"Lexus Expresses Electrification Ambitions Tailored to Korean Market Characteristics"

Watanabe Takashi, President of Lexus International, Visits Korea
"Promoting Electrification Tailored to the Characteristics of the Korean Market"
Competing with 'Lexus-Style' Design and Driving Experience
Various Powertrain Plans Considering Global Infrastructure

Lexus unveiled its first-ever electric vehicle, the RZ, expressing its global electrification ambitions. Based on Lexus’s distinctive design and driving performance, the brand plans to offer a variety of options ranging from hybrid (HEV) to electric vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV).

On the 21st, Lexus Korea explained the brand’s global electrification direction at the launch event for the pure electric RZ and the 5th generation RX held at Connect2 in Jamsil, Seoul. Takashi Watanabe, President of Lexus International, attended the event and made the announcement in person.

Takashi Watanabe, President of Lexus International, is explaining the brand's global electrification direction.
[Photo by Oh Kyumin]

Lexus stated that it will promote electrification plans tailored to the characteristics of the Korean market. President Watanabe said, “Korea is a market leading global electrification trends, and we will pursue electrification for carbon neutrality in a way that suits its characteristics and environment.” He added, “To bring smiles to our customers, we will further evolve Lexus’s distinctive design and driving performance in development.”

Additionally, considering infrastructure and energy situations in countries worldwide, Lexus plans to offer a wide range of options including HEVs, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), electric vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles.

New bases will also be established to support this. Lexus will open the ‘Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama’ in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, in March next year. It features test courses replicating various roads worldwide and gathers all members involved in vehicle development. Lexus explained that this will expand the product lineup to quickly respond to customer demands.

Regarding collaboration with Korea’s three major battery companies (LG Energy Solution, SK On, Samsung SDI), Watanabe avoided giving a direct answer. He said, “There is nothing specific I can answer, but battery development is not exclusive to Toyota, and it is an area where everyone must work together for carbon neutrality. If they have technologies superior to Lexus’s, I think we could collaborate.”

President Watanabe was the lead engineer responsible for the development of the RZ before his appointment in March. Since 2020, he has been leading the development of Lexus Electrified (Lexus’s electrification vision) and driving electrification efforts.

Meanwhile, Lexus unveiled the brand’s first electric vehicle, the RZ, and the 5th generation new RX on the same day. Takaaaki Ono, the RX chief engineer who has led next-generation RX development since 2018, and Yoichiro Kasai, the deputy chief engineer responsible for RZ packaging and performance, attended and introduced the vehicles.

Manabu Konyama, President of Lexus Korea, stated, “While providing the ‘inherent joy of driving’ represented by Lexus’s unique driving signature, we also strive to do our best for the happiness of each customer based on Lexus’s core value of sincere hospitality.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.