Lexus is working on a mid-size electric SUV with a third row of seats, and recent trademark activity may point to the vehicle being called the TZ.
A user on the Lexus RX Owners forum has discovered that Toyota in July filed trademark applications for the TZ designation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
Among the trademarks were the names “Lexus TZ 450e” and “Lexus TZ 550e.”
Lexus has already launched its first dedicated EV in the form of the 2023 RZ crossover, whose pricing and positioning are similar to the RX five-seat crossover.
Similarly, the TZ may be positioned alongside the new 2024 Lexus TX, a gas-powered mid-size SUV with third-row seats.
Lexus hasn’t said when it plans to launch its three-row electric SUV, but we already have a good of how it may look.
Toyota shocked the automotive world in the closing days of 2021 by confirming plans to launch 30 electric vehicles by 2030, many of which are to wear a Lexus badge.
Late in 2021, Lexus previewed many of the vehicles with the reveal of some thinly veiled concept versions, one of which was a three-row SUV dubbed the Lexus Electrified SUV concept.
The trademark filings may also indicate Lexus’ naming strategy for its upcoming EVs. In addition to the three-row SUV, Lexus is known to be working on an IS-like sport sedan that may end up as the IZ. An LFA-inspired supercar is also planned, possibly as the LFZ.
Under new Toyota President Koji Sato, Lexus is the focus of the company’s EV push. The plan is to make zero-emission vehicles, which includes hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, 100% of Lexus’ sales in the U.S., Europe, and China by 2030, and the rest of the world by 2035.
