According to Toyota’s Executive VP Yuki Nakajima, Lexus has made the hard decision to skip producing its long-anticipated electric liftback based on the LF-ZC Concept (see video). Evidence suggests the car turned out too advanced for its own good.
To be specific, Toyota planned to produce the next electric Lexus using a patented technology known as GigaCast. It involves fabricating large car body components from light alloys to reduce production costs, in a manner similar to what Tesla and other EV manufacturers have done. The company also invested resources into making the electric powertrain as compact and lightweight as possible in order for the drivers to enjoy their EV on the road.
Nakajima refused to comment on the specific reason behind the production cancellation, but dropped an important hint. According to him, the decision was reached when the company was planning new equipment purchases for retrofitting its assembly lines. It sounds like the investment involved in upgrading the factories might have proven to be too much for Toyota.
Another guess that sounds reasonable to us here at Formacar is that the Chinese EV industry has evolved greatly over the past several years, rendering many technologies of the companies from the rest of the world outdated or even outright obsolete. Launching a production EV based on tech that can’t compete is arguably too high of a risk.
Nakajima said that Lexus intended to use some of the know-hows of the LF-ZC project in its future releases. He declined to comment on the company’s next EV plans.
Back when it debuted, the LF-ZC Concept was introduced as a mid-size liftback with four individual seats. It was 4,750 millimeters (187 inches) long and had a record-low drag ratio of just 0.2 Cd, which Lexus claimed gave it around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of range per charge.