Lexus is getting ready to provide a glimpse at its pure-electric future.
Hot on the heels of Toyota, which this morning confirmed its first electric SUV for the world beyond China, luxury brand Lexus has confirmed it’ll reveal an electric concept car early in 2021.
It has also revealed details about its new Direct4 torque vectoring system, which will feature on both pure-electric and hybrid vehicles.
The company says it will control the amount of torque being sent to the front and rear axle in dual-motor vehicles, along with the braking on each wheel, for “a genuine sense of being fully connected with the vehicle”.
Lexus is putting it through its paces in what looks like a GS sedan prototype, where the system can vary from front-wheel drive, through a 50/50 split all-wheel drive system, all the way through to a rear-biased setup with 80 per cent of power sent to the rear wheels.
Also pictured is a prototype SUV with dual electric motors, each making 150kW of power and 300Nm of torque.
Lexus has confirmed its first electric vehicle, the UX300e, will arrive in Australia late in 2021.
Set to become the flagship variant of the compact SUV range late in 2021, the new Lexus UX300e aims to build on the success of the brand’s petrol-electric hybrid vehicles.
Full pricing and specifications for our market will be announced closer to launch, but the Euro-market UX300e is powered by an electric motor on the front axle outputting 150kW and 300Nm.
A “high-capacity” lithium-ion battery – previously reported to measure 54.3kWh – allows for a claimed driving range of up to 400 kilometres on the older NEDC test cycle.
Lexus says the UX300e can be fast-charged in around 50 minutes, or seven hours via a conventional AC socket.
While it shares the basic TNGA-C platform as petrol and hybrid UX models, the UX300e has been “thoroughly tuned” underneath the skin to “target the same high steering response and high-quality ride comfort” as its UX250h hybrid sibling.
