Toyota ended plans to develop its next-generation battery-electric Lexus LF-ZC, Nikkei Asia reported. The announcement comes nearly three years after the automaker unveiled the concept car at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023.
Lexus expected to launch the sedan in 2026 but will instead shift its focus to SUVs and other models, according to the report.
Short for Lexus Future Zero-Emission Catalyst, the project aligned with the luxury vehicle division’s goal of going electric by 2035. Production plans included gigacasting technology and a self-driving assembly line. The concept also featured batteries designed to increase range and a digitalized Intelligent Cockpit that adjusted characteristics like acceleration and handling based on driver preferences.
Nikkei Asia noted that Toyota will continue to explore gigacasting and solid-state batteries, with plans to revisit a next-generation electric vehicle and expand those technologies to higher-volume vehicle segments.
According to Toyota’s year-end 2025 report, the company sold nearly 1.2 million EVs in the U.S., a 17.6% increase from the previous year. Global EV sales rose 42% to more than 190,000 vehicles, according to Nikkei Asia.
