Tag Archives: Lexus

By any reasonable measure, 2025 was a banner year for Lexus. The Toyota luxury arm closed the books with 882,231 global deliveries, the best annual result in its history and a tidy 4-percent improvement over 2024. In a luxury market that’s still wobbling between EV uncertainty and SUV saturation, Lexus didn’t just survive—it quietly thrived.

And it did so the old-fashioned way: by selling a lot of vehicles people actually want.

North America Does the Heavy Lifting

If there’s a single takeaway from Lexus’s 2025 performance, it’s this: America (and Canada) still love their Lexus SUVs. North America accounted for a massive 408,070 sales, up nearly 8 percent year over year, and almost half of Lexus’s global volume.

The usual suspects did most of the work. The RX, NX, and TX—three flavors of plush, reliable, family-friendly crossovers—were the backbone of that growth. None of them are headline-grabbing supercars or radical EVs, but together they form one of the most commercially bulletproof lineups in the luxury space.

While Europe slipped slightly, dropping about 2.3 percent to 80,686 units, Lexus didn’t seem to mind. Its real momentum came from regions that matter for scale and stability.

Asia Holds Steady, China Stays Strong

Across Asia, Lexus sold 237,946 vehicles, essentially flat but impressively resilient in a market that’s becoming brutally competitive—especially in China. There, Lexus moved 182,458 units, edging up just enough to show that traditional premium brands can still coexist with fast-moving domestic EV startups.

Japan, meanwhile, ticked up to 87,418 sales, boosted by a combination of home-market loyalty and the brand’s 20th anniversary celebrations. It’s not explosive growth, but for a mature luxury marque, slow and steady is exactly what you want.

Elsewhere, Lexus quietly picked up momentum in Oceania (+6.7 percent), the Middle East (+1.4 percent), and even Africa (+18.8 percent)—small numbers, sure, but signs of a brand that’s expanding its footprint in every corner of the globe.

Tech, Electrification, and a New Lexus Attitude

Sales numbers alone don’t tell the full story of why Lexus is riding high. 2025 was also the year the brand began pivoting more decisively into its next-generation electrified era.

The fully redesigned ES, positioned as a cornerstone of Lexus’s future lineup, introduced a new design and tech philosophy aimed at blending comfort with electrified efficiency. Meanwhile, the new RZ debuted steer-by-wire, a bold move that suggests Lexus is finally ready to get experimental with its EVs.

At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, Lexus doubled down on that forward-looking attitude, showing off a slate of concept cars and unveiling a new brand message: “DISCOVER.” It’s corporate-speak, sure—but it also signals a shift from Lexus’s traditionally conservative image toward something more emotionally driven and experience-focused.

A Quietly Confident Luxury Powerhouse

Lexus didn’t top the headlines in 2025 with wild performance EVs or ultra-luxury flagships. Instead, it did something arguably harder: it grew in a complicated, transitional market by selling well-engineered, desirable vehicles across nearly every region on Earth.

With record global sales, a reinvigorated product plan, and a clearer vision for electrification, Lexus enters 2026 not as a legacy brand playing defense—but as one that’s increasingly confident about what comes next.

And if this is what Lexus looks like while playing it safe, its more adventurous future might be worth paying attention to.

Source: Lexus

News

Toyota’s 2025 Sales Surge Proves Pragmatism Still Wins in America

January 11, 2026 Francis Mitterrand

In a year when the auto industry continued to argue about EV adoption rates, pricing pressure, and what Americans really want to drive, Toyota quietly did what it does best: sell a lot of cars. Toyota Motor North America wrapped up 2025 with U.S. sales totaling 2,518,071 vehicles, an 8.0 percent increase over 2024, reinforcing the idea that consistency, affordability, and broad appeal still matter more than hype.

Nearly half of those vehicles—47 percent, to be exact—were electrified. Toyota moved 1.18 million electrified vehicles in 2025, marking a 17.6 percent jump year over year. That number includes hybrids, plug-ins, and EVs, and it underscores Toyota’s long-standing strategy of betting on gradual electrification rather than an all-in EV gamble. The result? Strong growth without alienating traditional buyers.

