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It’s worth noting that the planned electric vehicles are to be built based on a new modular platform that will also be used by parent company Toyota. The future EVs will also use parts manufactured using the technique known as “gigacasting”, which involves replacing the traditional casting of small individual parts welded together with the casting of a handful of major parts.
With Lexus' new electric vehicles, there will be three main sections - one for the front, one for the centre and one for the rear of the body. Developed by Tesla, this process simplifies production and increases rigidity.
Of course, all this is the reason given by Toyota and Lexus, but it could also suit the company, which may not want to launch new electric models when demand is currently lower than anticipated in some places on the planet. Buyers are showing strong interest in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, and Toyota is paying attention.
Toyota is the undisputed leader in hybrid technology, and it wants each of its products to offer a hybrid solution. In 2023, the Japanese giant sold approximately 11.2 million vehicles worldwide, a third of which were hybrids. This proportion is expected to grow in 2024.
As for what the company does regarding plans to build a three-row electric SUV in Kentucky, we shall see. Production was scheduled for 2025, but Japanese daily Nikkei reported earlier this fall that that has been postponed to 2026. The publication added that plans to build Lexus electric SUVs in the United States had changed, with assembly now set for Japan. That, mind you, was before the recent US elections.