With new international boss Takashi Watanabe on the helm, Lexus is lastly venturing into the fashionable age of absolutely electrical autos. To select up the tempo, Watanabe mentioned Lexus will “humbly take a look at and study from” Tesla’s accomplishments.

Watanabe took over as president of Lexus in April after former model boss Koji Sato succeeded longtime Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda.

The brand new chief says absolutely electrical autos will open up new potentialities for Lexus to develop the model.

“In 2026, we’ll introduce the next-generation battery EV that re-innovates the car modular construction, considerably alters our manufacturing strategies and utterly re-imagines the software program platform,” Watanabe acknowledged (by way of Automotive Information), including, “We’ve additionally prioritized car design to embody the essence of Lexus.”

Lexus goals to promote 1 million EVs yearly by 2030 as it really works towards an all-electric lineup by 2035. Based on the model’s boss, the posh automaker will spearhead Toyota’s next-gen EV offensive.

Regardless of the passion, Toyota and Lexus mixed bought a complete of 24,466 electrical autos final 12 months. In comparison with total gross sales of over 9.5 million, EVs accounted for a mere 0.26% of the share.

With a bit of over 7,400 EV gross sales via the primary seven months of 2023, they nonetheless characterize lower than 1% of mixed Toyota and Lexus gross sales. Within the US, Lexus has bought solely 2,068 models of its first EV mannequin, the RZ electrical SUV.

Lexus to “look and study” from Tesla’s EV success

To select up the tempo and shut the widening hole with EV leaders like Tesla and BYD, Lexus’s guardian firm, Toyota, lately revealed a number of rising applied sciences and manufacturing strategies.

At a technical briefing in June, Toyota highlighted a number of new improvements it deliberate to introduce, together with superior EV batteries, design enhancements to boost effectivity, and manufacturing upgrades to streamline output.

Toyota is vowing its next-gen EV batteries, due out in 2026, will present practically 500 miles of (over 800 km) vary with a 20% price discount in comparison with the bZ4X.

Extra lately, the Japanese automaker confirmed off its next-gen EV manufacturing line throughout a plant tour with Giga casting know-how, a course of Tesla launched in 2020.

Lexus will piggyback off the brand new know-how and processes to raised compete as electrical car gross sales are solely anticipated to proceed rising.

“We have to make it simpler to construct and simplify as a lot as potential,” Watanabe mentioned. He added that it’s “essential to humbly take a look at and study from” Tesla’s success.

Regardless of utilizing Toyota’s tech, Lexus nonetheless must differentiate itself. “We should be extra distinctive — we have to outline that,” the model boss defined that Lexus might want to transcend the product, together with a software program working system.

Lexus will introduce an idea of its next-gen EV on the Japan Mobility Present, anticipated to roll out in 2026.

Electrek’s Take

As with Toyota, introducing this know-how is healthier late than by no means. Business leaders like Tesla have been bettering effectivity in all areas.

By the point Toyota and Lexus’s next-gen EVs roll out in 2026, Tesla will already be on to the following step.

Superior batteries, design enhancements, and manufacturing upgrades will assist Toyota (and Lexus) compete, however delaying it’ll solely put it additional behind the pack.