RZ electrical vehicle from Lexus makes local debut
Lexus South Africa new RZ, the brand’s first globally available, purpose-built battery electric vehicle (BEV), has arrived on local shores.
- Product News
- 5 March 2026
In line with its parent company’s recent strategic realignment to new-energy vehicles (NEV), Toyota South Africa recently laid its NRV cards for SA on the table.
Although the company maintains that internal combustion engines (ICE) still have a role to play, it said it will be shifting a large part of its focus to traditional hybrid vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and other engine conversions over the next few years, as far as the SA market is concerned.
The biggest news is that Toyota will be launching a new, mildly hybrid Hilux and Fortuner in early 2024 consisting of the standard ICE combined with an integrated starter generator and 12V-48V battery.
The company will also be introducing the Toyota Crown to South Africa this year. This crossover Crown variant is powered by a 2.5-litre, parallel-hybrid drivetrain with an output in the neighbourhood of 170kW and a fuel consumption of under 5.0L/100km.
Another NEV addition to the local market from Toyota will be a hybrid version of the new Urban Cruiser.
It is also rumoured that the plug-in hybrid RAV4, Lexus NX and RX are on their way.
Toyota has said that owing to the current scarcity of electricity on the African continent, that BEVs won’t be a practical solution yet for local consumers.
Lexus South Africa new RZ, the brand’s first globally available, purpose-built battery electric vehicle (BEV), has arrived on local shores.
Chery’s luxury brand, a stand-alone nameplate has arrived in South Africa with more larger models (L8) that will be added to the Lepas line-up later.
The global automotive sector enters 2026 amid profound and rapid transformation, defined by technological acceleration, shifting policies and evolving consumer priorities., according to a white paper published by Messe Frankfurt in partnership with Frost & Sullivan.
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