Please, let's use this topic as the main one for any news, rumours or discussion about the new ES.

Here is the Chinese unverified source about the next Lexus EV's, they say the new ES will come as a EV:

 

Kirk Kreifels on YouTube is a former Lexus sales guy and has a huge Lexus and Toyota following. He said he had three sources that verified the 2026 ES will debut in EV ONLY and will follow months later with a hybrid. He’s not usually wrong but it’s still all unverified by Lexus.

 

I don’t believe that story for a second.

 

I’m with you. One of the comments on the video was from someone who claims he works at a Lexus dealer and their general manager told them all the same thing. It seems like such an odd misstep for Lexus to do to the ES so I have a hard time believing it.

 

Agreed. And are we really to believe that the General Manager of some random Lexus dealership somewhere (“a friend told me a guy he knows told him ...”) has all the scoop on this? Given how Toyota/Lexus normally operates, they are usually pretty close mouthed on their plans, let alone so many months out. If this one dealer was “told” all about it, then they all would have and there would be a lot more out about it. I’ve no doubt the dealer network hears speculation and rumors all the time, but that’s all that is, not actual facts at this point.

There may, of course, well be a degree of truth to this, perhaps even a large degree, for the ES is overdue for a total refresh, and a hybrid at the very least (no ICE) is indeed very likely. China is a big market, but Lexus sells more of the ES in North America than anywhere else in the world, and the US public still has a dodgy view of EV’s, especially in the current political climate. So to offer it first as an EV only would probably really cut into the present level of sales and possibly cause permanent damage to the ES market. There may be technical issues that would slow release of the hybrid version a la Camry, but Lexus has to be cautious (as they usually are) in how this is all done. Enough buyers will be unhappy enough with the change to 4-cylinders anyway, but as that is now the common method across the board, that won’t really lose them much in terms of sales. EV’s and the lack of infrastructure support at this point in America cautions against rashly throwing away the ES market.

 

💯👏

 

I don't think they will remove Hybrid from the line.
They may have an EV model though.

 

Given Toyota's recent hybrid push, it would seem unlikely that would drop a hybrid ES in favor of EV-only ES.

On the other hand, an ES EV might be the perfect platform to debut an entirely new EV-only platform. If you want to do an EV right, it absolutely needs to be a clean sheet EV-only design. This is why it's so hard for legacy makers to make a proper EV, because they keep sharing platforms with gas due to cost-savings. Plus it's just really really hard overall to crack the code. Not as simple as throwing an electric motor in something. Everything affects everything else which ultimately affects range.

Seeing the re-freshed Camry was a nice job though, don't see why they couldn't do that w/ ES. But again... ES is on a premium label... which would be perfect to debut a new EV tech. I said it long ago (years) Toyota is in a very weird spot as to where to put their resources. In their world they would do Hybrids only since they rule that world... but the world is changing and they've historically been stubborn, and late, to EV development. They seem to get a sense there's a 50/50 chance gas car development will be a wasted effort and they seem to not know what to do and i don't blame them. We'll see.

 

I respectfully disagree. They've been stubborn and late to EV development, yes. They were reamed in all quarters for it 2-5 years ago, including in this forum. Instead it's turned out to be a prescient decision and a license to print money on everything from Camry sedans to RAV4 SUVs (now the first vehicle in 43 years to surpass the Ford F-150 pickup as America's best-selling vehicle) to Sienna minivans.

A wasted effort? Tell everyone from GM to Ford to Mercedes, all of whom have now desperately tried to rescue their stock price by loudly announcing they'll retrench their EV plans and put a new emphasis on hybrids.

Ultimately, the statement I agree with is your first one: The core ES product will be a hybrid, not an EV.

 

It apparently was on the interwebs therefore it must be true 😀

 

The only question I have about the 8ES is when Lexus will announce it officially. All the rest is speculation. In this age of disinformation, there's a ton of that all over the net. Do we really need to amplify it and/or add to it?

 

When I was looking at a ES in the showroom floor couple of months back, the sales person made a comment that 2025 is the last year to have a gasoline engine. He indicated more of PHEV push on ES than fully electric. I am not a fan of the EV tech that Toyota / Lexus has under its belt currently (especially the thermal management and range) however their hybrid and PHEV are great choices (except the 12V battery issues that RX is suffering from). I am also of the opinion that if the world moved to hybrid then we would have saved more on petrol consumption than going the EV route. That calls for incentive to hybrid vehicles as well.

 

If your primary outlook/decision making process for car tech is "saving petrol," then maybe. I want my car to be good period, if not the best.

An EV, done right w/ a clean sheet design, is the superior platform from a packaging, center of gravity, safety, & handling standpoint. No humps, bumps, lumps, or other contraptions (driveshafts, diffs, exhausts, etc) taking up space where you could otherwise store people, cargo, luggage, or other things. More free space for crash management, structure, and people.

So to me, saving petrol isn't the takeaway of a good EV.

 

I generally agree with this. That’s why Tesla, leaving politics aside, has been so successful. They’ve truly excelled in those areas. I also like that EV's updates also adds new driving features and sometimes performance gains.

But my main concern with EVs is that basically you are buying a time-disposable car, much like modern smartphones. Especially for those of us who like to keep cars for 8-15 years or more. With current battery technology, it’s almost inevitable that a replacement would be needed by that time. The cost of replacing a full EV battery will likely surpass the car’s value. I was recently told by an insurer that even with current market EVs, if they are involved in any accident and the battery requires replacement, the vehicle 99.9% of the time will be deemed a total loss. That's why they have hhigher insurance premiums. That along with depreciation and prolonged charging times (aside from the convenience of solar home or work charging if possible) it's the EV's Achilles heel IMHO.

For some people EV's ownership will truly triumph ICE, HEV and PHEV. But personally I'm not so sure full EV's are the future. At least not with the current battery technology. We just need to find an alternative, abundant and quick to refill fuel and/or cheaper and longer-lasting batteries to power those highly reliable electric motors.

PS. I would definitely consider a 3rd yr @ 8th Gen PHEV ES with AWD and 350+ HP; and if they throw foldable rear seats I will probably trade in a heartbeat.

 

When we talk about the 8ES, I would buy it as a hybrid. Others (PHEV, EV) are not on my list.

I am pretty sure that Hybrid will be the main powertrain.