Lexus EV conspiracy theories

Some news on the iQ EV on it actually coming back. Singulato has licensed the iQ, minus drive train, from Toyota for the Chinese market. They're adding their own EV drive train with more powerful motor and much longer range.
Did You Think The Toyota EQ Was Dead? Meet The Singulato iC3 Electric City Car

Part of the deal is that Toyota can buy the green car credits from iC3 sales. Guess that means they need to sell less UX300e's for 'testing' there.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singulato doesn't seem to be much of an EV company. They currently make just one SUV at the moment, and appear to have legal troubles.
Singulato iS6 Electric SUV Debuts With 249-Mile Range
China Bans EV Startup Singulato Motors, Its Founder From High-Level Consumption

Licensing the iQ body and bits except the engine and transmission is a quick way of getting another model out. Even old, it might be better in some aspects than the little cars put out by other Chinese companies.

Technically, the name was eQ. Kind of clever, I thought, but Toyota went with iQ EV for the US. Considering the car's fate, the eQ name may not have been registered outside of Japan.

 

That isn't the question. It is really a what-about, since those assessments are subjective and the measures selective.

2,987 were purchased in Europe from when rollout began to year-end (about 9 months of sales). The speculated purpose is indeed being fulfilled. Gathering data from real-world operation has taken place. Confirmation that all is established before taking the next step is priceless... and very much the Toyota way. Remember, they were the ones who pioneered and has been a leader on continuous improvement.

Last week, news from Toyota's development center was that battery-cost from UX300e to bZ4X will be reduced by 40%.

 

Maybe they just got paid whatever fees they asked for.

Yes, the EV bit of this reborn eQ is much better. I was referring to the other bits of the car; suspension, steering, etc.. Toyota may not have much of a performance rep, but I'm guessing the driving feel of this car could be better other competitors.

So they made a car with worse specs than the competition for higher price to give their sales network a little practice. I don't think Toyota needed actual sales to know the car was over priced for what it delivered.

The ID.4 has been out just a few months longer, and most months sales were over 4,000. If VW is too pedestrian to compare to Lexus, the Polestar 2's 2021 sales will likely break 15,000.
Volkswagen ID.4 European auto sales figures
Polestar 2 European sales figures

Continual improvements is easy when starting at the bottom.

And how much does the UX300e battery cost?

This just supports what has been said here. That liquid cooled packs are cheaper than air cooled ones that need a more expensive chemistry. Liquid cooled also makes the thinner pack claim for the bZ4X easier to accomplish.

 

Clearly, you didn't read what I posted.

 

Maybe restate because that's the way I understood what you were saying in prior posts.
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How would battery chemistry and data gathering apply to the dealer or salespeople?

 

I think these posts cover the gist of it.

So the UX300e is specced to appeal to only a subset of people. Those that are Toyota/Lexus faithful willing to pay the premium for it, and those willing to wait for the 'cash on the hood' to bring the price down closer to comparable competitors. Aside from someone that wants an EV now, and all the others are sold out, those are the only groups I see getting an UX300e with its price and specs.

It has been on sale in China for about 20 months now, or twice as long as in Europe. Toyota has already started putting out details on the bZ4X, and we should hear more soon. Any data collected on the UX's battery systems of value to the bZ4X development must have come out pretty quick. If at all, seeing as Toyota is going with a different battery type and cooling system. Aside from input from dealers, that just leaves impressions from the owners in Europe, which is something that they are probably gathering for all car models.

The UX300e is starting to sound a bit like the ELR. Cadilac, like everyone, was caught off guard by Tesla's success. They dressed up the Volt to get some plug in out fast, but quickly realized it wouldn't stand up to a Model S. So the ELR was limited to a short production run.

Toyota needs EVs for the Chinese market, or risk being kicked out. So they make an electric version of the UX. By the time it reaches market, or before, Toyota sees it isn't competitive. So they are already going in a different direction in terms of batteries for the bZ series before the UX300e has a chance to build a presence in the market.

Missed this first time around.

The 70% capacity limit is standard for for most BEV warranties. By a quick look, it seems others are at 8 yrs, so 10 is a bit better. Why the 1 million kilometers? Why not just say unlimited, as you'd have to have annual miles of over 60k to reach it in 10 years?

Then there is the fine print, "Lexus is offering a 10-year (or up to 1,000,000 km) extended care on all functional defects of the BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) main battery and capacity degradation below 70%, provided that the regular health checks foreseen in the maintenance program are executed through the Lexus network. By default, a manufacturer warranty of 8 years (or 160,000 km) will apply, in case of degradation of the EV battery capacity retention below 70%."
UX 300e: The first all-electric Lexus | Lexus Europe
Australia gets 8yr/160,000km. Though that is extended by 2 years with regular health checks. The Model 3 SR/RWD is also 8yr/160k. The ones with the bigger battery up the distance to 192k. The Model S and X get 240 km.
LEXUS COMPLETES UX 300e LEADING OWNERSHIP PACKAGE WITH PRICING AND WARRANTY CONFIRMATION | Lexus
Vehicle Warranty | Tesla Europe

The 1 million km battery warranty is marketing.

 

Toyota's standard "Extended Warranties" (VSAs) contail similar terms requiring regular service. An odd requirement too is that they provide a no-deductible if you get service from the VSA-selling dealer to discourage discounts. I can sell at a lower price if I never expect to have to provide the no-deductible ($100 per visit).

 

It is a battery health check done by Lexus needed for the extended battery warranty. In Australia, it is needed annually, starting at the fifth year. It is no charge there. Rechecking the site shows the km cap becomes unlimited with these check ups. the Europe link doesn't mention it being complimentary or not.

With a 5 year old car, I'd rather go to an independent shop for basic maintenance, or do it my self.

 

saw an ad for the new lexus bev during the olympics.

seems like only yesterday they were mocking them

 

i didn't pay attention. how many models will be available this year?

 

It does give Toyota a face-saving way to redirect their hydrogen fuel cell technology away from passenger cars. Hummmm, how about large tractor trailers suitable for gasoline and diesel delivery?

Bob Wilson

 

Another piece of that puzzle has been revealed. For those paying attention, it appeared as though Toyota had more at play than they were letting on. In fact, it resembled what we saw early with Prius. Looking for that pattern is quite reasonable too, since their approach was so successful in the past.

Toyota sold UX300e to find out how much potential an entirely new BEV would have before producing one. UX300e is basically a mule in disguise. It wouldn't have liquid-cooling or a CCS port, but propulsion components of their first dedicated-platform were utilized... collecting real-world data by actual owners... well in advance of any "bZ" rollout.

Long story short, the unexplainably short range was intentional. Just like we saw the way Prius was designed, there was engineering in place that wouldn't be taken advantage of until years later. In this case, UX300e can support greater range. It wasn't a hurried squeeze attempt as many had speculated. Turns out, not only can it accommodate 72.8 kWh, it will in Q2 of 2023. There's a mid-cycle upgrade on the way.

That identical capacity to bZ4X isn't just a wild coincidence. Toyota has had a partnership with CATL for years. It makes sense they had been quietly assembling a puzzle all along, not revealing plans. In such a highly competitive & volatile market, there's a lot more benefit to quietly playing the game than to hype about winning.