{"id":27125,"date":"2021-03-31T09:52:14","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T13:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27125"},"modified":"2021-03-31T09:52:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T13:52:14","slug":"payne-lexus-lf-z-concept-signals-measured-electrification-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/payne-lexus-lf-z-concept-signals-measured-electrification-strategy","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Lexus LF-Z concept signals measured electrification strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toyota Motor Corp.\u2019s luxury brand, Lexus, debuted an all-new, digitally advanced, electric LF-Z concept Tuesday, its first vehicle on a dedicated battery platform.<\/p>\n

Billed as a transformative moment for the Lexus brand, the edgy LF-Z continues the brand\u2019s evolution of battery-powered products dating to 2005 with the RX 400h, a hybrid that was the brand\u2019s first electrified\u00a0vehicle. By 2025, Lexus plans 20 new\u00a0electrified models including all-electric, plug-in hybrids\u00a0and gas-hybrid models. Currently, six of Lexus\u2019 10 models in the U.S. market have hybrid variants.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Unlike Cadillac and Tesla, however, Lexus did not signal a move\u00a0to all-EVs. Lexus has consistently been one of the big three best-sellers\u00a0the U.S. luxe market \u2014 together with BMW\u00a0and Mercedes \u2014 in gas and and hybrid models.\u00a0Lexus aims to offer electrified\u00a0variants of all models by 2025, with the sales ratio of electrified\u00a0variants exceeding gas-only vehicles.<\/p>\n

The sharply angled, futuristic LF-Z builds on the LF-30 concept revealed at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Show. The sci-fi LF-30 was the first glimpse at the brand\u2019s “Lexus Electrified” plan to create a dedicated battery architecture. The LF-Z brings that concept close to production.<\/p>\n

The dedicated battery platform is similar to the Ultium battery-powered, skateboard platform that will undergird Cadillac\u2019s 2023 Lyriq crossover. With its sharp edges and aggressive facia, the LF-Z also looks similar to Caddy’s EV design language. GM\u2019s luxury brand, following the success of Tesla, is pursuing a more radical, all-EV plan by 2030 that it hopes will jump-start the brand’s small-volume sales.<\/p>\n

In line with corporate trends promoting green initiatives, Lexus said its electrification\u00a0plans are part of a larger commitment to sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile fulfilling our social mission of realizing a carbon-neutral society, we will continue to provide the fun and joy that cars bring,\u201d said Lexus International president Koji Sato.<\/p>\n

Though Lexus sells in 70 markets around the world, the U.S. and China\u00a0account for more than 70% of the brand’s global sales (about 525,000 of 720,000 units). Governments in both markets have signaled that they will force automakers to go all-electric in coming decades, even as luxury customers have been reticent to buy EVs not named\u00a0Tesla due to batteries’ added expense and range challenges.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Like its sister Toyota brand, which brought the first successful hybrid vehicle to the U.S. in 2001, Lexus has been a battery-power pioneer. But unlike GM and Volkswagen, Lexus\u00a0is skeptical of going all-electric anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current business model of the car industry is going to collapse,\u201d Toyota president Akio Toyoda warned late last year of industry plans to go all-EV. He said\u00a0countries like Japan simply do not have the electric grid capacity to handle an all-electric fleet.<\/p>\n

\"Lexus<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe more EVs we build, the worse carbon dioxide gets,\u201d Toyoda said, pointing out that most of Japan\u2019s grid is powered by coal and natural gas. \u201cWhen politicians are out there saying, \u2018Let\u2019s get rid of all cars using gasoline,\u2019 do they understand this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Including Lexus’\u00a0diversification of its fleet to a new electric platform, Toyota plans to invest more than\u00a0$13 billion in electrification in the next decade. That plan includes the 2024 opening of a new Shimoyama technical center in Japan. Lexus targets global sales of 4.5 million hybrid vehicles\u00a0\u2014 and 1 million EVs \u2014 by 2030. Since the launch of the 2005 RX 400h, Lexus has sold 2 million hybrids worldwide.<\/p>\n

Like the RX 400h, the LF-Z Concept is a two-row SUV. Following\u00a0EVs\u00a0from Tesla, Cadillac\u00a0and Mustang, its advances are as focused\u00a0on digital\u00a0and style innovations as they are battery-oriented.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The smartphone revolution is redefining auto technology.<\/p>\n

Under a panoramic glass roof, the concept wraps the driver in what it calls a Tazuna cockpit \u2014 a minimalist design featuring digital screens with AI software that learns the driver\u2019s habits. With independent electric motors\u00a0front and rear, the Lexus also debuts new, four-wheel driving tech called DIRECT4.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe instant responsiveness of an electric motor\u2019s driving force to freely control a vehicle\u2019s four wheels for superior and highly flexible driving performance … sets it apart from conventional vehicles,\u201d said Lexus in a press release.<\/p>\n

The concept also features drive-by-wire steering \u2014 eschewing a direct mechanical connection between steering wheel and steering rack. The steering wheel itself is a radical, yoke design like the forthcoming\u00a02021 Tesla Model S upgrade. And without a gas engine to feed, Lexus’ signature, huge spindle grille is more sculpture than grille.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Responding to\u00a0a digital key, the LF-Z will open and turn on as the driver approaches the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe automotive industry has entered a period of once-in-a century transformation,\u201d said Lexus as it pursues an ambitious agenda\u00a0of electrification as well as driverless mobility. \u201cIn addition to the growing social mission of carbon neutrality and compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, customers’ lifestyles and values are changing and diversifying at a speed previously beyond imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toyota Motor Corp.\u2019s luxury brand, Lexus, debuted an all-new, digitally advanced, electric LF-Z concept Tuesday, its first vehicle on a dedicated battery platform. Billed as a transformative moment for the Lexus brand, the edgy LF-Z continues the brand\u2019s evolution of battery-powered products dating to 2005 with the RX 400h, a hybrid that was the brand\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27126,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27125\/revisions\/27126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}