Lexus RZ will be an electric crossover, and Lexus ROV will be a hydrogen ATV
Toyota chooses electricity, but does not abandon hydrogen and internal combustion engines. In 2022, Toyota's first “new wave” electric vehicles will be launched on the e-TNGA platform. Toyota bZ4X (aka Subaru Solterra) will be the first to be born, followed by a similar crossover under the Lexus brand – it was called RZ. The Japanese have already published the first photos, which partially show the silhouette, stern and front optics of the electric vehicle.
There's no official technical information yet, but Lexus RZ production is expected to follow the inflated bZ4X, although its sloping C-pillar design strongly resembles the RX family. The e-TNGA platform includes a McPherson front suspension, a multi-link rear suspension, an underfloor battery, electric motors on each axle, and a Steer-by-Wire steering system with no rigid mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. Lexus will get everything.
For Toyota, the base version is a 204bhp front-wheel-drive bZ4X with a 71.4kWh battery, but it's possible that the RZ will be all-wheel drive with a twin-motor system, which is labeled Direct4. Top managers of the Japanese company Lexus in several interviews with foreign press noted that in addition to the electrification itself, the mission of the crossover is to create a new driving style for Lexus cars, more like a driver.
The production RZ will be one of twelve new electric or hybrid models that Lexus will launch by 2025. However, at the same time, Lexus has no plans to abandon internal combustion engines. Instead, the Japanese are going to convert piston internal combustion engines to hydrogen combustion and want to apply this technology in the most unexpected segments. For example, almost simultaneously with the Lexus RZ electric crossover, a conceptual ROV buggy was shown. By hydrogen.
The abbreviation ROV stands for Recreational Off-road Vehicle. In the ATV world, these vehicles are classified as side by side. The Lexus has in-car controls, two shoulder-to-shoulder seats, and a loft roof. The only thing known about the engine is that it is a 1.0-liter unit with hydrogen injection.
The chances of Lexus enjoying such a car are slim; Today, the ROV is a concept vehicle that the Japanese are using to draw attention to a new reading of their hydrogen agenda. After all, Toyota was one of four automakers this fall that failed to sign a declaration at the Glasgow Climate Summit to end production of combustion-engine vehicles by 2035. Toyota among the “refuseniks” were Renault-Nissan, Hyundai-Kia and That is, Volkswagen is concerned about several regional model lines, which in the next 15 years is unrealistic to transfer to the electric drive. But replacing gasoline with hydrogen, according to Toyota, is quite realistic. To prove it to the world, he even created the GR Yaris “hot” hydrogen hatchback. But this car deserves a separate story.