Lexus TZ Coming in 2025? Toyota To Begin U.S. BEV Production with a 3-Row SUV
Lexus plans to begin production on a three-row all-electric SUV in 2025 that we speculate will be called the Lexus TZ.
Although Toyota and Lexus have been leery of an all-electric future, the company is pivoting to grow its EV production capabilities. And so, following up on the promise to start producing EVs in North America by 2025, today the company officially announced that will begin production of a three-row, all-electric SUV at its Kentucky plant, marking the first U.S-assembled Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) from Toyota.
The forthcoming electric SUV will be powered by lithium-ion batteries produced at Toyota’s new battery plant in North Carolina. But the question remains, what will it be called? And will it be a Toyota, a Lexus, or two sister variants ala the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX?
If RZ, then TZ?
This part’s all just speculation at this point, but we’re guessing that this three-row vehicle is going to be dubbed the Lexus TZ. Why? First, during the press launch of the Lexus RZ 450e, Lexus executives proclaimed that Lexus will be leading the way as Toyota reimagines its electric vehicle strategy. As such, we should expect new models to launch under the more premium Lexus brand first.
Second, next week we’re flying to Austin, Texas for the official launch of the first-ever Lexus TX on June 8, which is a three-row Lexus that’s larger than the RX. Now, given that the RZ was the first Lexus BEV, it’s a pretty good guess that Lexus will continue the naming strategy and name its first three-row SUV BEV the TZ.
And lastly, if you look at the Lexus BEV concepts image (all the way at the top) from a couple of years ago, you can clearly see the Lexus RZ sitting off to the right looking very much like its final version. And next to that, we can see what appears to be a three-row iteration of the RZ.
Unless, of course, it’s going to be something that’s GX or LX based… But full-size BEVs like the Ford Lightning
Toyota North Carolina Battery Plant
Now, to build a brand new EV like the possible TZ, one of course needs batteries. So today Toyota announced an additional $2.1 billion investment in the previously announced North Carolina battery manufacturing plant “for new infrastructure to support future expansion.” This brings Toyota’s total investment in the plant to $5.9 billion and is expected to pave the way for future expansion and power Toyota’s ambitions for clean energy.
The battery plant, set to kickstart production in 2025, will be home to six battery production lines – four dedicated to hybrid electric vehicles and two for BEVs.
Ted Ogawa, President and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, expressed the company’s dedication to reducing carbon emissions swiftly and significantly. He believes that customers should have access to a variety of options to meet their needs both now and in the future, and the simultaneous evolution of the Kentucky and North Carolina plants will play a key role in achieving this goal.
As a pioneer in the electrified vehicles sector, Toyota has sold over 23 million hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell electric, and battery electric vehicles worldwide, outnumbering all other automakers combined. The company currently offers 22 electrified vehicle options across the Toyota and Lexus brands in the U.S., the most among any automaker, and aims to have an electrified option for all Toyota and Lexus models globally by 2025. This advancement is fueled by more than $8 billion in investment in U.S. manufacturing operations over the past two years.
Images: Toyota, Lexus, & Michael S. Palmer
