On the occasion of the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus unveils an electric car, in the form of a rather spectacular concept car called Lexus RZ Sport Concept. It has the look of a Japanese sports car from the 90s, but its electric motorization is nothing really transcendent.
In the collective imagination, there is nothing really exciting about a modern Japanese car technically speaking, the emphasis generally being on rationality and efficiencyall for a relatively affordable budget.
But the Japanese are also fans of sports cars, which gave rise to iconic models in the 1980s and 1990s. With the advent of the electric car, Asian manufacturers do not intend to put aside the appearance “fun to drive” that can drive them, and Lexus is proving it today with an astonishing 100% electric concept car that smells of the 90sbut with a very modern car as can be read in the press release.
Electric is coming in force at Lexus and Toyota
The electric range of Lexus is not really transcendent, with simply the Lexus UX 300e, a model that will not go down in the annals of the electric car. But within a few years, Toyota, the parent company of Lexus, will launch no less than six electric models developed around the e-TNGA platform.
So many models that may have the right to a derivative at Lexus. The manufacturer also unveiled last year its first 100% electric SUV, technical cousin of the Toyota bZ4X, the Lexus RZ 450e, and whose first deliveries should begin at the beginning of the year in France.
In the meantime, the electric is also reflected in concept cars at Lexus, including the RZ Sport Concept presented today at the Tokyo Motor Show. This model is clearly there to put on a show, with very sporty aesthetic appendages.
We find in particular a body kit with many carbon aerodynamic appendages, fins behind the wheels, a double tailgate spoiler, fender extensions or even 21-inch Volk Racing rims fitted with Bridgestone Potenza tires in 295/35. To give it an even more aggressive look, the ride height has been lowered by 35 mm.
A power not in line with aesthetics?
With such attributes, we obviously expect adequate motorization. In reality, it is simply the engine of the new Lexus RZ 450e with a set of two e-Axle motors, which sit on both axles. The two motors of 150 kW at the front and 80 kW at the rear develop a power of 230 kW, i.e. 313 horsepower. The torque is 435 Nm.
It’s pretty conventional power for an electric car today, especially for such a big SUV. It is not uncommon to see electric SUVs with 600 or even up to 900 hp today, as is the case with the new Lotus Eletre.
On the production RZ 450e, Lexus has integrated a battery with 71.4 kWh of usable capacity, or approximately 400km in the WLTP cycle. The concept and all its aerodynamic appendages, not to mention its sporting pretensions, will not be as enduring as its production counterpart.
Lexus offers its vision of a high-performance sports car of the future with its Electrified Sport concept which, as its name suggests, is 100% electric. We discovered it for the first time in three…
Read more
Want to join a community of enthusiasts? Our Discord welcomes you, it’s a place of mutual aid and passion around tech.