In a conversation with Automotive News, Lexus USA general manager Jeff Bracken said the brand is now considering an fully electric vehicle:
Lexus began considering EVs after the Paris show in September, during which European luxury rivals pushed the technology. Mercedes-Benz announced it would launch 10 new EVs by 2025.
“It was amazingly focused,” Bracken said of the 2016 Paris show’s EV aura. “Subsequent to that show, from my standpoint, we began conversations with our product planners.”
“I think we’d have our head buried in the sand if we didn’t thoroughly study all electric,” Bracken said. “You definitely have to do that.”
This marks a dramatic departure, as Lexus has historically focused on gasoline-electric hybrids and appears to be moving toward a fuel cell future. That said, parent company Toyota has also changed their stance recently, setting up a team that is expected to develop an electric car by 2020.