Electric Lexus ES confirmed for NZ, coming this year

The local arm of Japanese luxury carmaker Lexus has confirmed that its mid-size electrified ES sedan is coming to New Zealand in both hybrid and pure electric guise.

First revealed at last year’s Shanghai Motor Show, the latest generation debuted radical styling, a minimalist screen-forward interior space, and — for the first time — an available BEV powertrain option. 

Speaking to CarExpert NZ, Lexus New Zealand chief strategic officer and vice president of mobility, Andrew Davis, confirmed the ES is still on track for a 2026 arrival, and will “have both a hybrid and a battery electric powertrain”.

“One of the interesting things we’ll see with ES is, because of the new technology — particularly battery electric  — you can get relative performance out of a car that’s traditionally known for being a luxury sedan,” he said.

He added that he had recently sampled the new ES at Toyota and Lexus’ Shimoyama plant. “Dynamically it’s really good,” he said.

Whilst the sedan market has struggled in recent years, pure electric sedans have been breathing life into the once popular segment, via the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and China’s BYD Seal and Dongfeng 007.

The battery electric ES comes with a 74.7kWh battery pack. In European markets, Lexus claims a range of up to 530km on the WLTP cycle. It is offered overseas in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive — the former powered by a single 165kW motor and the latter by dual motors making 252kW.

The hybrids, meanwhile, pair a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine with either FWD or AWD, with power rated at 148kW in entry-level models and 182kW in all-paw variants. It has yet to be confirmed whether New Zealand will get all four powertrain layouts. 

Whilst New Zealand is gaining the ES, it will soon lose the IS. Although the rear-wheel drive sedan received a global facelift late last year, Davis confirmed that it would not be heading here and that the nameplate is set to depart the local line-up. 

He added that the ES “will be the primary sedan” for Lexus in New Zealand, and noted that the model’s latest improvements will help it cover a wider breadth of customers.

This news follows conjecture that Lexus’ flagship nameplate, the LS, could morph into an SUV for its next generation. The current fifth-gen LS has been in production since 2017, and remains in the Lexus New Zealand line-up for now. 

Davis notes that customer demand for SUVs is high, and that the more practical bodystyle is likely to be the brand’s focus when it comes to its future product plans. Indeed, the brand’s first and third best-selling nameplates in the world are both SUVs — the RX and NX. 

“The world’s in a bit of a shift at the moment, but certainly SUV seems to be where it’s at. So we’re just reviewing the SUV line-up across New Zealand for the next two or three years to see what options we’ve got,” said Davis.