues, but many elements have been reimagined to mark out it the RZ as the first in a new line of products.

Most obvious is the front end, where Lexus's trademark spindle grille makes way for a new, more minimalist, flush front end that references the previous design in its shape but is said to express "the BEV's powerful character and seamless acceleration".

Lexus calls the new design language Spindle Body and highlights the lower bonnet, reduced number of air intakes and more muscular wings as its defining elements.

Power is stored in a 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which, like that used by the bZ4x, is expected to yield more than 250 miles of range and offer 90% of its usable capacity after 10 years of use.