Featured Lexus RZ is selling $13,000 below MSRP in Southern California due to inventory surplus

Not my style of vehicle, it is class leading:

• Tesla no longer offers a rear wheel drive Model Y
• Hyundai Kona is very close with both getting 27 kWh/100 mi

Bob Wilson

 

Strange ... an inventory glut? No media running "Sky is falling" drama stories about no one wanting these?

We had the very 1st SUV RX Lexus ... and it was nice ... but blind spots were annoying. Here we are 18yrs later & instead of making visibility better? Now it's just downright troubling.
Very few media outlets seem to want to report positive ev reports - but instead slobber over ways to slant a negative spin.
Thus - it'll be hard to find stories like this;

Tesla Increases Cybertruck Production Run Rate by a Whooping 50% in Three Weeks – Annualized Cybertruck Production Now Seats at 75,000 Units Following a Buttery Smooth Production Ramp | Torque News
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It's literally tough to bite the hand that feeds you - ergo the fluff pieces. Actual accurate investigative media is very difficult these days When you have "influencers" willing to do it for free, just for the click bait... IMHO
I'm too paranoid and have too much range anxiety to go with a BEV. I like camping, hunting, and fishing in remote locations, most places that you can't find a plug - which is the point of the vacation. I'll stick with Hybrids - Thank You....

 

Current inventory at our nearby Toyota dealership; they’re awash in BZ4X:

 

A nice deal if someone was planning on getting a bZ4X. They end up about the same price.

How did the RZ get a better efficiency rating than the bZ4X?

 

Ex-president brand sharpie.

Bob Wilson

 

It depends on what you consider the class. The model Y is back with rwd, tesla keeps changing configurations and pricing rwd nets you 320 miles vs 310 mile range for awd. The one you isn't available the smaller battery awd. For most people it is the highway distance that is most important. Here the tesla is more efficient and has a supercharger network to make long distance travel easier. The lexus appears more efficient on the city test. If you are worried about the cost of electricity and don't take long trips perhaps the lexus is better, this is likely down to the less sticky tires.

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It is not a mystery why the lexus rz is not selling well despite the discounts. My brother bought a lyriq which he thought was more luxurious than the lexus after 19 years with a camry hybrid. He got $10K off the sticker, its less efficient but has a lot more range 314 versus 266 and in georgia not a very different price than the Lyriq. The reason for the discounts is the model Y is priced $10K cheaper than the rz, and gets a tax credit if you qualify. A cousin bought the ioniq 5. The first cousin to follow me into bevs bought a model 3, 4 years ago.

Toyota can bring its costs down in a redesign and bring the range up to the completion. It isn't there yet and with the lexus nx phev and rav4 phev there are better designed lexus/toyota plug-ins that are competitive.

 

Ha I can do one better. A local Subaru dealer has 64 Subaru Solterras. They're knocking $7500 right off the top cash/loan price plus I'm sure they'll deal. The base models, Premium, are about $39000.

Simple answer: The bZ4X FWD has 8.1 inches (206 mm) of ground clearance while the RZ 300e has 7.87 inches (200 mm).

The rest is a mystery. The RZ 300e is FWD only and about 11 lbs heavier than the bZ4X FWD XLE, but Lexus decided to put in a subframe where the rear motor was supposed to be making the car a little stiffer. The bZ4X CD is .279 while the RZ 300e is .29 so that doesn't help. The RZ 300e also has the CATL 72.8 kWh battery while the bZ4X XLE FWD has the PPES 71.4 kWh. Still it raises eyebrows, but I'll go with better more efficient electronics and lighter more expensive materials, since it is an entirely new model. The RZ 300e has power everything including both front seats and rear hatch. The bZ4X FWD XLE has none of these powered nor is that an option.

 

Tesla motors are some of the most efficient available. Lucid is probably the only one better. The Model 3 is almost efficient as your Prime.

It is an entirely new model in the same manner as the Rav4 and NX. It might have gone into production a year later than the bZ4X. Production models were shown at the time bZ4X production started. Reports are the RZ uses the same motors as in the bZ4X.

Don't see how lighter materials will help with the RZ being a little heavier. The AWD to FWD difference in efficiency is worse for the bZ than the RZ. With the CATL battery in the AWD bZ, I don't see that being a contributor to the FWD RZ doing better. Though the 80kW front motor could be less efficient than the 150kW in the test. The reduced frontal area could be doing more than just making up for the increase in drag. The tires could be making some difference.

It is a 2.8% to 5% difference between the two models. Perhaps it is just an illusion brought on by the high starting mpge figures.

 

Apparently Denso developed its first SiC powered inverter which it then stuck in the RZ. It is not present in the bZ4X or Subaru Solterra.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2023/04/20230404-denso.html

While Denso themselves claim a 50% increase in efficiency over the standard inverter, inverter efficiency does not tell the whole story which is why we're seeing only slightly better performance over the FWD bZ4X - 125 MPGe vs 119 MPGe. The RZ is heavier and not as aerodynamic.

The RZ 300e uses the same motor as in the FWD bZ4X, 150 kW. The RZ 450e uses a more powerful front motor (150 kW) than in the bZ4X AWD (80 kW), is significantly heavier, 232 lbs (105 kg) than the bZ4x AWD XLE, is not as aerodynamic yet only loses 8 miles in range with the same 18" tires. Both RZ's do have the split rear spoiler found in only the Limited bZ4X but I question it's contribution.

 

The RZ is 0.6 inches shorter. The reduced frontal area could be making the total drag the same between them.

Toyota swapped which drive train got which battery between the RZ and bZ4X. Which is part of the increased weight. The RZ loses 8 miles while getting a tiny bit more kWh.

I'm guessing the RZ AWD charges at the speed of the FWD bZ4X, and not the AWD one.

 

The bz4x probably is also getting discounted ;-)
I have no idea if the wheels and tires are the same, but here is a strange thing - The bz4x limited with 20" wheels and tires (30kwh/mile) is more efficient than the rz300 with 20" tires (31kwh/mile). While on 18" tires the rz300 (27 kwh/mile) is more efficient than the bz4x on 18" tires (28 kwh/mile).

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Perhaps looking at the tesla model Y would give a clue. The AWD model Y on 19" tires didn't change from 2023 to 2024 but the epa went from 28kwh/mile to 29 kwh/mile. This was do to changes in the epa testing methodology.

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So it could be just testing methodology and remember YMMV. Or it could have to do with the more efficient SiC that tesla and Lexus use versus toyota, or maybe its all on the wheels and tires. The numbers are close enough to not worry about it. I have no idea why the awd toyota and lexus evs take such an efficiency hit versus the tesla, but this could be because of higher driveline losses.

I don't really know, but I also don't think efficiency is the key to sales. Being 5% worse in efficiency, but with a better overall experience (highway range, faster charging, lower price, cargo area) may result in better sales.

I agree they are barely getting into the game and they can easily improve on these offerings. Toyota used to be a fast follower, and can easily take apart the Teslas, bmws, hyundais, cadilacs, and fords and see how to improve the ev platform.

 

Toyota is using permanent magnet motors for the secondary. This will introduce magnetic braking loses when they aren't driving the car.