Lexus has taken the first step toward electrifying its vehicle sales by releasing the RZ 450e, its first fully electric vehicle.
Notably, Toyota and its premium brand have dropped behind its traditional competitors in electrification. Still, the company hopes to change this with the launch of its first electric vehicles.
Toyota reintroduced the BZ4X, and now, the Lexus version of this vehicle will also be offered in the United States market. The Lexus RZ 450e will face off against competitors, including the Tesla Model Y, the BMW iX, and the Mercedes EQE SUV.
Toyota’s e-TNGA platform
The RZ 450e combines Lexus’s long-standing design philosophy with the company’s most recent advancements in drivetrain technology.
The electric SUV is built on the Toyota e-TNGA platform. It has a dual-motor drivetrain that can produce 308 horsepower. It can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in just five seconds, which is very exciting.
Nevertheless, despite having an all-wheel-drive system, the vehicle is still front-biased, having a 150 kW motor in the front and a smaller 60 kW motor in the back. It is similar to the design of other Lexus vehicles.
Teslarati reports that its dual motor setup is paired with a 71.4 kWh battery, resulting in a range of 220 miles when using the standard wheel option and 196 miles when using the larger wheel option.
Fortunately, despite this unimpressive range, the Lexus can still charge pretty fast, reaching 80 percent capacity in just thirty minutes.
Aside from its drivetrain, the RZ 450e brings a significant amount of what the lineup of the premium Japanese automaker has been known for, which is an abundance of features.
RZ 450e autonomous features
The most notable aspect is that Lexus equips its first-generation electric vehicle with a suite of autonomous features, even though it cannot drive itself. These features include pre-collision detection, lane tracing (tracking) assist, dynamic radar cruise control, and traffic jam assist.
However, it is essential to note that most of these features are not accessible in any other way than by purchasing a Lexus subscription plan.
Lexus is introducing the RZ 450e with a starting price of $59,560; however, it is possible to option it up to $65,150.
The manufacturer mentions that the automobile is “on sale in limited quantities” in the United States at the moment but does not say whether more products will be made available soon.
RZ 450e competitive pricing
Although the RZ 450e might have been comparatively price competitive toward the end of the previous year, thanks to a series of price cuts from notable manufacturers such as Tesla and Ford, the premium Japanese automaker’s offering is significantly more expensive than vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y (starting at $54,990), the Ford Mustang Mach-E ($45,995), or even the Mercedes-Benz EQB ($54,500).
It also doesn’t mention that Lexus cannot take advantage of the federal tax incentive since its vehicles are manufactured in Japan.
In the coming years, Toyota plans to make a more significant entry into the electric vehicle market in the United States.
In order to do so, the company will have to make substantial efforts to combat costs and become more price competitive compared to its established competitors and new market entrants.
However, suppose the company can find strong sales with its initial model. In that case, it could be more likely to invest more genuinely in future years.
See Also:
- Toyota to introduce a “Next-Generation” EV under the Lexus brand
- The first electric Lexus RZ 450e SUV costs more than a Tesla Model Y
- Toyota plans to develop EV-only platform, CEO replaced by Lexus chief
- Lexus is developing electric cars with manual transmissions
- Lexus plans to sell 1 million Electric Vehicles A Year
