Next-gen Lexus EV to be launched by 2026

MANILA: Toyota Motor Corporation Incoming President and Chief Executive Officer Koji Sato has confirmed that they will release next-generation electric vehicles under Lexus by 2026.

“We will develop next-generation BEVs for Lexus brand by 2026, with everything from the battery and platform to how a car is built optimized for BEVs, while expanding our current BEV lineup,” Sato stated.

Toyota Motor Corporation’s current electric vehicle lineup includes the Toyota bZ4X and the Subaru Solterra EV that is based on Toyota’s e-TNGA electric vehicle platform. Lexus will also be launching the RZ 450e SUV that is built on the same platform.

Sato is the current president of Lexus and will sit as Toyota Motor Corporation’s new president on April 1, replacing Akio Toyoda.

“We want to stay in tune with customers around the world and provide diverse options. That is why we will continue an omni-directional approach without wavering from our multi-pathway. In that multi-pathway, battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, are also an important option. Under Master Driver Toyoda, we have been preparing to create BEVs unique to Toyota and Lexus. Through these efforts, we have come to see the kind of BEVs we are aiming for. Now that the time is right, we will accelerate BEV development with a new approach,” Sato said.

This follows years of criticism of Toyota's delayed adoption of electric vehicles, its complacency with fuel-efficient gas and hybrid vehicles, and its diversion from the advancement of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Photos from Lexus and Toyota

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