On April 20, the new Lexus RZ was launched worldwide (hereinafter referred to as the new RZ) – the first model of the new electrification platform, and the new RZ also opened a new chapter in the electrification of the Lexus brand.
Lexus is the first luxury brand to deeply cultivate electrification technology, as early as 2007 launched the hybrid model RX400h, and with hybrid technology and continuous enrichment of products to lay a unique advantage in the luxury brand camp.
Fifteen years later, the release of the new RZ can be seen as another in-depth reflection on lexus' future electrification technology trends.
The result of Lexus' thinking was that the new RZ was first a Lexus and then a pure electric car — and after experiencing the new RZ at the Goldenport Circuit, it had a deeper understanding of this sentence.
At the first glance of the new RZ, it feels that it is still a familiar Lexus, and it is not like some luxury brands of pure electric vehicles to choose a "deviant" design to show the difference.
The new RZ is designed with "Seamless E-Motion" as the design concept, paying more attention to the sense of movement and harmonious body proportions, and the whole car looks sharp but elegant. But it also needs to be clear that since pure electric vehicles no longer have engines, Lexus' iconic spindle-shaped front grille will also disappear and be replaced by a "spindle-shaped" body based on the front of the car.
The new RZ interior is the cockpit of the Tazuna rein concept, everything is arranged with the driver as the center, and all the operations of the vehicle can be "mastered in one seat". Of course, what stands out is the profile steering wheel. This leads to the new RZ industry-leading technology – Steer by Wire Variable Ratio Electronic Steer-by-Wire – which replaces mechanical connections with electronic signal control and enables the electronic exchange of steering and road information between the wheels and the special-shaped steering wheel.
More importantly, the maximum steering wheel rotation angle of the new RZ is set at about 150 degrees to the left and right. That is to say, even when the vehicle is bent at a large angle or parked, the driver does not have to change hands (at least two or more turns) like operating a circular steering wheel, and it is easy to achieve "full" control of the vehicle by hitting 150 ° to the left and right at most. The biggest benefit of steering-by-wire is that it can make it easier for the driver and make higher-end intelligent assisted driving at your fingertips.
Thanks to the application of the special-shaped steering wheel, the driver can easily read the instrument and HUD related information when looking up naturally, which strengthens the sense of interaction and integration between people and information, allowing the driver to focus more on driving and enjoy the driving pleasure of "human-vehicle integration".
In the eyes of many people, Lexus only launched a model based on a new pure electric platform in 2022, which seems too conservative.
In fact, a brand that spared no effort to start electrification 15 years ago cannot fail to recognize electrification. However, in the face of the "uneven" electric market with technology and products, Lexus adheres to the creed that electric vehicles are not produced for the production of electric vehicles, but to show the unique performance and charm of the Lexus brand through electric vehicles.
Earlier, Kenji Sato, president of Lexus International, said in an interview that electrification technology should have the effect of promoting qualitative change, "'Electrification technology reshapes the car', and we believe that electrification means reshaping people's driving experience."
In a sense, the focus of the electric vehicle defined by Lexus is not whether it is electric, but to reshape the driving texture of the car on the basis of electric drive. Therefore, the core technology of the new RZ is almost all around the "driving control" - in addition to the aforementioned electronic steering-by-wire steering, another technology that stands out is the "DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system".
Direct4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system full name DIRECT4 Wheel Driver Force Control, Lexus Electrification Chief Engineer Watanabe Tsuyoshi explained, "The biggest feature of DIRECT4 technology is the use of the excellent response of the motor, to achieve independent control of the four wheels, thereby improving the dynamic performance of the vehicle."
The DIRECT4 electronic dynamic 4WD system precisely controls the distribution of front and rear wheel drive forces based on information collected by the vehicle's wheel speed, acceleration pedal and steering angle sensors, with a distribution ratio between 0:100 and 100:0. For example, when the vehicle starts and accelerates in a straight line, the front and rear wheel drive force distribution ratio of the system is about 60:40 to 40:60, which can effectively reduce the pitch of the vehicle and bring a more direct sense of acceleration.
Not only that, the DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system can also optimize the distribution of driving force according to changes in driving conditions based on important information such as corner speed and steering angle, so as to achieve excellent handling stability.
When the vehicle enters the corner, the system distributes more driving force to the front wheels (the driving force distribution ratio is between 75:25 and 50:50), and when the cornering, the torque distributed to the rear wheels is increased (the distribution ratio is between 50:50 and 20:80), and this dynamic adjustment of the power can bring excellent handling pleasure to the driver and truly achieve "human-vehicle integration". That's why Lexus calls the new RZ equipped with the DECECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system "a car that can talk to the driver."
As a pure electric vehicle, in addition to electronic switch steering and DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive and other technologies, the new RZ also has its own unique innovation in many aspects. For example, the battery pack preheating system equipped with the new RZ can create the right conditions for battery charging in a short period of time, even in cold areas. Continuous improvement of battery control technology ensures the battery capacity retention rate (10 years of retention rate of up to 90% or more).
Written in the back: With the launch of the new RZ, Lexus electrification strategy has accelerated again, and pure electric models will also accelerate the launch, Lexus International President Sato Kenji said that by 2030, all car series will provide pure electric versions, and 100% pure electrification of all models will be achieved globally in 2035.
The main parameters of the new RZ are included: