From a ground-breaking evolution of the all-new RZ／RX, preview Lexus’ electrified future
When there are more and more electric vehicles on the road, consumers’ pursuits are also diversified, maybe it is the freshness of personality, maybe it is the fun of driving at will, or the hard-core technology that can sense the future in advance. As a result, the definition of "good car" is constantly being broken and reshaped.
A good product needs time to be meticulously crafted, remaining cutting-edge in technology and experience, and ultimately highly in line with consumers’ inner value expectations. As a pioneer in the electrification of luxury vehicles, Lexus continuously surpasses itself in the dimension of product and brand value, and uses technological innovation to drive products to better and more advanced directions to meet the changes and upgrades of users’ travel needs.
On February 14, two new products bearing the vision of "Lexus Electrified" – the new RZ, a native pure electric mid-sized luxury SUV, and the new generation RX, a medium and large luxury SUV, were officially launched. The new RZ launched a total of three models, with an official guide price of 369,900 yuan – 459,900 yuan, and the new generation RX launched a total of six models, with an official guide price of 405,000 yuan – 619,000 yuan. Such sincere and pragmatic pricing can be described as "reaching the hearts of the people." In the recent situation of price increases by independent brands and traditional luxury brands, it has increasingly highlighted the Lexus brand’s emphasis on the Chinese market and its determination to embrace electrification.
The new energy vehicle market has thus ushered in a heavyweight player. Powerful product selection, high-tech performance configuration, professional and warm service spirit have made the new RZ and RX stand out among similar competitors. Lexus has used a more unique way to integrate innovative technology and ingenious craftsmanship to inject a refreshing connotation into automotive products in the electrification era, demonstrating Lexus’ breakthroughs and evolution in exploring the road of multi-electrification.
The new RZ sets a high value preservation benchmark
The new RZ, as Lexus’ first BEV model based on the native pure electric platform, relies on the brand’s 30 years of electrification technology accumulation and cutting-edge technology to maximize the potential of the vehicle and reshape the driving texture. It marks a new step for Lexus on the road to electrification and starts a brand evolution with pure electric as the core.
The new RZ integrates Lexus’ classic spindle design elements into the three-dimensional body, with a harmonious and dynamic posture and a long wheelbase of 2850mm for free and wide rear space. The simple and luxurious Tazuna reins concept cockpit design is centered on the driver, with a reasonable layout of the full-color head-up display HUD, LCD instrument panel and central display screen for efficient access. Large areas of environmentally friendly ecological materials create a natural and comfortable cockpit atmosphere, and the details show Lexus’s new aesthetic standards full of ritual in the electrification era.
Unlike the cookie-cutter pursuit of acceleration, large battery, and long battery life, Lexus does not play gimmicks and aims to bring users a driving texture that exceeds expectations. On the new RZ, it is equipped with a series of innovative technologies, including the DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system. The overall handling and vehicle response can faithfully reflect the driver’s wishes, enhance control confidence, and allow users to enjoy the pure electric driving fun. It is not difficult to see from this that Lexus’ profound insights into the concept of building cars in the electrification era have brought consumers a completely different and beyond the previous product experience in the increasingly homogeneous electric vehicle market.
The "kind" price of the new RZ is also surprising. As an imported luxury brand, the price of the new RZ in China is already in a low-lying area globally. Taking Europe as an example, the price of the new RZ in Spain is 73,000 – 88,000 euros (about RMB 510,000 – 610,000 yuan), and the starting price has exceeded the Chinese market, which reflects Lexus’ great sincerity for Chinese users and optimism about the world’s largest new energy vehicle market.
Lexus, which has long been a god of value preservation, has launched a sincere high-value preservation promise for used cars in order to eliminate consumers’ anxiety about purchasing pure electric vehicles: users who buy a new RZ can enjoy up to "90% within one year, 80% within two years, 70% within three years, and 60% within four years" when replacing Lexus brand models. It has to be said that such a value preservation service can be called "the conscience of the industry", which is a "new business card" for Lexus in the Chinese market, pushing the concept of high-quality service to a new height.
It can be said that the new RZ has revolutionized users’ previous perception of pure electric vehicles with its all-round evolutionary product value, unique new configuration and new performance. Coupled with the high value preservation commitment of the "ceiling" level, it has formed a more significant differentiation advantage, which coincides with the pursuit of Chinese users. The luxury electric vehicle market pattern is expected to be broken by Lexus.
