Lexus has revealed an all-new ES prototype at the Shanghai auto show, marking the first time the now eighth-generation sedan has been offered with the choice of a battery-electric powertrain.
Set to launch across “various regions” by the middle of 2026, the Toyota Camry-based luxury model will sport a completely overhauled design, similar in style to its more affordable sibling with new front and rear bumpers, a new front grille and fresh LED headlights.
Where it departs, however, is its unique panelling and indentations along the doors, as well as its rear LED tail-light bar, which now bears L-E-X-U-S branding.
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Updates to the interior are even more significant, with the cabin now headlined by two huge screens for multimedia and passenger functions while the driver also gets their own digital display.
Things are kept relatively minimalist with few physical controls (except for the gear selector and air-conditioning), with plenty of premium and soft-touch materials, a huge panoramic sunroof, a brand new steering wheel design and ambient lighting.
The new ES is 165mm longer, 55mm wider, 110mm taller (115mm for BEV variants) and has a 80mm larger wheelbase than its current generation. The changes now make it considerably larger than the rival Audi A6 or BMW 5 Series.
Four variants will be offered – two hybrid and two electric. The line-up kicks off with the ES 300h, which will be offered in front- (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations.
It carries a 2.0-litre, in-line, four-cylinder engine as standard, delivering 145kW on the FWD or 148kW on the AWD, matched with an electronic continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The ES350h steps up to a 2.5-litre in-line four petrol engine, with power peaking at 185kW (up 37kW).
Lexus has yet to detail exactly what will underpin the battery-electric variants, which will include a single-motor, FWD ES 350e, or a dual-motor, AWD ES 500e.
We know power will peak on both variants at 165kW and 252kW, respectively, while range is quoted at approximately 685km on the ES 350e and 615km on the ES 500e.
Lexus has sold 202 examples of its ES in Australia to March this year, a decline of 22.3 per cent compared to the same period last year.
In Australia, it remains less popular than a BMW 5 Series (263 sales) but more popular than an Audi A6 (49 sales).
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