Lexus to preview design direction for EVs with new concept

Current Lexus models have some of the biggest grilles of any vehicle in production, with the design, known as the spindle grille, having grown to become a signature trait of the brand.

But battery-electric vehicles don’t require huge openings at the front so Lexus has decided to rethink how it can redefine its brand-defining grille as it prepares to rollout EVs.

We’ll get a preview of the new look for Lexus’ future EVs via a concept set to be unveiled this spring. Lexus revealed a new teaser shot of the concept on Monday, which looks to show the vehicle’s rear. An earlier shot showed the front of the concept, which looks to feature a sealed-off spindle grille forming the front fascia. We’ve already been given a taste of the design direction with 2019’s LF-30 Electrified concept.

The new concept’s reveal will mark the arrival of a new generation of Lexus design, with the first production model shaped under the new design principles to also debut in 2021. The production model is expected to be a large crossover SUV similar to 2018’s LF-1 Limitless concept, and it may not be an EV.

Lexus currently sells a battery-electric UX compact crossover SUV outside the United States but has been quiet on its plans for EVs here. What we do know is that future EVs (and hybrids) from Lexus will feature an all-wheel-drive system with highly precise torque vectoring made possible via the use of electric motors.