Yahoo Autos Lexus RZ Sport Concept headlines Tokyo Auto Show concept quintet
Lexus heads to this weekend's 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon and Tokyo Outdoor Show with concepts aiming to show the brand balancing sporty, rough-and-tumble, and eco-conscious with trademark luxury. The keynote speaker is the RZ Sport Concept, Lexus' new battery-electric crossover getting a heavy tune from racing driver and Lexus development engineer Masahiro Sasaki. That racing connection adds some context for the looks and an output nearly 100 horsepower greater than the RZ this is based on. The production RZ produces 308 horsepower from two motors powering the Direct4 all-wheel-drive system. The RZ Sport Concept gets 402 horses from its two motors.
Custom aero parts from front to back make the RZ's intentions clear. There's a custom front fascia with exposed carbon fiber surrounds for the intakes, plus a black hood showing two giant ducts. Wheel arch extensions and new rocker panels add 3.5 inches to the width, the body lowered 1.4 inches on a custom suspension over 21-inch Volk Racing wheels wrapped in 295/35 tires. And check out the WRC-worthy double-up carbon fiber rear wings hovering above the rear glass, helping add three inches of overall length compared to the production RZ.
The Hakugin exterior is based on a white hue "that produces a delicate shining texture when illuminated." The only detail we're given about the interior is that there are four bucket seats. That seems bittersweet for occupants, traveling in such comfort over such a short distance. Lexus didn't provide a range figure, but the mods and a quartet of tires wider than the 235/35 Michelins on the 395-hp Lexus RC F will cleave the production RZ's 225-mile estimated range. Besides, anything this angry cannot help but burn through its candle quickly.
