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Lexus has revealed its first electric production car, the UX 300e, at the Guangzhou motor show in China, with the compact SUV due to go on sale in the UK in 2021. The electric version of the regular UX crossover, understood to be based on the electric Toyota C-HR offered in China, features a front-mounted motor that produces 201bhp and 221lb ft. Power comes from a 54.3kWh under-floor battery offering a claimed range of around 250 miles and fast charging at speeds of up to 50kW. The styling of the regular UX has been largely maintained, including the brand’s distinctive large front grille. It does gain new aerodynamic-influenced wheels, with the charging port located on the rear pillar where the fuel filler usually is. The UX 300e features a number of drive modes so that the performance of the electric motor can be better managed, along with paddle shifters to control the regenerative braking modes. Lexus says the UX 300e, built on Toyota’s GA-C platform, has been developed with a focus on on-road performance, and the goal of offering a quiet and refined driving experience. To balance the new powertrain, extra bracing has been added with the dampers reworked to maintain optimum weight distribution. According to Lexus, the UX 300e’s powertrain draws on learnings from the firm’s long-running hybrid system, and features a temperature management system that balances power at low and high temperatures. There has also been a focus on refinement, Lexus claiming it has added insulation to reduce wind and road noise, with an Active Sound Control system that “transmits natural, ambient sounds to communicate the driving conditions”. The UX 300e is due to go on sale in China next year, with UK sales following in 2021. Pricing has yet to be finalised. Lexus and parent firm Toyota will launch three EVs by the end of
Origin: Lexus UX 300e revealed as firm’s first production EV

The boss of new Chinese EV firm WM Motor believes the challenge of establishing a brand means that premium start-up firms will struggle to survive – which is why his firm will focus on the mainstream market. Originally known as Weltmeister, WM Motor was founded in 2015 and last year launched the electric EX5 SUV in the Chinese market, where it sells for between £22,000 and £34,000. The firm has long-term plans to expand internationally. Chinese regulations to encourage electric car sales have made it the world’s largest market for such cars, with a number of Chinese start-ups attempting to establish themselves. These include well-funded firms such as Nio and Xpeng, both of which are pitching themselves as premium brands to rival the likes of Tesla. But speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, WM Motor boss Freeman Shen, who previously headed Volvo’s Chinese division, questioned whether a premium-focused start-up could survive. “We have aimed for the mass market, as history shows independent premium brands don’t tend to survive,” said Shen. “Look at Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche and more – they tried, but in the end they have been absorbed. Good luck to Tesla, we’ll see. “In China, the new generation of car buyers are looking for new brands with new technology at an affordable price; that’s where we sit. The change is such that I don’t need to spend 30 years building a premium brand to then move it mainstream. The same is true in the US, where there’s not so much choice in the mainstream below Tesla.” While Shen admitted that WM Motor was “not profitable today”, he added that “we are one of the first that can be”, although he declined to give a timescale for that to
Origin: Chinese EV start-up boss: new premium firms won’t survive