Well, the first EV for the US market.
This week marks a significant milestone for Lexus; the Japanese luxury brand will finally show off its first all-electric vehicle. Well, sort of. Lexus already offers the UX 300e in Europe, but that EV never made it stateside. The 2023 Lexus RZ 450e, the company’s first US-bound EV, has already been mostly revealed on the exterior. Still, there’s a lot left to learn about the upcoming model, including performance, range, specifications, and price. These details will go live on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. ET.
There’s not much time left before the RZ’s mysteries are revealed, but Lexus doesn’t want to waste the anticipation leading up to the debut. That’s why the automaker has teased the RZ one final time (pictured below). This single image shows the RZ’s rear end in shadow under the stars.
Lexus
Not much new information was shared along with this teaser, but Lexus says “the premiere will feature the joy of driving only Lexus can offer with sounds of nature collected from the real world that stimulates the five senses, under the theme ‘Voice of the Earth.'”
It’s unclear if this statement is in reference to the car itself making special propulsion sounds, or if the reveal event will have an Earth theme. We suspect the RZ will offer various drive modes, each with a different sound profile.
Offering unique sounds during acceleration will be one way Lexus can differentiate the RZ from the Toyota bZ4X on which it is based. The two vehicles share Toyota’s e-TNGA platform, though it’s unclear how much the two will have in common. Toyota offers two bZ4X variants, a 201-hp single motor version and a 215-hp dual-motor model with all-wheel-drive.
Teasers of the RZ show a “Direct 4” badge on the back, proving it will arrive with a dual-motor AWD version, but we’re curious to see if Lexus will also offer a less expensive front-drive version with longer range. We also want to see if the RZ offers more power than the bZ4X. Our answers will come in just two days.
