Lexus LF-Z Electrified concept offers glimpse of brand's future

Lexus, a longtime champion of hybrids and a latecomer to pure EVs, is planning a future line of vehicles with enhanced performance, safety and a signature driving style that is being previewed with a new all-electric crossover concept.

The LF-Z Electrified concept, introduced Tuesday in Japan, presages a fully electric model that will be available by mid-decade, said Hiroo Togashi, general manager of Lexus brand management.

Togashi promised that the brand will roll out 20 new and improved models globally by 2025 — half of which would be either hybrids, plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles such as the LF-Z concept.

It is the latest sign that Toyota's luxury brand is determined to compete broadly as the auto industry is upended by new technology, modes of mobility and power sources, as well as EV upstarts.

"We will take on the challenge of providing new value that meets the expectations of diverse customers by contemplating the role of a new chauffeur and pursuing the possibility of developing new genres of never-before-seen models," Togashi said.

Paired with steer-by-wire — which means there is no mechanical linkage between the steering inputs and the actions taking place at the four wheels — the LF-Z concept uses two torque-split motors, which Lexus calls DIRECT4 technology, to sharpen performance and safety by sending different levels of power to each wheel as required.

When turned on, the two technologies allow the LF-Z to turn and accelerate far more sharply through corners or a slalom, effectively countering the physics that force vehicles equipped with mechanical-based systems outward through turns. The brand also says that the paired technologies allow the vehicle to perform exactly to the driver's intention, regardless of road condition or weather.

Takashi Watanabe, chief engineer for Lexus electrified models, said steer-by-wire and the DIRECT4 technologies are a "fusion" of vehicle motion control, and coupled with cabin comfort and quietness, would provide a signature Lexus feel.

"We are pursuing the unique driving taste of Lexus, called the Lexus Driving Signature, where good feeling deceleration, steering, and acceleration seamlessly connect under various driving situations and linear response is faithfully executed to the driver's intentions," he said.

The LF-Z concept vehicle carries a 90-kWh lithium ion battery pack, and has an anticipated range of about 370 miles (596 km) under the WLTP system, the brand said. Watanabe said Lexus — which remains behind other luxury automakers, including Tesla, in terms of battery efficiency — is continuously working to eliminate electrical component loss and improve energy efficiencies.

Watanabe said a production vehicle based on the LF-Z's "performance, design and advanced technology" would be available by 2025, "symbolizing the next generation of the brand." He also said that both the drive-by-wire and DIRECT4 systems would be implemented into future production vehicles.

The LF-Z concept shows that Lexus plans to stick to its polarizing spindle grille design, albeit in a highly modified form on fully electric vehicles.

The basic outline of the spindle grille is still visible on the LF-Z concept, but its gaping maw that provides much-needed cooling air to the brand's internal combustion-powered vehicles isn't required for EVs and is filled in, further highlighting a lit brand logo in the center.

The vehicle's wind tunnel-inspired, low-slung shape is similar to that of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with a long, low nose and a high point to the rear of the front row of seating before falling sharply at the rounded tailgate. The roof is largely glass rising seamlessly from the windscreen, but split in the center above the cabin.

The rear lighting and redesigned logo treatment also signal a new brand identity for Lexus, Watanabe explained.

The LF-Z's futuristic stylized "Tazuna" interior is where designers most fully embrace that the vehicle is a concept, with the steering wheel replaced by a U-shaped yoke, ultra-thin seating, and an instrument cluster that would feel at home on a Wall Street trader's desk. Even the accelerator and brake pedals are conceptualized, but unlikely to make it into production, given their close proximity.

Watanabe said the Tazuna interior was developed to focus driver attention on the road, and from lessons learned by watching the interactions between a horse and its rider, who controls the animal's speed and direction with little more than a single rein.