A Strong Finish, Even with an Electrified Pause

The fourth quarter told a slightly more nuanced story. Toyota sold 652,195 vehicles, up 8.1 percent, but electrified sales dipped 1.9 percent compared to Q4 2024. That mild slowdown carried into December, when overall sales climbed 10.3 percent, yet electrified vehicles were essentially flat on a volume basis.

That’s less a warning sign and more a reality check. Toyota’s hybrid-heavy portfolio continues to outperform pure EV strategies in a market where charging infrastructure and pricing still matter. Buyers may be pausing on full electrification, but they’re clearly not pausing on Toyotas.

Toyota Brand: The Main Engine Keeps Pulling

The Toyota division did most of the heavy lifting, finishing the year with 2,147,811 vehicles sold, up 8.1 percent. December alone saw an 11.8 percent increase, proof that staples like the Camry, Corolla, and RAV4 remain deeply entrenched in American driveways.

The formula isn’t complicated: recognizable nameplates, proven reliability, and pricing that still dips below the psychologically important $30,000 mark. Throw in a redesigned Tacoma and a hybrid RAV4 that continues to sell itself, and Toyota’s success feels less surprising and more inevitable.

Lexus: Quiet Confidence in the Luxury Lane

Lexus may not grab headlines the way German luxury brands do, but its numbers tell a compelling story. The brand posted 370,260 sales in 2025, up 7.1 percent, with steady quarterly growth and a modest December bump.

Luxury buyers are increasingly tech-focused and electrification-curious, and Lexus appears to be threading that needle without overreaching. Its growth suggests that a calm, quality-first approach still resonates in a segment often obsessed with performance stats and screen size.

The Bigger Picture

Toyota’s 2025 performance reinforces a lesson the industry keeps relearning: Americans value choice. Not everyone wants a full EV. Not everyone can afford one. Toyota’s mix of hybrids, gas-powered stalwarts, and selective electrification gives buyers options—and it’s paying off.

As Andrew Gilleland, Toyota Motor North America’s senior vice president of Automotive Operations, summed it up, affordability and accessibility remain central to the brand’s momentum. In a market chasing the next big thing, Toyota’s biggest strength may be its refusal to abandon what already works.

And judging by the numbers, it’s working just fine.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

Lexus Turns Up the Heat with the 420-HP RZ 600e F Sport Performance

December 25, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

If you thought Lexus had finished sharpening the RZ, think again. Just when the electric crossover was settling into its role as the brand’s polite, tech-forward EV, Lexus has gone back to the tool chest and come out swinging—this time for its home market. The refreshed RZ lineup has landed in Japan, and it brings with it a new flagship that sounds far more like an F-badged provocation than a luxury appliance: the RZ 600e F Sport Performance.

Yes, that’s a mouthful. But it’s also the most powerful, most aggressively styled RZ yet, and it finally gives Lexus’s electric SUV some genuine bite.

Carbon Fiber and Intent

The visual message is unmistakable. The RZ 600e F Sport Performance lifts its carbon-fiber body kit wholesale from the limited-run RZ 450e F Sport Performance launched in 2024—a model that was itself a toned-down echo of the 2023 RZ Sport Concept. In other words, Lexus already knew this look worked. Now it’s bringing it back without the collector-only production cap.

The kit is extensive and unapologetic. A vented hood sits above a more aggressive front splitter, while wider fenders sprout integrated aero extensions. The side skirts are reshaped for airflow management, and at the rear you’ll find a serious diffuser capped by a two-piece wing that looks more Nürburgring than Narita. This isn’t subtle design theater; it’s Lexus signaling that this RZ wants to be noticed—and maybe driven hard.

