Lexus has once again confirmed that the upcoming full-electric UX 300e will not be coming to North America, this time in an Automotive News interview with brand president Koji Sato:
Automotive News: Lexus launches its first EV, the UX 300e compact SUV, at the end of this year in Europe. Where else is this car going?
Sato: China, Japan and some Asian countries. But the main focus is Europe and China because of high demand and [emissions] regulations.
Why not the U.S.?
We sell UX in the U.S., but there is no plan to introduce an EV variant because there is no demand there and the regulation situation is different. Our fundamental strategy for electrified technology is “Right place, right timing, right price.”
This remains a disappointing decision from the brand, as even a token allotment of vehicles for the North American market may have been enough to generate some positive momentum given the current lull in new product from the brand.
Sato also discusses the Lexus strategy regarding new SUVs and crossovers:
What share of Lexus sales are SUVs and will the share continue to grow?
Globally, SUVs account for about 65 percent of our sales…We think this trend will continue for another five years or so but after that, maybe SUVs will be on the ropes and people will want something new. We need to prepare for something other than the SUV over the next 10 years. The LF30 concept is one proposal for that.
Your SUVs are quite traditional in terms of body style, while your German competitors are offering a growing range of SUV coupes. Will Lexus also join this niche?
We will not expand our vehicle lineup to fit the trend.
Discussion