Lexus trademarks new name, next car to be RZ450e?

We heard through the grapevine that Lexus has registered the name RZ450e in the USA, Europe, and Australia. This suggested that Lexus has both a new model coming soon and a possible new powertrain.

Now that we have a name, we can start speculating on what it can tell us. The Z is a hint that this will be a whole new model of its own. We glanced through Lexus’ history book and noted that the brand has never used the letter Z on any models that have come before.

We can’t help but wonder if this could also indicate that the car would be in the “sports” category.

Meanwhile, the “e” in the name suggests that the new model will come with a full battery electric vehicle (BEV). Why do we say so? That’s because Lexus formally adopted the letter “e” as their battery electric designation.

This comes as no surprise, as Lexus did announce that they will be releasing more BEV by 2025. The first of the bunch to make its debut is the Lexus UX 300e that was launched in China earlier this year.

The only thing left to speculate about is what form the new model will come in as the R won’t tell us much. Lexus already has 2 other vehicles that share the letter and they are the crossover Lexus RX while the other is the high-powered Lexus RC coupe.

Since Lexus already has a crossover BEV on offer, the next could be a lower-riding BEV. But this leaves the door open on whether it will be a coupe or a sedan.

But one thing is for sure, we now know why Honda had quickly trademarked the CR-Z nameplate despite the discontinuation of the sporty little hybrid. They don’t just have Subaru to fend off but Lexus as well!

What do you think?

Source: Lexus Enthusiast