The development of the Lexus LFR, and then the internal decision to pivot and produce the car as the GR-branded GT is well documented, but now thanks to Japanese patent drawings, we know what the Lexus LFR would have looked like if it had come to production wearing a Lexus emblem instead.

Not surprisingly, most of the car looks very similar to the GR GT and the changes are in the details: front and rear bumpers, headlights, and tail lights. Significant development work had been done by the time the decision was made to pivot from “Lexus LFR” to “GR GT” so most aspects of the body and aero design could not be altered significantly in line with brand changes.

After all, the Lexus LFR/GR GT had been purposely engineered as a race car with a road going counterpart, so form followed function in engineering and development.

Lexus LFR Front:

At first glance, this looks like the GR GT but careful inspection reveals details about the LFR that align it more closely with the Lexus brand. The front end has a spindle shape as it cascades from the top of the hood to the bottom of the bumper, the grille between the headlight shapes is different, and the headlight shape itself is slightly different as well.

Lexus LFR Rear:

Changes at the rear are more obvious between the Lexus LFR patent drawings and the GR GT production car. Most notable is a semi-stacked rear exhaust design that mimics Lexus’ F cars with offset tips. The GR GT has dual exhaust tips that are side-by-side.

The LFR’s rear also has mesh surrounding the exhaust at the bottom of the bumper whereas the GR GT uses an entirely different design all together.

Another difference is the tail light design which looks similar to the existing NX: One horizontal light bar with layered curves upwards on each side. The GR GT’s rear has similar, but slightly different lights pointing again to the ability to make only minimal changes to a car’s design that spent years in development.

GR GT Prepares for Production

Whether you wanted this car to be produced as the Lexus LFR or the GR GT, the good news is it’s nearly here. Per the last official communication from Toyota, deliveries are planned to start at the very end of this year so information on pricing, packages, and options should be coming very soon.

Source: User Gor134 on the Lexus Enthusiast forums.

• Some global Lexus TZ press photos show a dash-wide display made of the standard 14-inch center screen plus a second touchscreen for the front passenger
• Lexus Japan lists this “double monitor” as available on the TZ, and Chinese reports confirm its availability for higher-spec models
• The U.S.-spec TZ gets the single 14-inch screen across all three grades, and Lexus has not listed the second screen for Europe either

One of the most interesting parts of Lexus global model reveals is seeing the market differences for equipment, colors, and powertrains. Sometimes we are envious of another market’s options and allocations, other times it is easier to understand why every model or feature isn’t a fit for every market.

The Lexus TZ presents one such case. Look closely at the TZ’s press photos from around the world and you’ll notice something interesting: not every TZ has the same dashboard. In some markets, a 14″ screen stops just past the center of the dash. In others, a mega-screen stretches well across to the passenger side, forming a wide glass panel that nearly spans the entire instrument panel.

That wider setup is real, and it has an official name: the “double monitor,” and it is only available for two select markets. So far.

Double Monitors for Passenger Hospitality

The extended display is not one giant screen.

The double monitor pairs the TZ’s standard 14-inch center touchscreen with a second display for the front passenger, set under what looks like a single continuous piece of glass. In the photos, the driver-side half runs the familiar Lexus Interface while the passenger half sits ready for its own content.

Here’s the standard 14″ screen:

And for comparison, here is the double monitor screen:

Lexus Japan’s official TZ world premiere materials describe it as part of the TZ’s hospitality for the front passenger, listing the double monitor alongside the 21-speaker Mark Levinson system and the passenger ottoman. Like many TZ features, it carries a footnote that availability varies by region and specification.

Chinese media covering the TZ reveal were more specific: higher-spec TZs get the connected center and passenger screen, while lower-spec versions use the floating center display on its own.

How Much Bigger Is It?

Lexus hasn’t published a size for the TZ’s passenger display, but there is a strong clue in the TZ’s closest relative.

Lexus Japan’s release notes that the TZ borrows elements of its cockpit from the new eighth-generation ES, and the ES offers the same passenger “double monitor” in Japan. Lexus China lists that ES passenger screen as a 14-inch touchscreen entertainment display, and the ES was launched in China with a 14-inch plus 14-inch layout.

If the TZ follows the ES, as the shared hardware in these photos strongly suggests, the dual-screen dash pairs two 14-inch displays for a massive 28 inches of screen on the dashboard. To be clear, that is our read based on the ES but Lexus has not confirmed the TZ’s passenger screen size.

