- Lexus trademarked “TZ 450e” and “TZ 550e” in July 2023, signaling development of a fully electric, three-row SUV
- The TZ is expected to mirror the Lexus TX and Toyota Grand Highlander relationship, this time built on the platform shared by the all-electric 2027 Toyota Highlander and Subaru Getaway
- The TZ 450e could produce 338 horsepower with 300+ miles of range, while the TZ 550e may target around 420 horsepower with a 95.8-kWh battery
In July 2023, Lexus quietly filed trademarks for two names that now make much more sense: TZ 450e and TZ 550e. After Toyota recently revealed the all-new, fully electric 2027 Highlander, those two trademarks suddenly look more significant. Here is what the evidence tells us, and what we think is coming.
Cracking the Code: What “TZ” Actually Means
Lexus naming conventions have never been arbitrary. The “Z” suffix in the Lexus lineup stands for zero emissions, a designation Lexus introduced with the RZ, its first dedicated battery-electric vehicle. Every Lexus bearing a “Z” in its name signals a fully electric powertrain. That part is not speculation – it is established Lexus nomenclature.
The “T” prefix is equally telling. When Lexus launched the TX in 2024, it established “T” as the letter for its large, three-row SUV family. The TX sits above the RX in the lineup and shares its platform, powertrains, and architecture with the Toyota Grand Highlander. It is a more premium take on the same underlying vehicle, dressed in Lexus design and loaded with extra performance and luxury options.
Put those two letters together and the message is unmistakable: the TZ is Lexus’s all-electric, three-row SUV. The same relationship the TX has with the Grand Highlander, the TZ will have with the new electric Highlander.
The TX and Grand Highlander Blueprint
To understand where Lexus is heading with the TZ, it helps to look at how the TX came to be. Lexus has a long tradition of building premium variants on top of Toyota platforms, and the TX and Grand Highlander represent the most recent and direct example of that approach. Both vehicles share TNGA-K platform underpinnings, both offer similar powertrain options ranging from naturally aspirated to hybrid, and both are assembled at the same plant in Princeton, Indiana.
The TZ will almost certainly follow the same playbook, this time anchored to the all-new 2027 Toyota Highlander, Toyota’s first three-row battery-electric vehicle for the U.S. market. Built on a modified TNGA-K platform engineered specifically to accommodate high-capacity battery packs, the new Highlander represents an ideal foundation from which Lexus can build a compelling electric three-row luxury SUV.
Two Powertrains, Two Personalities
The TZ 450e and TZ 550e trademarks point to a two-tier powertrain lineup, and we have a pretty good idea of what each will look like based on the vehicles sharing its platform.
The TZ 450e will likely be the volume seller. The 2027 Highlander AWD produces 338 combined system horsepower from a 95.8-kWh battery with dual electric motors and an estimated range of 320 miles. Those figures are a natural fit for the entry TZ, and the 450e designation mirrors the RZ 450e’s dual-motor AWD setup. Final numbers may vary, but “450e” is also quite similar to the new ES 500e’s 338 horsepower BEV setup, so it’s possible the TZ could have slighly less power, possibly in the range of 275 to 338.
The TZ 550e is where things get more interesting. The 2027 Subaru Getaway, revealed at the New York Auto Show this month, shares the same platform and the identical 95.8-kWh battery pack as the Highlander, yet Subaru stroked the battery tuning for an additional 82 horsepower and a 0 to 60 time of under five seconds. Whether this is a planned product difference between the Highlander and Getaway is unclear, but if Lexus has access to the same batteries, it’s possible the TZ 550e could also come packing 420 horsepower. Giving the TZ 550e a horsepower number north of 400 would also give it a clear relationship to the existing RZ 550e, creating a coherent and easy-to-understand EV hierarchy across the Lexus lineup.
How will it look?
In December 2021, Lexus released a series of electric concepts, one of which was the Electric Crossover Concept… and it looks suspiciously similar to the new Toyota Highlander. Look at the similarity in body panels and overall proportions:
2021 Lexus Electric Crossover Concept:
2027 Toyota Highlander:
We won’t know for sure until Lexus begins releasing teaser images and then the final production design, but with Lexus and Toyota’s recent streak of sharing more than just platforms, it’s plausible to expect that the 2021 Electric Crossover Concept might heavily influence the production design for the Lexus TZ, especially considering the relationship with the new Toyota Highlander.
Lexus TZ Debut
If the TX and Grand Highlander relationship is any guide, expect the TZ to arrive within a model year of the Highlander’s late 2026 on-sale date. That puts a potential reveal in mid-2026 and an on-sale date in 2027 as a reasonable working assumption. When it does arrive, the Lexus TZ will represent the brand’s most important electric vehicle launch yet: a three-row family SUV with genuine luxury credentials, real-world range, and the kind of powertrain breadth to satisfy both the efficiency-minded buyer and the performance-oriented one.
The clues have been there. Now, the pieces are finally falling into place… we just have to wait for Lexus to make it official.
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