Electric Lexus Truck: Not Just a Rebadged Toyota

Lexus Beyond Sedans, SUVs, and Minivans.

In contrast to its main branch, Lexus has a vast selection of coupes, sedans, SUVs, and minivans. Despite the fact that the luxury auto manufacturer has not developed a truck, this doesn’t suggest they won’t contemplate doing so.

When conversing with Australia’s Drive, Lexus President Takashi Watanabe asserted that the company would not forego giving its customers a pickup truck albeit there were no present discussions about making one.

“Looking ahead, we will be furthering the development of electric vehicles for the Toyota group,” Watanabe-san stated. “We want to provide as many options as possible for our customers. If there is a strong demand from consumers for Lexus to release or launch a pick-up, then it is a possibility in the future.”

Watanabe-san made reference to Lexus’ newly declared purpose in Toyota’s vision for a carbon-neutral society; making electric battery vehicles the priority. Word of mouth suggests that a Lexus EV with an impressive 500-mile range is soon to be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show ahead of its planned released date in 2026.

“It is undeniable that we are part of Toyota,” stated Watanabe-san. “Therefore, Lexus has a distinct role to play as a brand compared to Toyota, and the same would be true for GR.”

Despite this, Watanabe-san asserted that it is Toyota’s obligation to produce pick-ups. This translates to the suggested possibility of a Lexus pickup truck not using a platform like the Hilux, Tacoma, or Tundra. Should this be accurate, persons anticipating a rendition of the Lexus LX in truck form may be deflated.

The availability of luxury vehicles in the pickup truck segment is rather limited. Apart from GMC, offering the Canyon, Sierra, and Hummer EV, there is only one premium automotive brand that has a truck out on the market. Meanwhile, Tesla, typically thought of as a luxurious marque, is about to launch its own Cybertruck, although it hasn’t yet become available for purchase.

Memorably, Mercedes-Benz distributed the X-Class, however it was a disastrous failure, making a revivalnow out of the question.

If Lexus ever develops a luxury electric truck, it will certainly come with a great challenge. There is only a very small market for these types of vehicles and thus far it has not fared well with conventional models using internal combustion engines and electric-fueled ones have also had a hard time drawing in buyers. At this point, whether we shall see a Lexus pickup remains unclear; however, the success of Tesla’s Cybertruck may reject traditional expectations.