A new generation of RX "mixed" to new heights
With a forward-looking vision for electrification transformation, Lexus’ hybrid products have long been sold well around the world. With multiple advantages such as efficiency and performance, they have become the best choice for consumers’ low-carbon travel. As the core model of the brand, the RX series has been deeply loved by users around the world, including in China, since its launch in 1998.
Now, the new RX upgraded to the fifth generation is available in China for the first time in a full-range full-hybrid lineup, achieving another leap in product power and showcasing Lexus’ new achievements in exploring the path of multi-electrification, providing consumers with practical and environmentally friendly options.
The newly upgraded GA-K platform has greatly improved the basic performance of the new generation of RX. The RX 350h adopts Lexus’ fourth-generation full-hybrid technology, which is better in terms of smoothness, quietness, comfort and fuel economy. Unlike other PHEV models based on fuel vehicles currently on the market, the power system of the RX 450h + is based on the brand’s mature hybrid system. It is developed to match the e-Four electric four-wheel drive system. Whether it is handling performance or pure electric battery life, it is more outstanding.
The new generation of RX introduces the first high-performance hybrid model, the RX 500h F SPORT Performance, with a parallel hybrid structure for the first time, and a 2.4T turbocharged engine matched with the DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system, providing an exciting driving experience.
In addition to the comprehensive enhancement of power performance, the active safety function also further interprets the Lexus "people-oriented" brand concept. The new generation of RX series comes standard with Lexus intelligent safety system LSS + 3.0, which adopts anthropomorphic safety design for common car safety pain points, and allows intelligent technology to intervene under the premise of ensuring safety, anticipate in advance, provide multi-faceted safety protection, and better fit the user’s driving habits.
Under the premise that a number of important configurations are standard in all systems, the comparative advantages of the new generation of RX three models in terms of price are even more worthy of a book. The hybrid model RX 350h has no price increase, and the starting price is the same as the old RX 300. The plug-in hybrid model RX 450h + can enjoy the green card and the purchase tax exemption policy. The high-performance hybrid model RX 500h provides a richer and more flexible package, which is full of sincerity.
As the main selling model, the new generation of RX offers a wealth of electrification solutions to new and old users. Its excellent product strength and competitive price are expected to promote the replacement of electrified models with traditional fuel vehicles, and achieve Lexus’ continued leadership in the medium and large luxury SUV market segment.
Accelerating towards an electrified future
Under the trend of carbon neutrality, the huge incremental market of electric vehicles will usher in a broader development space.
According to the data of the Passenger Federation, the new energy penetration rate of passenger cars in China in 2022 has reached 27.6%, and the market penetration rate of new passenger cars with L2 auxiliary driving exceeds 30%. On the other hand, the data of the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the proportion of households with cars in China is only 41.67%. From the perspective of market consumption, pure electric vehicles focus on meeting users who have increased purchase needs, while hybrid vehicles effectively solve the first purchase and exchange demands of more users. New energy vehicles are gradually expanding, accelerating the substitution process of traditional fuel vehicles.
Industries and markets are changing faster than expected, and electrification has therefore become an important strategic direction for Lexus’ transformation. As the world’s largest new energy vehicle market, China has provided the stage and confidence for Lexus, which has formed the Pareto Principle in the luxury car sector, to accelerate the electrification transformation.
With the release of the "Lexus Electrification Vision" in 2019 as an opportunity, Lexus has further focused on advanced electrification technology and continuously enriched its electrified product lineup, including full hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and pure electric (BEV) models, to continue to provide users with indispensable driving pleasure and a luxury experience that exceeds expectations.
In the future, Lexus will gradually evolve into a BEV-centric brand. In this transformation process, Lexus will continue to provide diverse power options according to the needs of different regions and users, to help achieve carbon neutrality goals.
Since entering China in 2005, Lexus has been attracting Chinese consumers with its unique luxury temperament and brand temperature. Starting with the launch of the new RZ and the new generation of RX, Lexus has further met the diverse needs of users for electrification. In the luxury electric vehicle market full of changes, its unique brand charm and product strength, high-specification luxury taste and hospitality will form a closer value resonance with more and more consumers, and stage a "unique view" in the luxury car market. (Text: Yang Xiaohong, Photo: Lexus)