Quality, durability, and reliability will remain a top priority for Lexus even as it transitions into the electric age with more technologically advanced vehicles like the new RZ 450e electric crossover.
Recently, Lexus emerged as the brand with the highest rating for vehicle reliability in the JD Power 2023 US Vehicle Dependability Study, with the NX and RX named winners in the luxury compact SUV and midsize luxury SUV segments.
At the press launch of the RZ 450e electric vehicle in France this week, we asked Yushi Higashiyama, an assistant chief engineer involved in the development of the Lexus RZ, how Lexus plans to maintain its incredibly high standards for quality and reliability in the electric vehicle era.
- For Team Lexus, it starts with the same mindset and philosophy long before the car hits showrooms.
- When asked about the steps that were taken to ensure high-quality standards for electric vehicles, Higashiyama said, “When we wanted to create an electric Lexus vehicle. It had to embody all the standards of the Lexus brand. And what happens is, when you start with that mindset, every engineer takes a look at how The embodiment of these core values in the car.”
- For the new RZ, Lexus says the focus on quality and durability can be seen in the RZ's lithium-ion battery, which is guaranteed to retain at least 70 percent of its capacity over 10 years of use.
- This is a worst-case scenario, though the brand says it's "confident" that actual capacity retention will be closer to 90% based on the company's long experience with batteries.
- While we can't accurately assess the RZ's reliability and quality until after it's been on sale for some time, hopefully, it won't succumb to any of the problems that affected its platform sibling, the Toyota bZ4X, which had a problem where its wheels could fall off.
- If Lexus can maintain impeccable quality standards as its electric vehicle range grows, this aspect will continue to set it apart from its fickle German competitors.