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Lexus Australia is seeing unprecedented demand for its hybrid models right now, and the brand says it's keen to offer even more hybrids - as well as fully electric cars - in the future.
Lexus Australia CEO, Scott Thompson, spoke with Australian media at the 2019 Tokyo motor show, where the brand showcased its first EV concept car, the LF-30.
Mr Thompson intimated that the company can't get enough hybrid models, and is building towards offering its first production EV in the not-too-distant future.
"Electrification has always been important to us. There are 1.5 million hybrids sold globally right now, and we're sitting at about 30 per cent of our mix right now," he said of Lexus Australia's sales, which are bucking the market trend in 2019, up more than six per cent in a market down about eight per cent overall.
"So if we can get supply of those hybrid vehicles - the two key ones are the NX and UX - I think our mix could be even higher," he said.
Mr Thompson admits the company got it wrong when forecasting the interest in the UX compact SUV. He says the company figured it would sell 40 per cent hybrid, 60 petrol petrol. The reality has been the inverse of that.
"The current demand for UX is something like 60 per cent hybrid, 40 per cent petrol - so we got that one wrong," he said. "We've hitting that tipping point. I think we're moving towards a higher demand for hybrid vehicles based on the performance and what we're delivering to consumers."
"Once there's consumer demand and acceptance there's a market there for it. It's a big part of our game, and we'll be rallying the troops to get whatever vehicles are available globally into our market," said Mr Thompson.
Lexus has confirmed that it will debut its first full electric model in November, though it may be a model tailored for the Chinese market first and foremost. The brand has, however, also stated it will launch its first "dedicated EV" in 2020, which is more likely to be a world vehicle.
Mr Thompson believes that Lexus customers have proved electrification is viable, and that an EV is the sort of vehicle the brand could sell locally.
"I'd love to take it," he said. "The conversation will still be around timing, regulations, infrastructure, the global demand for the car and what they can produce.
"If the product is good and the specification is good, and our parent company provides it to us, then yes [we should have it in our mix]," he said.
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