After Lexus teased an RZ electric crossover with a yoke steering wheel in December, the luxury automaker officially unveiled the electric vehicle (EV) earlier this week.
Lexus unveiled the 2023 RZ450e electric crossover SUV on Wednesday, based on its parent company Toyota’s bZ4X, according to a report from Car and Driver.
This is the Japanese automaker’s first all-electric unveiled in the U.S. market, and it’s set to offer an estimated 225 miles of range.
The RZ 450e is based on the e-TNGA platform co-produced by Toyota and Subaru, just like the bZ4X platform Toyota currently offers.
While it shares the Toyota bZ4X platform, it’s more powerful with around 300 horsepower between the dual electric motors, instead of the bZ4X’s 214 horsepower.
It seems Lexus and Toyota have some of the worse names for its electric vehicles that’s difficult to remember.
It also has a slightly different exterior design than the bZ4X, with a more angular body build.
The crossover EV also features a more luxurious interior than the bZ4X, with the option to choose a steering yoke instead of the classic circular wheel.
The RZ450e also has the same battery pack as the bZ4X, which features around 65 kWh of storable and useable energy capacity.
It’s not yet clear how much the EV will cost, though some estimate it will start around $50,000 USD when it goes on sale — expected to happen later this year.
Photos of the Lexus RZ450e prototype were originally shared in February, though the unveiling from the automaker shows more angles of the EV than ever before.
