Waiting for a Lexus RX 450h+? NX PHEV back-orders are still stopping the launch of the RX PHEV in Australia
The Japanese luxury brand Lexus reckons it is finally getting on-top of its stuttering petrol-electric plug-in hybrid roll-out in Australia.
Mind you, don’t bother trying to order an NX 450h+ or its big brother, the RX 450h+, any time soon.
Lexus is still working through a backlog of orders for the NX and as a result has pushed the debut of the RX out as far as 2025.
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“Right now the problem with that [RX local launch] is we have extremely high interest in that car [NX PHEV] and we .. got into a situation where the customer waiting times were far too long and therefore we paused any further order intake,” explained Lexus Australia Chief executive John Pappas.
“Right now we need to get through this year to try and get all these customers cleared.
“We also have the RX plug-in we want to bring to market but we have to focus on clearing NX. I don’t want to have the same problem on RX plug-in hybrid.
“That is in our plan.”
Lexus Australia halted the sale of the NX plug-in – its first PHEV – back in March 2023 as the waiting list blew out to two years.
In early 2023 at the launch of the fifth generation RX premium SUV line-up, Pappas announced a plan to introduce the RX450h+ by early 2024. But that timing has long since been abandoned.
The only thing that could now bring the RX back into a 2024 on-sale date is increased NX supply and a quicker delivery rate to customers.
A global battery shortage has impacted NX PHEV availability, just like it has hurt Lexus parent company Toyota’s production of plugless hybrids such as the RAV4 and Camry.
The NX and RX PHEVs use the same powertrain set-up combining a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with front and rear e-motors to produce a total output of 227kW.
An 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery pack supports an electric-only range of up to 65km.
“We want to get the NX plug-in back on to the market as soon as we can, that is an absolute priority for us,” said Pappas.
“But we don’t want to do that until we are at a level where we can see next year if we open the tap we are not simply straight back in the same situation again.
“We want to have enough confidence to have enough stock to keep this thing going. Otherwise, we’re going to create a lot of frustration overnight.
“That’s our focus before we then go and then look RX plug-in hybrid.”
Frustratingly for Lexus, Pappas says there is evidence of growing interest in PHEV technology among buyers.
“What we have realised with NX [PHEV] is that people aren’t ready for EVs, so those people who aren’t ready … they love the plug-in because it is so practical for their journey,” he said.
If supply was unfettered he estimated the PHEV could account for 20-30 percent of NX sales. Already, the plugless 350h petrol-electric hybrid is worth around 50 per cent of sales.
The NX is the number-two seller in its segment behind the Tesla Model Y.
