It looks like Lexus could be planning an electric SUV for Europe with a trademark filing for UX300e indicating an electric UX SUV.
Toyota and Lexus are riding something of a wave at the moment, quietly cashing-in on their hybrid technology by mopping up sales in the UK and Europe as buyers desert yesterday’s fuel of choice – diesel.
The strength and depth of Toyota’s hybrid technology has seen them eschew plans for full BEV models, although they have dipped their toe in a bit with the plug-in Prius. But that’s going to have to change.
More stringent CO2 targets in the next decade are going to mean Toyota’s self-charging hybrids won’t be enough to reach targets, and BEVs (and FCEVs) are going to be needed.
If all is going to plan, that’s going to mean the arrival of electric Lexus and Toyota models powered by Toyota’s 600-mile solid state electric batteries in the early 2020s, but it looks like Toyota could be planning to dip in to the full BEV route a bit earlier than that.
According to AutoGuide, Toyota has filed a trademark application in Europe for the ‘UX300e’ moniker, and has surmised, perfectly reasonably, that this points to a full electric UX SUV on the way.
If we are going to see an electric Lexus UX, Geneva in the spring would probably be a good place to look.
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