This week, Toyota’s Lexus became the latest luxury brand to debut its first-ever battery-electric car, the RZ, a shockingly low-range SUV that is expected to define the path for the industry’s future. That future looks a lot like the Toyota bZ4X, which was just released. The RZ 450e will be the first nameplate to debut under Lexus’ “Lexus Electrified” strategy for its planned all-electric vehicles in 2023. By the end of the decade, Lexus wants to offer electric vehicles in every vehicle sector and be a totally battery-electric brand by 2035.
With other premium companies releasing their own electric cars, SUVs, and crossovers, Lexus confronts fierce competition in an increasingly competitive EV environment. The RZ, a five-passenger SUV with a maximum range of 225 miles on a fully charged battery when equipped with smaller, 18-inch tires, will compete with Audi, BMW, and Cadillac, to name a few. When the RZ is fitted with a bigger pair of tires, the battery configuration will give even less kilometers. Many of the premium EVs set to come this year have more range than the RZ, putting it at a disadvantage. For example, General Motors claims that its new Cadillac Lyriq crossover can go over 300 miles on a single charge.
The RZ might gain a competitive advantage if Lexus keeps the basic pricing below that of rival luxury EV SUVs like the Audi e-tron and BMW iX. The vehicle’s price has yet to be announced by Lexus. The RZ will face competition from the Volvo XC40, which has a 257-mile range, and the Volvo C40, which has a 225-mile range if it is priced around $60,000. It might also face competition from the Toyota bZ4X crossover, which has a range of up to 252 miles on a single charge. Both are based on Toyota’s specific EV platform, the e-TNGA.
If RZ wants to stand out, power, performance, and interior touches will all be important. Many of those elements, such as performance, pricing, or release dates, have yet to be revealed. However, the 2023 RZ appears to offer more luxurious touches than the bZ4X, including a bigger infotainment system. The Lexus Interface multimedia system and 14-inch touch screen seen in the newest models of the brand’s compact crossover NX and flagship LX utility vehicle will be used in the 2023 RZ. The RZ will also come with Lexus’ new DIRECT4 all-wheel-drive system and a choice of five exterior colors, including Ether, which the company claims “evokes the agile driving characteristics of BEVs.”
