The Lexus RZ Sport Concept Is for EV Tuners Who Dare To Dream
With aggressive aero, dual rear wings, and motorsport-inspired tuning, the RZ Sport Concept is the sort of electric car concept we want to see more of.
Lexus brought its wildest electric car concept to the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon over the weekend, the RZ Sport Concept. What started out life as a normal Lexus RZ 450e quickly became a celebration of scoops, vents, and wings. The Lexus RZ Sport Concept isn't an EV for an autonomous future, it's an EV for those who dare to dream of a more exciting one.
The Lexus RZ Sport Concept is not your typical pebble-smooth, ultra-aerodynamic, self-driving electric car concept. I mean, just look at it. It wasn't designed to calm you down but to excite you, to raise your heartrate. It has a widened wheel track, flared fenders, front fender vents, massive hood scoops, and two rear wings. I love that approach—one rear wing is cool but two are better.
In typical Lexus fashion, though, the RZ Sport Concept has an elegant white paint, called 'Hakugin,' that features a delicate shimmer in certain light. That elegant white paint is contrasted by bright blue and black accents and carbon fiber aero. It's equal parts elegance and exuberance.
Under its wild looking skin, the RZ Sport Concept is still based on the RZ 450e production car but uses dual 150 kilowatt (201 horsepower) electric motors. However, its suspension, chassis, and interior have been modified and upgraded under the direction of pro racing driver Masahiro Sasaki. So its suspension is dropped 35 mm, it has bigger wheels and tires, aggressive aero (obviously), and full racing bucket seats, front and rear.
According to Lexus, the RZ Concept is meant to explore the "joy of performance and customization" that is unique to electric cars. There's no word on whether Lexus will turn this wild concept into a production car (a Lexus RZ F, maybe?) but it does sound like Lexus is exploring the idea of offering more performance customization for electric road cars. Either way, it's great to see Lexus getting creative with its RZ and turning what's normally a pretty unexciting electric crossover into a wild, motorsport-inspired concept car.
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