Which Markets Get It

• Japan: Listed by Lexus as available TZ equipment. Japanese grades and pricing haven’t been announced yet, ahead of the TZ’s winter 2026 launch.
• China: Reported for higher-spec TZs. The TZ is expected to reach China in 2027.
• United States: Not offered. Lexus lists a 14-inch touchscreen as standard on every 2027 TZ, from the $64,050 Premium to the $80,550 Luxury, with no second screen in the lineup.
• Europe: Unconfirmed. Lexus Europe’s TZ announcement describes only the 14-inch center display and 12.3-inch driver display.
• Australia: Unconfirmed. Lexus Australia hasn’t announced local specifications ahead of the TZ’s 2027 arrival.

The pattern makes sense. Passenger entertainment screens have become a luxury expectation in China, where the ES already offers one, and Lexus has leaned into passenger comfort features for Japan as well. In the U.S., Lexus has standardized on a single 14-inch screen across its newest models, so the TZ fits right in.

What’s Next?

The clearest answers should come with the TZ’s Japanese launch this winter, when Lexus publishes full grade specifications, and with its Chinese debut in 2027. Until then, U.S. and European TZ buyers get a clean, single-screen cockpit, and the dual-screen dash remains something to admire in the overseas press kits.

Would you want the passenger screen on a U.S.-spec TZ? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Lexus Japan, Toyota Global Newsroom, Lexus China, Autohome, Lexus USA, Lexus Europe

• Lexus has filed trademarks for “TZ 600e” pointing to a higher-output version of its new three-row electric SUV
• The 600e moniker mirrors the RZ lineup, where the 420-horsepower RZ 600e F SPORT Performance sits above the 402-horsepower RZ 550e F SPORT
• No U.S. filing has surfaced so far, and American TZ buyers currently top out at 402 horsepower through a paid performance upgrade on the TZ 450e Luxury grade

Deliveries of Lexus’ first three-row electric SUV haven’t even started yet and a more powerful version may already be on the way.

Trademark filings for “TZ 600e” have surfaced in Great Britain, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand, pointing to a range-topping TZ that sits above anything Lexus has announced so far, possibly sharing a powertrain with the 420-horsepower RZ 600e F SPORT Performance.

What We Know About the Filings

The TZ 600e trademark applications were made with national trademark offices in four markets but there is no matching application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) yet, and unlike our recent LM 400h trademark story, these are not international WIPO filings.

The absence of a US trademark doesn’t mean the range topping TZ won’t come to North America – other markets already have a TZ 550e model that has not been announced here, so Lexus is likely planing models and battery availability in conjunction with market demand and preferences.

TZ 600e is the third TZ variant to show up in trademark records. Lexus filed for TZ 450e and TZ 550e back in July 2023, nearly three years before the TZ was revealed. We covered those filings and how they lined up with the production TZ here.

A new TZ 600e trademark signifies that Lexus continues to make progress with EV development and batteries with higher range and power density will become available as new technologies are cleared for production.

Where the TZ 600e Would Fit

In the U.S., Lexus is keeping the TZ lineup simple: Every 2027 TZ is a TZ 450e with dual-motor DIRECT4 all-wheel drive, making 308 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque as standard:

• TZ 450e Premium: $64,050, 77-kWh battery, 253 miles of estimated range
• TZ 450e Premium Touring: $72,050, 96-kWh battery, 315 miles of estimated range
• TZ 450e Luxury: $80,550, 96-kWh battery, 279 miles of estimated range on 22-inch wheels

The Premium arrives late this year, with the Premium Touring and Luxury following in early 2027.

There is a twist. Lexus initially referenced 402 horsepower for the TZ, and that figure hasn’t disappeared. In the U.S., it is now available only on the Luxury grade as a paid performance upgrade. Outside North America, that same 402-horsepower output wears its own badge: TZ 550e, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.4 seconds and up to 530 km of WLTP range.

That leaves the standard U.S. TZ 450e with less power than its 338-horsepower Toyota platform-mate, the Highlander. A TZ 600e would sit above both the 450e and 550e, giving Lexus a clear flagship for its largest EV.

Following the RZ Playbook

If the 450e, 550e, 600e ladder looks familiar, that’s because Lexus has already built it once. The RZ launched as the RZ 450e, grew into the RZ 550e F SPORT, and was topped late last year by the RZ 600e F SPORT Performance, which went on sale in Japan in March.

The RZ 600e makes 420 horsepower (313 kW), runs 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, rides 20 mm lower than the RZ 550e F SPORT, and adds carbon aero pieces, larger brakes with six-piston front calipers, and steer-by-wire with a yoke.

On the RZ, “600e” signals more than a bigger number – it also receives the F SPORT Performance treatment. Whether a TZ 600e would go that far is an open question and a three-row family SUV wearing a two-tier carbon spoiler feels unlikely, so a quieter, power-first flagship seems like the more natural fit.

