Lexus' Boss Speaks Out On EVs, Hybrids, Autonomous Driving And WHERE The Brand Is Going

Unless you're absolutely tone deaf, it's clear as day that the automotive landscape is evolving rapidly. It's as if the schism we witnessed a handful of years ago, where buyers decided they wanted sporty things, has split yet again.

Now buyers are craving anything Tesla and anything with lots of space — pick ups and sport-utility vehicles of all flavors. 

But, if you're a company like Toyota that sells in volume, how do you best adjust for that? And if you're the leader of the company's luxury division, Lexus, how do you meet the high-end customer's needs? In an interview with Autocar, the company's boss, Yoshihiro Sawa, discussed Lexus' approach.

What I think you'll all find interesting about this particular interview is how candid Sawa is. This is a "no BS" approach that is something not too often in the automotive sector. Below are two main excerpts.

For the FULL interview, click "Read Article," below.


...“Our philosophy is to provide freedom of movement, so we have to develop technology on all fronts,” said Sawa. “We understand that electric is very necessary, but we can also see that full EV will not suit everyone. You can’t make an electric Land Cruiser work, for instance, and there are people in remote parts of the world whose lives depend on that car."

“EVs currently require a long charging time and batteries that have an environmental impact at manufacture and degrade as they get older. And then, when battery cells need replacing, we have to consider plans for future use and recycling. It's a much more complex issue than the current rhetoric perhaps suggests. I prefer to approach the future in a more honest way..."

TheSteve - 8/12/2018 11:53:07 PM

+4 Boost

I miss the days when the worst thing you could say about Lexus was "they're styling is too conservative." :-/

I'll take conservative styling over heinous, any day.

TomM - 8/12/2018 11:57:32 PM

+4 Boost

The front end of these cars - the cow catcher as I have called it - is just plain hideous. And as they move on - it get to look even more like a caricature of itself - looking even worse in person. I realize that it is nice that Lexus hires BLIND stylists for their cars - but I would suggest they attempt to minimize that look going forward. While I am not in the market for a 2nd tier Luxury car - and would probably buy a Buick first - Both the Infiniti and Lexus now look like cartoon vehicles and I would not even go to their showrooms. I will - however - be visiting a Mercedes dealership this coming week.

EVisNow - 8/13/2018 1:36:32 AM

-9 Boost

"You can’t make an electric Land Cruiser work, for instance, and there are people in remote parts of the world whose lives depend on that car."

Typical defense of a laggard - there is always the last "critical" few percent that hold back development for the larger population who are ready to adopt EV. The simple truth is Toyota as well as many other legacy automakers can't afford to build EV for the masses in fear of killing their own ICE technology. Toyota is on borrowed time.

MDarringer - 8/13/2018 8:01:59 AM

+4 Boost

Let's see who else used the term "laggard" recently.....

Your response is full of incalculable idiocy.

TomM - 8/13/2018 8:17:33 AM

+7 Boost

There is still no evidence that a huge population is ready to adopt EVs. On the contrary - they are adopting Crossovers and SUVs in Mass market numbers. Even the sale of Hybrids is tailing off as more and more become available.

It will not be until we have several choices of manufacturers - and choices of vehicles from Sedans to Crossovers - that actually look like regular cars - instead of cartoons drawn by children - that we will have an idea. However - based on what we see today - about 5-7% of the market is in EVs - and that is not enough to support all the coming models profitably

Deutschland - 8/13/2018 9:41:43 AM

+10 Boost

He was telling the truth..The Land Cruiser is a vehicle designed to go offroad on difficult terrain and navigate crappy roads in Africa.

Have you been to Africa? I have and rest assured most countries there don't have the infrastructure to support electric vehicles. They need reliable and durable vehicles in Africa which the Land Cruiser is one such vehicle

I'm not a Japanese car guy but standing that Toyota is living on borrowed time when your beloved Tesla isn't even profitable is just bizarre.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 8/13/2018 8:20:44 AM

+2 Boost

Styling is beside the point, but to me, this was a great read because the new leader gave very candid, simple answers to how they see the market. ICE, hybrid, BEV, Hydrogen, etc will all play a role and will there may be some vehicles that can be adapted for all these powertrains, others may not be. Fluid and changing are the best way to describe the situation they are trying to deal with. Not easy when you are running a global car company and making billion-dollar bets on plants and products and technologies 5-10 years down the road.

Agent00R - 8/13/2018 9:18:47 AM

0 Boost

Well said and exactly why I chose to share this piece.

EVisNow - 8/13/2018 11:10:01 AM

-6 Boost

Some called it candid, I call it bullshit. Many of Sawa's comments regarding the drawbacks of EV were already soundly debunked many times, some were listed by commenters in the linked article. What I found disingenuous about his comments was the poor excuse with the Land Cruiser being an offroader is reason for Lexus not to pursue EV - it's pure bullshit especially coming from a Japanese.

Land Rover arguably a more famous maker of off road vehicles did not need this kind of excuse. With their tiny overall market share, JLR is well on its way to produce EV for its lineup. Same can be said about MB and VAG, their EV plans are on - without their "Land Cruisers" excuse.

OneOfOne - 8/13/2018 10:40:34 AM

+3 Boost

tesla is just an over discussed failing company. nobody wants ev's right now because they are too limited in performance. lexus doesnt even trust using its own heritage in its advertising since it has the standard asian fetish of wanting to be caucasian and discards their own japanese legacy. until they can focus on something originating from japan with pride and direction they will be just another american focused dandelion in the auto world. and if you think my comment about their cultural focus is wrong then you dont know how asians see themselves in their native lands relative to the world. also you should note their ridiculous 'stiff upper lip british' narrative in their tv ads.

Truthy - 8/13/2018 12:12:42 PM

+1 Boost

Also worth noting, the raw materials used to make these advanced batteries are in limited. If EVs grow significantly beyond their current market share the economies of scale will be wiped away by raw material shortages.
Cobalt prices for example, have quadrupled in the last year.