Lexus is planning a dramatic reveal for the upcoming Japan Mobility Show (once known as the Tokyo Motor Show) - a striking, needle-nosed electric saloon, possibly previewing a future all-battery LS replacement.
New solutions
The new car - which still doesn't have a name - has already been briefly shown during a press briefing for another model, albeit under a tantalisingly see-through sheet.
Details thus far are, unsurprisingly, unforthcoming, but Lexus and Toyota's global design chief, Simon Humphries, did tell CompleteCar that: "As you look to the future of the so-called mobility era, Lexus will lead in defining new experiences built around common new technology, information management and an understanding that the customer is increasingly looking for new solutions to enhance their own chosen lifestyles."
The concept saloon won't be alone on Lexus's Tokyo stand either - the luxury brand has said that it will bring "its next-generation battery electric vehicle concept model lineup, with the aim of transforming into a battery electric vehicle brand by 2035."
VR experience
Lexus says it will also bring a VR experience for show-goers to demonstrate the "future world of driving where electrification and AI technologies help cater to individual customer needs and connect with society."
That can surely only be good news, as Lexus currently only has one fully electric offering - that's the RZ SUV, which uses the same platform and batteries as the Toyota bZ4X, and both cars have been criticised for not offering enough real-world range relative to rival models from Tesla, Audi, and BMW. Lexus has said that it expects to give the RZ a major software upgrade, which should unleash a more reliable range from the car's battery before it goes on sale in Ireland in the second quarter of next year.
Bespoke EV platform
What of the new fastback EV saloon, though? The car's new EV platform will be bespoke-built for electric power rather than the e-TNGA architecture, which sits under the current RZ and is based on Toyota and Lexus' existing hybrid models.
The new boss of Toyota, Koji Sato, was previously the head of Lexus, and he's seen as being more focused on electric cars than his predecessor, Akio Toyoda, who has moved up to become the company's president. Sato has said that the new platform will be designed only for electric power and could offer double the range of current Lexus EVs. With the official range of the RZ being just over 350km, that could mean an impressive 700km range for new models.
"We aim to develop a next-generation battery EV in the Lexus brand in which everything from batteries and platforms to the way the car is built will be optimised for BEVs," Sato revealed. "To deliver appealing BEVs, we need to drastically change the way we do business, from manufacturing to sales and service, with a BEV-first mindset. Lexus will lead this transformation," he told the Nikkei news network.