What’s Next

Trademark filings typically come one to three years ahead of a product reveal, but the TZ 600e may move faster than most depending on how quickly Lexus makes progress with battery development. The TZ will be on its way to dealers soon and the 450e model should satisfy early buyers before a potential 600e model arrives.

The bigger question isn’t whether Lexus wants a TZ flagship, it’s which markets get one — and when. We will be watching for additional trademark filings.

Source: UK Intellectual Property Office

Lexus’ relationship with performance vehicles continues to be perplexing: Retirement of the F performance brand and discontinuing the LC and the infamous 5.0L V8 engine, but spy shots of a high-performance Lexus RX prototype appeared last month, and now fresh spy photos of the updated LBX Morizo RR have surfaced from the Nurburgring.

While we try to understand what Lexus is – or isn’t – doing with performance vehicles, fans of Lexus’ smallest crossover have some good news: The hot hatch LBX Morizo RR is getting an update.

While the camouflage makes it challenging to determine what is different in this prototype, here is what a tipster provided to Lexus Enthusiast:

“The roof is made of carbon fiber and the spoiler has also been revised and features an additional lip, which – like the bumper – might also be made of carbon fiber. The prototype features functional lower air vents positioned between the dual exhaust outlets.”

We say more carbon fiber is always a good thing when it comes to performance cars, so hopefully as the camoflauge is stripped away, these new details make their way onto the production LBX.

The LBX Morizo RR has been something of a bright spot for Lexus performance vehicles, it’s just a shame it isn’t offered in more global markets. Sharing parts with the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, the LBX Morizo RR has been heralded as a fun, fast hot hatch that still delivers on Lexus hallmarks of luxury and quality. Similar to the exterior, interior updates are harder to decipher from photos:

As more spy photos are shared or an official production announcement is made, check back to Lexus Enthusiast for the details.

Lexus is moving quickly on the all-new, all electric TZ: Pricing has been announced and the Lexus.com configurator is live.

The 2027 TZ is available in three grades:

TZ 450e Premium AWD: From $64,050
TZ 450e Premium Touring AWD: From $72,050
TZ 450e Luxury AWD: From $80,550

The TZ brings a host of new features, technology packages, and options, so head over to the Lexus.com configurator to build and spec your ideal TZ.

Lexus’ new interior design language continues to evolve with the TZ, and the available Acorn Nuluxe with Ultrasuede accents and Forged Bamboo trim looks like one of the nicest new Lexus interiors in quite a while.

• Lexus Japan has quietly confirmed that production of the UX will end in February 2027
• The LBX, while smaller than the UX, will carry on in select global markets as Lexus’ subcompact crossover
• No plans for a second generation model have been confirmed thus far

The Lexus UX has nearly reached the end of the line. The official Lexus UX model page in Japan was updated to reflect a production end-of-life notice, meaning the tiny subcompact crossover is completing its final months in the lineup.

The notice reads:

UX Production End-of-Production Notice
Thank you for your continued interest in our products. We regret to inform you that production of the UX will end in February 2027.

Depending on when you are considering purchasing, the planned production volume may have already been reached, and sales may have ended. Furthermore, orders for the “version C” and the body color Sou (1M9) are no longer being accepted.

For more information, please contact your Lexus dealer.

That is about as direct as an automaker will be without a formal press release, similar to what we saw with the LC 500 earlier this year. Lexus is not just winding down a UX trim or a color option, it is telling shoppers outright that the clock is running out on the nameplate entirely and some configurations are already gone.

A Slow Fade in the Showroom

The UX’s discontinuation aligns with declining sales numbers that are well behind competitors like the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA. In fact, in markets where the UX and Lexus’ even smaller LBX are both offered, the LBX is outselling its bigger sibling.

The UX has not had a major redesign since it launched, and with the LBX covering similar ground, Lexus has less reason to keep investing in it.

No Confirmed Successor Yet

What is missing from Lexus’ production announcement is any word on what replaces the UX. No second-generation model has been announced and it is possible that Lexus lets the nameplate lapse entirely.

Some speculation has pointed to a next-generation UX going fully electric and sharing its underpinnings with the current Toyota C-HR, which would fit with Lexus’ plans to be fully electric by 2035. That is speculation only. Lexus has not shown a concept, no test mules have been spotted, and nothing about a second-generation UX has been confirmed by the company in any form.

For now, the safest assumption is that the UX ends its run in February 2027 without a direct replacement lined up, and that the LBX will carry the small SUV torch for Lexus until, or unless, that changes.

We will keep an eye out for any test mules or trademark filings that might tell us more.