• Lexus has reserved some model names, including ES 350e and ES 500e, that point to changes for its ES sedan.
The ES sedan is sometimes overlooked within the Lexus range, but it’s been around for over 20 years. New patent filings by the luxury automaker seem to point to a possible change of vocation in the coming years, however.
Lexus has reserved the names ES 350h, ES 350e and ES 500e. At the moment, the model lineup is comprised of the ES 300h, ES 250 and ES 350. In the case of the switch from ES 300h to ES 350h, we can guess at an adjustment to the hybrid model's powertrain, which would presumably offer more power. The names 350e and 500e, however, point to an all-electric configuration given the presence of that “e” letter.
That could also entail Lexus ditching gasoline-only versions of the ES, to be replaced by the two electric variants.
We’re purely in the realm of speculation of course. But such a move would surprise no one, since Lexus has hinted at a midsize electric sedan since as far back as December 2021, when it gave a presentation outlining the brand's electric future.
It’s anyone’s guess what kind of electric powertrain Lexus might have in mind for an all-electric ES, or if it has even settled on one. Toyota’s luxury brand currently offers only one electric model, the RZ 450e, a cousin of the Toyota bZ4X. We're guessing that an electric Lexus ES could be conceived using a new electric platform, but nothing has yet been announced by either Toyota or Lexus.
See: Lexus RZ450e 2023 First Drive: Lexus' Turn to Enter the Electric Fray
Nos has either brand said anything concrete regarding the timetable for switching, but it should be sooner rather than later in the case of the ES sedan, the current edition of which debuted for 2019. It has since been upgraded, but clearly a new generation must be in the works, or at least a heavily updated version.
As for the hybrid name, Toyota's new fifth-generation hybrid system, which serves the new 2025 Toyota Camry, could make its debut soon for that ES 350h model. We'll have to see about electric variants, but that's something to keep an eye on from Lexus.
Lexus plans to offer an electric variant of every one of its models by 2030. It has already announced that 2035 will be the tipping point towards an all-electric lineup.