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Lexus previews its next design language with an electric concept

Identifying a new or a late-model Lexus is child's play: Look for the giant spindle-shaped grille. It's a styling cue that defines all of its recent models, and designing an electric car is evidently not an excuse to get rid of it. Lexus published a dark teaser image that previews an electric concept that will usher in its next design language. Like parent company Toyota, Lexus has long resisted the shift towards electric cars by fervently arguing hybrids make more sense. But, as even its home country mulls a blanket ban on internal combustion technology, it's left with no choice but to go electric. It already sells a battery-powered variant of the UX in Europe, but the concept it previewed on its social channels was designed as an electric car from the get-go. It's still shrouded in secrecy, we don't even know its name yet, but we can already tell the spindle stays. Its outline clearly appears between the sharp LED headlights, though it almost looks full. And, like seemingly every concept car released in the past three or four years, the newest member of the Lexus portfolio wears a backlit emblem. Lexus electric prototype View 4 Photos Interestingly, Lexus also quietly published a separate video highlighting the electric and hybrid technologies it's developing for the 2020s, and the footage reveals a heavily-camouflaged crossover lapping a test track in Japan. Shown in the gallery above, it's fully electric, and it might be at least related to the upcoming concept. Direct4 technology will power the car. Short for Direct 4-Wheel Drive Force Control, it's a system that automatically adjusts the torque sent to each wheel based on the road and driving conditions. In this application, it consists of two electric motors (one per axle), and its total output checks in at 402 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. Lexus noted it can be used for gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid systems, too. We'll need to be patient to find out more about the concept. For example, we don't know if it's related to the electric car that Toyota will release in Europe in 2021, or if it's something else entirely. If the concept and the prototype shown testing in Japan are indeed the same car, it looks like its launch is right around the corner. Related video:

Genesis, Kia, Lexus EVs earn spots on the IIHS Top Safety Picks+ list

A trio of 2023 electric vehicles — the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lexus RZ, and Genesis Electrified GV70 — have just earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The prestigious award from the IIHS requires that the cars and SUVs achieve top scores in a number of crash tests and that they have an “Advanced” or “Superior” front crash avoidance system that activates to help inattentive drivers prevent vehicle or pedestrian crashes. Previous selections for the award among EVs have included the Rivian R1T/R1S, Kia EV6, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Tesla Models 3/Y. To earn the “+” designation, the agency stipulates that headlights rated “Acceptable or Good” must be standard across all trims, and that a front crash prevention system that earns Advanced or Superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations be available. The GV70 earned “Advanced” ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention evaluations. The Ioniq 6 and the Lexus RZ earned “Superior” ratings in these two tests. “To be environmentally friendly, our vehicles and our cities also need to be pedestrian-friendly,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “All three of these vehicles have standard front crash prevention systems designed to protect pedestrians both during the day and at night, when most fatal pedestrian crashes happen.” Overall in its latest list, the IIHS named 51 cars in the “Top Safety Pick+” grouping, and 25 in the secondary Top Safety Pick tier. ThatÂ’s down from 101 total award-winning models last year, likely because the organization has implemented its tough new side-impact test and is also testing for night-time pedestrian detection for collision warning and prevention systems. The IIHS is one of two major automotive safety rating organizations, along with the federal government's National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. IIHS is a private organization funded by insurance companies. By the Numbers Genesis Kia Lexus Green Automakers Insurance Safety Electric

2019 Lexus ES revealed before Beijing debut

After revealing the grille of the 2019 Lexus ES last week, Lexus posted a single photo of the whole shebang this morning. Only two sentences accompanied the image: "The all-new ES springs from a reimagined luxury equation. Engaging design, athletic performance, and renowned refinement transform Lexus's most popular sedan." We could be forced to wait until the Beijing Motor Show reveal on April 25 for substantial info on that transformation, but based on what we already suspect, the coming ES has big britches to fill. This seventh-generation sedan will be the first to go global, opening up a sales beachhead in Europe for the first time. The ES will also replace the GS there, perhaps signaling a shift in European strategy for taking on the Germans — the rear-wheel-drive sports sedan couldn't compete, so perhaps the front-wheel-drive family sedan will do better by not making a frontal assault on the segment leaders. The GS' fate isn't clear in the U.S., either, with the model expected to either go away or take a hiatus while designers reboot it. Lexus promised "the unexpected" with the new ES, and rumors of AWD have accompanied the news of "a range of advanced gasoline and hybrid powertrains." Right now the ES offers two powertrains, one gas, one hybrid, a bit meager to call "a range." From what we can tell of of the image above and teaser video below, the ES gets a lot sharper in front and along its flanks, skinny headlights mixing it up with a severely creased shoulder line. Out back, the sloping rear end gets bolstered by new taillights and a prominent spoiler. Barring any more teases or leaks, we expect to know everything about the ES a week from now come Beijing. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Beijing Motor Show Lexus Luxury Sedan lexus es