Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will start globally launching its upscale Lexus brand's first dedicated battery electric vehicle from late this year in a sport utility body style.
The RZ model, based on the same chassis of Toyota's first EV-only bZ4X but carrying more powerful motors, will have a range of 450 kilometers on a single charge, it said. Prices have not been set.
Toyota aims to switch all sales of its Lexus cars to electric vehicles by 2035 in line with its decarbonization goals.
The automaker said it plans to offer the RZ in around 50 countries and regions, and is aiming for global annual sales of 33,000 units, including 18,000 in China, 5,300 in North America, 7,000 in Europe and 900 in Japan.
The RZ measures approximately 4.8 meters in length and 1.9 meters in width, and has a 71.4 kilowatt-hour battery capacity.
Toyota said the model carries a newly developed four-wheel-drive system capable of adjusting distribution of power between the front and rear axle depending on driving conditions.
The vehicle's driver assistance system allows hands-free driving in certain conditions such as when a driver is facing forward in a traffic jam on a car-only road, the company said.
Toyota launched its first Lexus EV model in 2020 based on the luxury brand's gasoline engine and hybrid SUV, UX.