Toyota’s luxury vehicle division, Lexus has established a new era of mobility with the new Lexus “RZ”. The Lexus RZ is the brand’s bespoke pure electric vehicle which will be available in the global market. The brand has also pulled the covers off the Lexus RZ 450e which boasts to offer the “Lexus Driving Signature.”
The dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) also claims to incorporate the distinctive Lexus vehicle design and driving dynamics. The brand reveals that the combination of the driving pleasure, as well as the design, has been made possible thanks to the advanced electrification technology. The car also integrates advanced technologies such as a new yoke-style steering control and a Steer-by-Wire system. Along with this the Lexus RZ 450e also comes with DIRECT4 all-wheel-drive system, that boasts to offer intuitive driving and vehicle control.
The Lexus RZ 450e features the “Tazuna” concept design inside the cockpit. The brand reveals that it follows the relationship between horse and rider. The Yoke-Style Steering offers steering wheel-mounted switches and the vehicle’s head-up display. This is through a single “rein”, a Japanese word that portrays the communication between the horse and the rider. The cockpit of the RZ 450e is a highly coordinated space that allows the driver to perform operations such as navigation, audio system, and driving mode selection, without taking the eyes off the road.
The steer-by-wire system along with the advanced steering system has been added as an option to the traditional circular steering wheel. Without any mechanical linkages, the steering system relies on a bank of electronic sensors which pass on the feedback to the driver via electrical signals. The electronic exchange of steering and road surface information is critical for the driver to feel one with the car. The brand claims that the steering system is designed to enhance the communicative relationship between the human and the machine.
The RZ is based on the e-TNGA platform and powering the RZ 450e are two electric motors. On the front is a 150 kW motor while the rear features an 80 kW electric motor. The motors channel the power to the wheels through an advanced DIRECT4, a new all-wheel-drive force distribution system. The electric drive unit is matched to a 71.4 kWh battery pack that offers a cruising range of around 450 km on a single charge.
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