Lexus York, steer-by-wire, currently unavailable in the US

of 2023 Lexus RZ 450e Electric crossovers are beginning to arrive in the US, Yoke and steer-by-wire The system shown previously.Both will be available in the U.S. at an undetermined date at a later date, Lexus confirmed. green car report over the weekend.

At launch, the RZ 450e will be sold exclusively with conventional rack-and-pinion steering with electric assist, the same hardware used on the related 2023 Toyota bZ4X. It is connected to a conventional steering wheel rather than an open-top, flat-bottom unit with a steer-by-wire system.

The replacement isn’t really a steering wheel because it’s not round, but Lexus doesn’t call it a yoke, the automaker confirmed to Green Car Reports. However, there is no name or specific price. The launch date for the steer-by-wire system, which will be offered alongside a conventional steering system and steering wheel, is also not yet priced.

It is also said that the system will not be called One Motion Grip (OMG), as in Europe, where the system is expected to be available as an option for 2025 models.

Steer-by-wire can also be fitted to a conventional steering wheel. It is currently undergoing iterative testing, after which it will be used in subsequent Lexus models.

“Steer-by-wire is one of the core technologies for Lexus moving forward,” Assistant Chief Engineer Takeshi Takahashiyama said in an interview with Green Car Reports through an interpreter. He said the steering should be updated to match the improvements already made in acceleration and braking.

2023 Lexus RZ

Lexus isn’t the only automaker experimenting with new steering systems in electric vehicles. Tesla introduced the steering yoke. Model S and Model Xthen bow to customer complaints, Revived the conventional steering wheel As a free option earlier this year. Lexus’ system is different from Tesla’s, such as lock-to-lock and he can only turn 150 degrees.

The RZ itself is sized like the Lexus NX compact crossover, but has a wheelbase closer to the larger Lexus RX.It uses a 71.4kwh battery pack and uses one electric motor for standard all-wheel drive. with a total power output of 313 hp. Lexus says it sprints from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds, but EPA range and efficiency figures haven’t been released yet.