Lexus Quietly Pulls the Plug on Its First EV

Is Anyone Still Buying These?

The Lexus UX made its world premiere in December 2018 for the 2019 model year. It served as the company's smallest crossover offering until the LBX arrived in 2023. That said, it's still Lexus' least expensive offering in the U.S as the LBX isn't offered in America.

But regardless of market, we do have to wonder if anyone is actually still buying them. It's already a pretty aged model, and it's considered one of the slower-selling offerings from Lexus. It has an even greater identity crisis in most parts of the world, as the LBX has practically taken away buyers from it. Now, it seems that Lexus is winding down production of the UX.

Yes, There's an EV Version...

North American UXs came as hybrid only, but the rest of the world also got a battery-powered version. Dubbed the UX 300e, it was actually Lexus' first series production EV and was introduced in 2019. The electric UX beat the RZ to production by a good number of years, the latter being launched in 2023.

Perhaps it was for the best that it wasn't sold in America. It first came with a small-for-an-EV 54 kWh battery that limited range to just 186 miles. It was updated later in 2023 with a 72.8 kWh pack that improved range to 280 miles.

...That's Been Discontinued

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 300e is the least-popular model in the UX lineup. Given slow sales and its age, it has been discontinued in most major markets. We looked around Lexus' European websites and saw that the car is no longer present there. We also checked the Japanese site, and it's not there anymore, either.

It seems that it was simply quietly pulled out of the market, and countries that still have them are likely just trying to offload remaining stock. It's an unceremonious end to a car that not a lot of people really noticed. According to Auto Express, fewer than 3,400 UX 300es found new homes in England in five years.

Lexus Slow (But Steady) EV March

Toyota as a whole has been slow to adapt to the EV market, investing more in electrified products such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Still, the company has a couple on offer, and a few more on the way. In Toyota's stable, there's the bZ, CHR, Urban Cruiser, and Highlander.

As for Lexus, the only one in the market at the moment is the RZ. However, the new-generation ES gets a full EV model alongside the typical hybrid offerings. Then there's the revived LFA that swaps its V10 for powerful electric motors. Lexus' EV offerings may be limited, but they're bound to get more buzz than the UX 300e.

View the full article