Lexus will unveil its first three-row electric SUV on May 7, putting the luxury arm of Toyota into one of the fastest-growing corners of the EV market. A social media video posted Sunday showed what appears to be the larger SUV, with the debut scheduled for 10:30 a.m. JST on May 7, 2026.
The new model is expected to be called the Lexus TZ, a name Toyota already filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office in 2023 as Lexus TZ 450e and Lexus TZ 550e. The prototype spotted testing in Europe before its expected debut later this year or in early 2027 showed only slight changes from the Toyota Highlander EV, but it wore Lexus design cues, including the brand’s spindle grille.
The vehicle will ride on a modified version of Toyota’s TNGA-K platform, which the company says is engineered to optimize interior space and efficiency. Toyota’s three-row electric SUV is expected to come with two battery pack options, 77 kWh and 95.8 kWh, with estimated range of up to 287 miles and 320 miles. Output figures tied to the project include 221 hp and 198 lb-ft of torque for one version, and 338 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque for the other.
Lexus already sells the TX, a three-row SUV available with gas, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, so the TZ would give the brand a full-size electric option alongside its existing lineup. It also appears to be the upscale answer to the Toyota Highlander BEV, which is due later this year with prices expected to start around $50,000, while the Lexus version is expected to start around $60,000. The segment is already crowded, with the Hyundai IONIQ 9, Lucid Gravity, Rivian R1S, Kia EV9, Volvo EX90 and Cadillac Vistiq all chasing the same buyers.
That competition is why Lexus’s timing matters now. The brand is not entering a blank field; it is arriving into a market where three-row electric SUVs are already being judged on price, range, space and badge value. If Lexus can deliver the range figures now being talked about, and wrap them in the comfort buyers expect from the brand, the TZ will not just be another EV reveal. It will be Lexus’s first real test in a class that is already asking premium prices for proof.
