Lexus won't yet follow Toyota in culling petrol models

While Toyota Australia has made the decision to discontinue all petrol-only versions of cars and SUVs that also have hybrid options, Lexus Australia says the time isn’t right for it to make such a switch.

Toyota’s entire passenger car and crossover lineup – excluding its GR-branded performance vehicles – has transitioned to become hybrid-only over the past year.

But despite the close relationship between the two brands, Lexus Australia has said it won’t follow Toyota in removing petrol options of hybrid cars – at least not within the next few years.

A Lexus Australia spokesperson has outlined that a desire to give customers “choice” is the key factor behind the more relaxed approach, though it doesn’t change the brand’s goals of offering only electrified cars in Australia by 2030.

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“The important thing for Lexus is that we offer our customers choice,” the spokesperson told CarExpert.

“Our customers will pretty much tell us when they’re ready to move more into electrified powertrains by what they buy. We’re not going to rush customers in that decision.

“We’re going to wait and see what customers are telling us by way of orders and with cars they purchase.”

As it stands, Lexus’ Australian hybrid lineup consists of eight models: the LBX and UX compact SUVs, NX medium SUV, RX large SUV, the ES and LS sedans, the LC coupe, and the LM people mover.

Of those vehicles, the ES, LS, LC, NX, and RX all still have petrol variants alongside hybrid alternatives. The others are hybrid-only, though the LBX is getting a hotted-up petrol Morizo RR variant early next year.

After confirming the Yaris, Yaris Cross, Corolla Hatch, Camry and C-HR would go hybrid-only, in June 2024 Toyota Australia closed orders for the Corolla Sedan, RAV4 and Kluger citing “consumer demand” as the key reason behind the move.

There are still petrol and diesel vehicles offered by Toyota, including its GR performance car range and its light commercial vehicle lineup.

It also offers the LandCruiser 300 Series and Prado exclusively with diesel power in Australia, and similarly their Lexus LX and GX counterparts aren’t currently offered with hybrid powertrains locally.

The larger LX will soon gain a twin-turbo V6 hybrid variant for 2025, which Lexus Australia has said “will be considered” for the local market, while in China the GX is offered exclusively as a hybrid – a powertrain not currently being considered for Australia.

“Ultimately, the plan is to have a fully electrified range of Lexus powertrains – hybrid, plug-in, and battery-electric – in this market by 2030; we’re on track to do that,” the spokesperson told CarExpert, reiterating a previously stated goal by the luxury brand.

“In 2022 were were just under 50 per cent total electrified volume, in 2023 we were just over 60 per cent, and we’re tracking at 75 per cent, so we’re making that transition nicely.”

MORE: 2025 Lexus LX revealed – Luxury LandCruiser gets twin-turbo V6 hybridMORE: Popular Toyotas go hybrid-only in Australia, pushing base price into new territory