The 2023 Lexus RZ is the luxury automaker?s first-ever pure electric vehicle. Toyota?s premium subsidiary wants to attain 100 percent battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales globally by 2035, and it plans to offer a full lineup of new and exciting electric cars across its portfolio by 2030. The RZ is the dawn of a new age for Lexus.

?We believe that Lexus, an established luxury automaker, should continue pursuing the creation of exciting cars while respecting nature and the global environment to achieve a carbon-neutral society,? said Takashi Watanabe, Chief Engineer, Lexus International. ?We will continue to take on the challenge of providing customers with new experiences and a uniquely Lexus BEV driving experience.?

Setting The Stage
Lexus and parent company Toyota have been at the forefront of hybrid technology. The Honda Insight is the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle sold in the USA, but the Toyota Prius kick-opened the door for commercial acceptance of hybrid cars back in 2000. Lexus sold its first hybrid car, the RX400h, in 2005. Toyota and Lexus had a lot of practice before fully-electric cars became mainstream, but we still can?t get over why they were so late to introduce a mass-market EV.

It finally caved in with the bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, both underpinned by Toyota?s e-TNGA platform, the same architecture hiding beneath the Lexus RZ?s funky styling. Competitors like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and even Genesis may have gotten a head start. But accor...