Lexus shows more of its first model developed purely as an electric car: RZ. The EV, which has been christened in full RZ 450e, is closely related to the recently presented Toyota bZ4X.
Earlier this week, Toyota and Lexus opened an immense can of news. One of the most important innovations was the Lexus RZ, a fully electric SUV based on the E-TNGA basis, which also supports the new Toyota bZ4X. At first we only got to see the car diagonally from the front and very vaguely from the back, but that’s about to change.
Lexus still keeps very detailed information to itself and the interior is still a mystery, but now there is confirmation that the car is called RZ 450e in full, with the ‘e’ of course standing for electric. Lexus clearly follows its own path for the design of the RZ, although broadly speaking there is also a bit of kinship with the Toyota bZ4X. However, it is clear that the Lexus LF-Z Electrified Concept from early this year was the biggest example.
The interior of the Lexus LF-Z Electrified
As mentioned, it remains to be seen what exactly happens under the striking carriage. The model, which is expected to be roughly the size of the Lexus RX, is in any case four-wheel drive. The ‘Direct4’ label on the back of the car bears witness to this. The four-wheel drive version of the Toyota bZ4X is 218 hp and 336 Nm strong and has a range of about 450 km. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Lexus RZ 450e is even stronger.
Perhaps the number ‘450’ says something, if we take a look at how Lexus approaches the naming of its other EV, the UX. With the UX 300e, the figure corresponds – perhaps just coincidentally – to the torque. If the latter also applies to the RZ, the RZ 450e delivers a thick 110 Nm more torque than the aforementioned Toyota bZ4X. However, it can also simply indicate the place in the range, which leaves the door open for possible more powerful or milder variants. So wait a little longer.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl