Toyota's luxury vehicle division, founded 1989. Sells cars and SUVs globally under the Lexus name. Known for hybrid drivetrains; expanding into battery-electric with the RZ and TZ models.
A mid-cycle facelift of Lexus's compact SUV, with a stiffened body, variable-ratio steering and a Nürburgring-tuned chassis. The plug-in NX 450h+ gets a bigger 23 kWh battery and DC fast charging for the first time, alongside the self-charging NX 350h hybrid.
Lexus's first three-row electric SUV. Modified TNGA-K platform, AWD Direct4, 408 hp, 95.8 kWh, 530 km WLTP. Six seats. US and Japan launch late 2026; Europe 2027. Pricing not announced.
Lexus revealed a mid-cycle facelift of the NX on 1 September 2026, with a stiffened body, variable-ratio steering and a chassis tuned at the Nürburgring for European roads. The plug-in NX 450h+ gets a 23 kWh battery, 307 hp, and DC fast charging for the first time, while the NX 350h hybrid carries on at 199 hp. European pre-sales open this autumn ahead of an early 2027 launch; the wider rollout across 90-plus countries begins in late 2026.
Toyota is finishing a Lexus factory in Shanghai's Jinshan district, the brand's first production site in China and the first Japanese-owned car plant in the country with no local joint-venture partner. Investment is 14.6 billion yuan ($2.02 billion), capacity around 100,000 cars a year, and production starts in the second half of 2027.
Lexus will update the LS flagship sedan for Japan on September 10, 2026, dropping the non-hybrid V6 in favor of a hybrid-only lineup and trimming the range to three grades. Australia gets the same update toward the end of 2026 and keeps selling the car into 2027. The US drops the LS after the 2026 model year, sending it off with a 250-unit Heritage Edition.
Six powertrains are on sale and three of them are called hybrids. What MHEV, HEV, PHEV, EREV and EV mean, how far each goes on its battery, and how to tell them apart.
Japan's carmakers stay overwhelmingly Japanese-controlled, but the ownership lines are still tangled - Toyota holds minority stakes in three of its own rivals, and Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault are locked into a 25-year cross-shareholding pact that a 2025 Honda-Nissan merger attempt failed to simplify.
Lexus is the luxury arm of Toyota, established in 1989 with a US market focus and now sold globally. The brand built its reputation on hybrid powertrains - the LS600h and RX450h were segment firsts - and has been slower than German rivals to commit to battery-electric, launching its first dedicated EV platform with the RZ in 2023.
The TZ, due in late 2026, is the brand’s first three-row electric SUV and its first model on the updated TNGA-K platform shared with the new Toyota Highlander.