Buyers get two color options: Neutrino Gray or Hakugin II, both contrasted with black paint, exposed carbon fiber, and blue accenting. The look is completed by 21-inch matte-black Enkei wheels, hiding larger 20-inch brakes with six-piston aluminum monoblock calipers up front. Lexus didn’t just dress this thing up; it gave it hardware to match the outfit.

Lower, Louder, Faster (Well, Quicker)

Underneath, the changes go deeper. Compared with the RZ 550e F Sport—the mechanical baseline for this model—the suspension has been lowered by 20 mm (about 0.8 inch). That drop, combined with revised tuning, should take some of the crossover out of this crossover.

More importantly, Lexus reworked the dual-motor setup to deliver a combined 420 horsepower. That makes the RZ 600e the most powerful RZ ever and puts it ahead of its platform siblings, the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, neither of which have ever felt particularly eager.

The payoff is measurable. Lexus claims a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) sprint of 4.4 seconds, which is properly quick for an electric SUV that isn’t trying to cosplay as a supercar. Power comes from the familiar 77-kWh battery pack, good for a claimed range of up to 525 km (326 miles) on Japan’s test cycle. No, it won’t rewrite the EV record books, but the balance between performance and range looks more convincing than before.

A Yoke, a Wire, and a Point to Prove

Inside, Lexus continues to double down on its most controversial idea: the yoke steering wheel. Paired with the brand’s steer-by-wire system, the yoke remains a defining feature of the RZ F Sport models, and it’s standard here. Love it or hate it, Lexus clearly believes this is part of the RZ’s identity.

Adding to the driver-focused pitch is what Lexus calls “Interactive Manual Drive,” a system that simulates stepped gear changes in an EV. It’s the sort of feature that sounds faintly ridiculous until you remember that driving involvement isn’t always about mechanical necessity—it’s about feel. If nothing else, Lexus is trying something different, and that counts for something in an EV landscape that often feels homogenous.

The rest of the cabin leans into the F Sport Performance theme with blue accents across the dashboard and Ultrasuede-trimmed sport seats. It’s familiar Lexus quality with a slightly louder voice.

Not Just a One-Off

Unlike the 2024 RZ 450e F Sport Performance, which was capped at just 100 units, the new 600e will not be production-limited. It goes on sale in Japan on March 2, 2026, priced at ¥12,165,000 (about $78,100) in Black with Neutrino Gray, or ¥12,440,000 ($79,900) in the more distinctive Black and Hakugin II combination. That’s serious money, but Lexus is clearly positioning this as a halo model rather than a volume play.

Whether it ever reaches markets outside Japan remains an open question—and a slightly frustrating one.

The Rest of the RZ Grows Up

The headline-grabbing 600e isn’t the only news. Lexus has updated the entire RZ lineup, including the RZ 350e Version L, RZ 500e Version L, and RZ 550e F Sport. Across the board, buyers get more power, better efficiency, and a revised charging system.

Depending on configuration, claimed range now spans from 579 km to 733 km (360 to 456 miles), and the familiar single- and dual-motor setups remain, paired with 75-kWh or 77-kWh battery packs. The F Sport models keep their visual differentiation and the yoke-and-wire steering setup, ensuring continuity within the lineup.

Pricing in Japan starts at ¥7,900,000 ($52,000) for the front-wheel-drive RZ 350e Version L and climbs to ¥9,500,000 ($63,000) for the all-wheel-drive RZ 550e F Sport. There’s also an optional “Performance Upgrade Boost + Interactive Manual Drive” package for ¥220,000 ($1,500), which bumps peak output and adds the simulated manual control.

The Takeaway

The RZ 600e F Sport Performance feels like Lexus finally letting its electric crossover show some attitude. It’s quicker, lower, louder in design, and more willing to experiment with how an EV should feel from behind the wheel. It won’t convert every skeptic, and the yoke will remain polarizing, but this is the most convincing argument yet that Lexus wants the RZ to be more than just a luxury EV with good manners.

Now the real question is whether Lexus has the nerve to bring it beyond Japan. If it does, the RZ might finally earn a spot on the enthusiast radar—rather than just the spec sheet.