In the world of automobiles, there is one common talking point at the moment – Electric Cars. Now, Lexus is planning to introduce a luxury city car which will be an EV taking design inspiration from the LF-SA concept from 2015. Also, this would mean that while there already exists a full range of petrol+hybrid sedans and SUVs in the Lexus range, the hatchback would be the first fully-electric model from the brand.
This small EV could be revealed at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and could debut worldwide in 2020. This could also become the cheapest Lexus model to go on sale, at least for the least range option. While the design route could be inspired from the LF-SA, the car could be much different to look at in the real world. However, the brand is going to maintain their large spindle shaped grilles even on electric models. It will be a tall and boxy city-car with ample room by segment standards. And still, will be luxurious enough.
The new Lexus EV hatchback will have features like new-gen infotainment technology with large touchscreens, full digital dash and more. It is unclear if this could be a two-seater model like the Smart, or a regular 4-seater hatchback. Lexus is also working on a new powerplant / drivetrain to suit the needs of such a small car, also for better economies of scale. Of course, this will be shared with future Toyota cars. Toyota & Lexus are jointly going to develop 10 new EVs by 2025. Lexus is working on in-wheel electric motors, but that tech is still some time away from being reality for the mass market.
Almost every luxury car manufacturer has jumped the EV bandwagon, and why not Lexus when Toyota already has so many successful models. When launched, this new Lexus LF-SA inspired electric hatchback would rival the likes of BMW i3.
