Lexus reveals new ES in Auckland, with an electric 500e for the first time

Lexus has formally revealed the new ES in New Zealand, and for the first time the range includes a battery electric version, the ES 500e Dynamic.

The car was unveiled in Auckland on Thursday night. It was an introduction rather than a driving launch, so time behind the wheel is still to come.

Craig Burton, Lexus New Zealand’s manager of sales and operations, described it as the most significant redesign in the model’s history. “This new model that we see here tonight is now leading the design and technology across our range,” he said.

Hybrid and electric in one body

The local line-up is the ES 300h Premium at $96,900 and ES 300h Limited at $104,900, topped by the ES 500e Dynamic at $109,900, all plus on-road costs. The 500e joins the RZ as the second battery electric Lexus on sale here.

“There isn’t one pathway that suits every customer,” Burton said of offering both powertrains in the same body.

The 500e has a 74.69kWh battery and Lexus’s Direct4 all-wheel drive, with 252kW, an estimated 465km of WLTP range and 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. It also gets Interactive Manual Drive, which gives the driver eight simulated gears selected with the paddles, a feature it shares with the RZ F Sport.

The ES 300h uses Lexus’s sixth-generation hybrid system, which Burton says is smoother and more efficient.

Bigger, taller and more like an SUV

The new ES is 165mm longer and 55mm wider than its predecessor and noticeably taller. Burton acknowledged that SUVs now account for nearly all customer interest in the luxury market, and suggested the new car sits somewhere between an SUV and a sedan, particularly from the rear.

Lexus calls the design direction “clean tech and elegance”. The spindle theme remains, but moves from a dominant grille into the shape of the bonnet and body. The extra size is aimed at passengers, with more rear legroom and headroom.

Inside

The dashboard uses hidden switches that light up when needed but remain physical push buttons. “We’re still offering the buttons because we like to have the buttons easily accessible, right?” Burton said.

The Limited and 500e have configurable ambient lighting with 14 themes, 50 colours and six patterns, and in the 500e the lighting shines through genuine bamboo trim. The ES also brings connected services to the local Lexus range, with an app for remote locking, starting, climate control and vehicle location.