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Lexus will reportedly usher in new design language with global EV

Lexus took its first steps in the electric car sector when it released the UX 300e, a compliance car developed for the Chinese and European markets. It's planning to launch a follow-up model in 2022, and the yet-unnamed EV will represent a much more serious attempt at capturing a slice of the segment in global markets than its predecessor. British magazine Autocar reported that the next electric Lexus will take the form of a crossover built on the e-TNGA platform developed to underpin a large number of Toyota and Subaru models. It will be about the same size as the NX, one of the firm's best-selling models, but it will receive a specific design inspired by the LF-Z Electrified concept (pictured) introduced in March 2021. It will retain the spindle grille, though the feature will become more of a trim piece than an air vent, and the design study's wide rear light bar is expected to make the transition from the drawing board to the showroom floor. Some of these defining styling cues will permeate other models in the 2020s.  What the low, hatchback-like body will hide remains to be seen. Autocar believes the crossover will be closely related to the production version of the Toyota bZ4X concept, which will also ride on the e-TNGA architecture. All-wheel-drive seems like a given, and Lexus will undoubtedly put a greater focus on performance and handling than its parent company. We're expecting to see some degree of automated driving, though not full autonomy. Interestingly, a steer-by-wire system may come standard, allegedly to provide a more engaging driving experience. Lexus could introduce the EV before the end of 2022, meaning it would arrive in showrooms as a 2023 model. If everything goes according to plan, it will launch a total of 10 new electrified models (including hybrids) by 2025. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota previews next Lexus RX with Tokyo-bound JDM Harrier

The Lexus RX shares much with the Toyota Highlander, but its more direct counterpart is the Toyota Harrrier. Never heard of it? That's because Toyota only sells it at home in Japan, and now it's revealed a new one. So if the Harrier is essentially a Toyota-badged version of the RX, then what's the big deal, you ask? The big deal is that the new Harrier which leaked in July, set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next week and which you see here isn't quite the same as the Lexus, and those differences could (and in most cases likely will) make their way over to the RX as well.
For starters, the styling is different. Granted that the Lexus version will almost certainly get a spindle-shaped grille, but even so, the Harrier's nose seems to protrude further than the RX's and the headlamps are a notably different shape. The greenhouse is also a different shape, coming to a sharper point at the back, and the mirrors are fixed to the A-pillar not to the door panel. The taillamps are revised, the tailgate has a new profile and there's a pseudo-diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper. Subtle changes, to be sure, but then Toyota and Lexus are known for their evolutionary approach to styling. The interior has apparently undergone some updates as well, with a more dynamically styled dashboard, a more symmetrical center stack and different seats, steering wheel, door panels... the works. The infotainment display screen has also moved further down from its position in the current RX.
Toyota will offer the new Harrier with a 2.0-liter four mated to a CVT and driving either the front wheels or all four, and a hybrid setup with a 2.5-liter married to a 140-hp electric motor. The RX is offered here with a 3.5-liter V6 either on its own or with an electric assist. We wouldn't expect Lexus to go swapping the larger engines for the smaller ones, at least not for the US market. There's plenty more to the Harrier, of course, than the similarities and differences to the Lexus RX, and if you're buying a premium crossover in Japan, you can delve into the full details in the press release below, together with the images in the gallery above.

Lexus gives IS early updates for 2015

After just a year on the road, Lexus is bringing some modest tech and style upgrades to the 2015 IS. There are no mechanical changes to speak of, but the refinements should spruce things up a little bit.
The only exterior change for the 2015 IS models is the addition of LED foglights, but as they say, it's what's on the inside that counts. All models get an improved radio with Siri Eyes Free voice command for iPhone 4S and 5 users, and the standard backup camera now includes dynamic grid lines. There is also new piano black trim around the instrument panel and window switches, and a Stratus Gray interior color replaces the previous Light Gray. Buyers get a one-year subscription to the Lexus Enform Remote, which allows drivers to use their smartphones to control some aspects of the car, like remotely locking the doors.
Vehicles ordered with the F Sport package get heated and ventilated front seats, and all-wheel-drive F Sport models get a heated steering wheel, as well. The warmed wheel is also optional on non-F all-wheel-drive models. It should keep drivers nice and toasty in the winter.