Lexus yoke, steer-by-wire, unavailable in US for now

The 2023 Lexus RZ 450e electrical crossover is starting to reach within the U.S., however with out the yoke and steer-by-wire system beforehand proven. Each might be provided within the U.S. at a later, unspecified date, Lexus confirmed to Green Car Reports over the weekend.

At launch, the RZ 450e might be bought solely with a standard rack-and-pinion steering with electrical help, the identical {hardware} used within the associated 2023 Toyota bZ4X. It is linked to a standard steering wheel fairly than the open-top, flat-bottomed unit with the steer-by-wire system.

Not being spherical, this different is not actually a steering wheel, however Lexus will not name it a yoke, the automaker confirmed to Inexperienced Automobile Stories. It would not have identify, nevertheless, or particular pricing. Launch timing for the steer-by-wire system, which might be provided alongside the traditional steering system and steering wheel, hasn’t been priced but both.

2023 Lexus RZ 450e

The system additionally reportedly will not be referred to as One Movement Grip, or OMG, as it’s in Europe, the place the system is deliberate to launch as an choice within the 2025 mannequin 12 months.

Steer-by-wire may be outfitted with a standard steering wheel as nicely. It is presently present process iterative testing, after which it is anticipated for use in subsequent Lexus fashions.

“Steer-by-wire is without doubt one of the core applied sciences for Lexus shifting ahead,” assistant chief engineer Yushi Highashiyama mentioned in an interview with Inexperienced Automobile Stories, by a translator. He mentioned an replace to steering is required to match enhancements which have already been made in acceleration and braking.

2023 Lexus RZ

Lexus is not the one automaker to experiment with new steering techniques in electrical automobiles. Tesla launched a steering yoke on the Mannequin S and Mannequin X, then bowed to buyer complaints and introduced again typical steering wheels as a no-cost choice earlier this 12 months. The Lexus system differs from Tesla’s, together with with the ability to solely flip 150 levels lock-to-lock.

The RZ itself is sized just like the Lexus NX compact crossover, however with a wheelbase nearer to the bigger Lexus RX. It makes use of a 71.4-kwh battery pack to provide one electrical motor for normal all-wheel drive, and a mixed output of 313 hp. That permits a 0-62 mph time of 5.3 seconds, in accordance with Lexus, however EPA vary and effectivity rankings haven’t been printed but.