Lexus And Toyota Will Allegedly Launch Three New EVs By 2021

Toyota and its luxury brand, Lexus, are getting ready to launch three all-electric vehicles by 2021, Autocar reports.

Citing unnamed ‘insiders’, the British publication asserts that the Japanese car manufacturers are remaining tight-lipped about which of its models will get electric powertrains in the coming two years. It’s also reported that a series of new plug-in hybrids from both brands are in the pipeline.

This month’s Tokyo Motor Show will host the premieres of the eye-catching Toyota LQ concept as well as a mysterious new electric Lexus.

Also Read: Welcome To The Future – New Toyota LQ Concept Uses AI To Talk With You

Following Toyota’s recent unveiling of a RAV4 plug-in hybrid, it is being speculated that select Lexus SUV models, such as the NX, could receive a similar powertrain in the future.

Speaking at the recent launch of the latest RX, Lexus’s deputy chief engineer for the SUV, Naoisha Hatta, said the Lexus brand has all the technology in place to launch various plug-in hybrids and is simply waiting for the right time.

“We already have the technology. We’re waiting for the right time. It has to make business sense,” he said. “It has to make profit. If you look at the facts of what’s happening in the market now; for example, PHEV technology is reflected in the price [of cars]. If we are going to have an EV in the line-up it has to be affordable to normal users.”

It is reported that the release of these new electric models and additional plug-in hybrid vehicles will help bolster Toyota’s mission to meet fleet average CO2 emissions, especially in Europe, where the standards have become quite strict.