RZ

Make
Lexus
Segment
SUV

Well, that was anticlimactic. Not long after teasing a new electric model called the Lexus RZ, Toyota made a huge EV announcement that included the car sitting in the background amongst 15 other future vehicles. Lexus has now officially shown off the car just a few days later, but there isn't much more to share about it.

We now know that the car's full name is Lexus RZ 450e, likely a 2022 or 2023 model year vehicle. The press release includes only three photos with the tagline, "sustainability meets sleek lines and power." And that's it. No new details on specs, no horsepower, no range, and not a single mention about pricing or availability. The RZ 450e is coming, likely next year, and everything else is a big mystery.

We do know the RZ will ride on Toyota's new e-TNGA platform, which also underpins the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Soltera. Based on these new photos, it seems likely that the RZ will essentially be a rebadged version of the Toyota EV, likely using the same electric drivetrain. In that case, the RZ 450e will likely arrive sporting a single-motor setup with 201 horsepower or a dual-motor option with 215 hp.

Perhaps the Lexus version will receive a small power increase, but we doubt it would be substantial. This isn't the first time we've seen this from a luxury automaker, as the Audi Q4 e-tron has the identical output found in the Volkswagen ID.4.

There are no images showing the interior, but the exterior styling is mostly what we expected. The RZ is heavily based on the LF-Z Concept, toned down for production. We wish Lexus took a few more risks with the design, but we can understand being capped by having to use the existing hardpoints from the bZ4X.

This is technically not the first Lexus EV, as the UX 300e was introduced back in 2019, but this is the first model that will be available in the United States. We should learn more about the Lexus RZ in 2022.