Guangzhou show: Lexus sets production BEV reveal

LEXUS has confirmed that its first series-production battery-electric vehicle (BEV) will be revealed at the Guangzhou motor show in China on Friday, November 22.

The BEV’s debut was foreshadowed at last month’s Tokyo motor show, where the Japanese brand outed its LF-30 Electrified concept with solid-state battery technology, although its location and timing were not released at that stage.

This latest update on the BEV coincides with the issuing of its first teaser, an image of what appears to be lower section of one of its rear doors.

‘Electric’ lettering can be viewed just above the BEV’s depicted side skirt, the very same spot that Lexus places ‘Hybrid’ lettering on its self-charging petrol-electric hybrid models.

Given the chunky and therefore distinctive side-skirt design, it seems that the marque’s pioneering BEV could be a new variant of the UX small SUV that launched in Australia in January this year.

It should be noted that the UX’s side skirts are made of black plastic, while the BEV’s items appear to be body-coloured, which could be a point of differentiation between internal-combustion-engined and battery-electric versions in the line-up.

Either way, the paintwork that the BEV wears seems to be the same Cobalt Mica hue that the UX is offered with, further strengthening the case for a zero-emissions small SUV.

As reported, Lexus is planning to have a BEV variant available in all of its model lines by 2025, and it now appears that the UX could be first to do so.

Given that the current UX range is underpinned by Toyota Motor Corporation’s TNGA platform, a BEV variant would need to move to a variation of it, dubbed e-TNGA, if it were to be offered.

If Lexus were to go down the small-SUV road with its BEV, it would be entering the fastest-growing segment in Australia, one that already features Hyundai’s Kona Electric, which is priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs and claims to offer 449km of driving range (WLTP).

The press release accompanying the BEV’s reveal details and teaser image is short on extra information, although it does note that the zero-emissions offering was “specifically crafted to suit the needs of audiences in China and Europe”.

“This further advances the brand’s desire to offer a portfolio of electrified powertrain choices for diverse audiences worldwide,” Lexus added in the press release.

China and Europe are two of the key markets for manufacturers entering the BEV game due to their more advanced charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). By comparison, Australia is underdeveloped.

As reported, a hybrid version of the UX is already available in Australia and is currently subject to a three-month waiting list, having accounted for 60 per cent of the model’s sales since its release.