Lexus Electrified Sport headed Down Under

LEXUS will bring its Electrified Sport concept Down Under for the first time when it serves as the brand’s halo car at the Landmark by Lexus pavilion at this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival from November 4 to 11.

The all-electric, high-performance was unveiled in 2021 as an exercise to “exploit the design freedoms (and) performance and handling potential provided by an all-electric drivetrain”.

Lexus Australia chief executive John Pappas said the vehicle will provide an opportunity for car enthusiasts to gain a glimpse of the stunning, all-electric super-coupe.

“The future of mobility is electrified, and the Lexus Electrified Sport is an absolutely breathtaking representation of what a next-generation flagship Lexus supercar will be like, and the type of exciting BEVs Lexus will offer,” he said.

“Lexus Electrified Sport makes a statement about where Lexus is heading, and you can see why we are so excited about our future.”

The Japanese importer says the car is a “proof point to exciting times ahead” as it pushes towards a dedicated battery electric future and claims the model’s dynamics are honed by extracting the advantages of electrification, with Lexus engineers able to “tune vehicle response to be linear, progressive and even more faithful to the driver’s input”.

It is expected that a production version of the Electrified Sport will succeed the current Lexus LC flagship coupe and convertible, which was previewed by the LF-LC concept that made an Australian appearance at the Melbourne Cup in 2012.

According to its designers, the Lexus Electrified Sport concept features a classic cab-backward coupe silhouette with a dynamically sloping bonnet and rear end, sitting low to the ground to offer the lowest centre of gravity possible.

It is characterised by a unique representation of the Lexus Spindle body, formed from the shape of the large front aero splitter, dynamic headlights and bonnet line, with air channelled through the front aero ducts and out via channels on the bonnet.

Additionally, blue brake callipers sit behind large black alloy wheels, with further aero enhancements running along the doors, sills and behind the cabin. A two-tone black roof matches the wheels and bumpers, and tapers smoothly to the rear of the vehicle where the spindle shape is again referenced and framed by a massive rear diffuser.

Not content to go it alone at Flemington, the Lexus Electrified Sport will be accompanied by the Yaris Cross-based LBX SUV ahead of its local debut in the first half of 2024. The model is confirmed as offering a 1.3-litre petrol/electric hybrid powertrain Lexus says is “perfect for those with active urban lifestyles”.

VIPs will also be ferried to and from Flemington in Lexus LM people movers ahead of the model’s official Australian launch later this year or early next.

Lexus Australia says it is on track for all new vehicles sold locally to feature an intelligent electrified powertrain – either hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or fully-electric (BEV) – by the end of this decade.