Lexus First BEV Targets Chinese Market

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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11th November 2019

Lexus says it will unveil its first production-ready BEV in China later this month hoping to tap into the premium end of that market’s government-led burgeoning demand.

China has become, somewhat unsurprisingly, the world’s biggest market for BEVs driven by the twin incentives of reducing crippling urban pollution and the fact that the country possesses the vast bulk of the planet’s natural resources needed to make lithium-ion batteries. The automaker’s announcement comes ahead of its release of extensive details for its LF-30 Electrified Concept last month at the Tokyo Motor Show. This vehicle claims to produce 533bhp from four electric motors, one in each wheel assembly, and a 110kWh battery boasting a 300-mile range.

However, the production car, to be unveiled at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, is likely to be a much more modest example using current technology aimed at luxury ahead of performance. As such, it is also probably considerably larger than the ultra-compact production ready two-seater BEV launched under its parent Toyota badge at the Japanese show.

While releasing a small body detail of the car, Lexus goes not further than saying it has been “specifically crafted to suit the needs of audiences in China and in Europe”, clearly aimed at the two markets most friendly to a fossil-fuel free transportation future.

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_