Coming soon: Lexus RZ 450e and Electrified Sport concept

While Lexus took the lead launching hybrids into the luxury sector it’s been a little slower off the mark with fully-electric alternatives, the UX 300e a disappointing adaptation of an existing model lacking in range and performance compared with rivals.
Lexus isn’t likely to make the same mistake twice, shared platform technology with the Toyota bZ4X providing the foundations for its own RZ 450e with some bold new tech to make it stand out from its Toyota brother. That’s helped further by the eye-catching looks, which takes Lexus’ distinctively Japanese styling language into the electric age with a more premium look than the bZ4X. Lexus is already sharing technical information about the claimed class-leading efficiency – the all-important miles you get for every kWh you charge into the battery – and says the RZ will do 273 miles on a full charge. It’s also saying the battery will retain 90 per cent of its capacity after 10 years of use – an increasingly important consideration as EVs now enter the used market and buyers need reassurance the performance is maintained as the vehicle gets older. There’s also some interesting new tech for the car, including what it calls Direct4 all-wheel drive and a yoke-controlled One Motion Grip ‘steer-by-wire’ system.

The former is basically control software to balance the motors operating independently on the front and rear axles, meaning Lexus can influence the way the car goes round corners as well as improving traction in slippery conditions like any conventional all-wheel drive system where the front and rear wheels have a physical connection. The One Motion Grip steering is rather more radical, and replaces the conventional mechanical link between steering wheel and the road with a completely adjustable, electronically controlled one. This – in theory – enables the switch from a conventional wheel to a funky looking yoke, on the basis the constantly adjustable system means you’ll never have to cross your hands over, even when parking or making tight turns. It can also reduce the sensitivity at motorway speeds or even make its own subtle corrections over bumpy surfaces without any input from the driver.
Nissan’s Lexus rival Infiniti offered its own take on steer-by-wire a few years back but it wasn't well received. Coming up with a system that attracts tech-loving early adopters but also reassures more traditional customers is going to be the challenge for Lexus but there’s no denying it gives the RZ a talking point. We were show side-by-side videos of Lexus engineers driving the same course with the yoke and a conventional steering system to demonstrate the apparent benefits, but whether it’s something real-world drivers are ready for remains to be seen. There’s time to ponder on that given, given One Motion Grip won’t be available at the outset with the RZ and Lexus is only saying it will be added as an option at some point in the future.

Just as the still incredible LFA did a few years back, the Electrified Sport is pitched as a halo model for the Lexus range to prove just what it’s capable of when money is no object. At the moment it looks like pure concept car fantasy, the only stated target being an acceleration time from 0-62mph of around two seconds. Which is about as quick as anything in the hypercar world, the ‘Plaid’ spec Model S claiming something similar but only with Tesla’s self-declared deduction for ‘rollout’. Whether we’ll see the Electrified Sport in production form remains to be seen but Lexus has a track record of putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to design studies, as demonstrated with the amazing looking LC coupe.
And if the Electrified Sport can do to the electric car world what the LFA managed against the supercar establishment competitors should be looking carefully at what’s coming from Lexus’s new, standalone development and design facility in Japan. Watch this space!