Can luxury and sustainability (or eco-friendliness) co-exist? This truly relevant question is one that needs to be answered in the affirmative – particularly as we become more cognizant of our impact on the environment, and even climate. As we rightfully aspire to a heightened lifestyle, we have to ensure that that we do not mortgage our future in the process.
And while increased mobility is literally and figuratively among the ways to get us to progress, it is also proving to be a steep price to pay. About 17 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases (which trap heat – leading to global warming and, yes, climate change), come from the transport sector. This figure rises to 20 percent, if we’re talking about CO2 emissions, reports market and consumer data firm Statista.
One of the clearest and most feasible paths toward mitigating the carbon emissions in transportation is electrification, which effectively weans us off our dependence on the internal combustion engine and the fossil fuels which power it.
A growing number of automakers have already committed to electrifying their lineups, and even a cursory glance at their portfolios today shows that we are being spoiled for choice across a number of brands.
However, it should be recalled that luxury automaker Lexus has been at it for a while – a long while, actually. With the launch of the first RX 400h (the “h” means hybrid in the Lexus naming convention) way back in 2005, the premium vehicle division of Toyota pioneered electrification in the upmarket segment.
Close to two decades later, about two million Lexus hybrids have hit the road all over the world – “contributing to a reduction of approximately 19 million tons of CO2 emissions – a reduction equivalent to the output of approximately 300,000 passenger cars each year for the past 15 years,” reports Lexus.
The company today enshrines its electrified aspirations and efforts in a simple, compelling sub-brand: Lexus Electrified, first announced in March 2021. “Extracting the full potential of the vehicle through electrification technology: That is what electrification means to Lexus… We will deliver a unique electrified Lexus that combines linear motor acceleration/deceleration, brake feeling and exhilarating handling to further pursue the joy of driving,” the company says. Electrification sans vision would ring hollow, so Lexus makes this statement to clarify how that nothing will compromise the values and attributes the brand is known and beloved for.
Lexus International President Koji Sato had bared in a press conference in late 2021 that Lexus is to further embrace its position as a vanguard in electrification. “We will clarify the role of the Lexus brand within the company, which is to be a front runner in advanced technology areas and to lead our BEV (battery electric vehicle) products,” he said.
Lexus anticipates sales of one million BEVs by 2030, and has committed to accelerate sales of its electrified options by 2025.
As Akio Toyoda declared in Thailand in December 2022, the two brands will champion a multi-modal approach to carbon neutrality. Lexus Electrified will express that vision by broadening its portfolio of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), BEVs, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) products “to exceed the needs and expectations of a more diverse set of luxury buyers.” Having multiple pathways to ending the dumping of carbon into the atmosphere is not a bad thing. If fact, offering customers the power of choice – whether HEV, PHEV, BEV, FCEV, HiCEV or bio-fuels – allows them to choose green more easily, as it respects the “economic circumstances, energy source, charging infrastructure readiness, industrial polices, and usage needs” wherever they may be.
In parallel with the development and continuous refinement of products and training of personnel, Lexus will benefit immensely from its “drive and fix” activities at the Shimoyama track, considered as Lexus’ new operational base.
The first dedicated BEV model for Lexus is the RZ, marking the company’s “transition into a BEV-centered brand,” while reflecting the original Lexus signature design and driving experience.
The RZ rides on a specialized BEV platform, and boasts a lightweight and highly rigid body. Much attention has been put to achieve optimal weight distribution through the ideal placement of the battery and motor. A new steer-by-wire control and system, along with a proprietary Direct4 all-wheel drive system using electrification technology, enables vehicle control that is “faithful to the driver’s intention.” Meanwhile, engineers “pursued the creation of an audio sound that seamlessly conveys vehicle condition changes to the driver,” in pursuit of the so-called Lexus Driving Signature.
As with the all-new RX SUV now available in the country (which is exclusively motivated by electrified powertrains), the RZ gets a “spindle body” that supplants the identifiable spindle grille of yore. This is by no means merely an aesthetic move. Rather, it expresses the “focus on aerodynamic efficiencies, optimized proportions, and style versus serving the cooling and exhaust needs of an internal combustion engine.” Take a gander at this styling because it reflects the new Lexus aesthetic which will espouse the design direction for the brand’s BEVs. Even the choice of materials employed in each new Lexus is “mindfully sourced,” with a view to sustainability.
Lexus Philippines Chairman Alfred V. Ty, speaking at the recent inauguration of Lexus at Mitsukoshi BGC, the “home of Lexus Electrified” vehicles in the country, revealed that the company is looking at bringing in the RZ by this year.
This certainly speaks volumes about how Lexus is not just merely executing broad strokes in the realm of sustainability, but clearly doubling down on a promise that will decisively answer the question of having the best worlds in luxury and sustainability.
Lexus says yes.
