Lexus cancels flagship electric vehicle plan Shanghai electric factory progress smoothly or will amplify the move

Recently, according to media reports, Lexus will terminate the mass production plan of the flagship electric concept car LF-ZC. The LF-ZC concept car was first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2023. At that time, it was planned to be mass produced in 2026. This pure electric coupe concept car was quite bold in design. It adopted a modular body structure, introduced a digital intelligent cockpit, joined the line control steering, etc., previewed Lexus' electrification vision, and was also publicly unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in 2024. The reason for the suspension of Lexus's mass production plan is the slowdown in demand for electric vehicles, especially the relatively small market demand for pure electric premium sedans. LF-ZC LF-ZC LF-ZC On the one hand, the United States abolished the tax and fee preferential policy for purchasing electric vehicles, and the EU postponed the ban on fuel vehicles; on the other hand, the rise of Chinese electric vehicle companies and the low price of China's supply chain have given Toyota great competitive pressure; and Toyota recently said at the earnings meeting that it will pay more attention to breakeven and improve profitability, and electric vehicles will make way for popular models such as SUVs. This year, the Shanghai factory has achieved the capping of the main building. In addition to Lexus, Toyota is also adjusting its electric vehicle strategy. LF-ZC is only the beginning, and there may be more strategic adjustments in the future. It is worth noting that in February 2025, Lexus Zengguan announced the establishment of a pure electric vehicle and battery company wholly owned by Shanghai to develop Lexus pure electric models, and plans to start production in 2027. The Lexus China factory will also become a bridgehead for the production and development of high-end electric vehicles, and mass production models are expected to be equipped with cutting-edge technologies such as solid-state batteries. From the current spoiler information on the network, the scale of the Lexus Shanghai factory is unprecedented. It is planned to be completed in August 2026, and the first train will be offline in 2027. At present, the production and construction are still on schedule.