The upcoming BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with EQ technology will reportedly have competition from Japan.
Best Car Web reports the replacement for the Lexus IS The mid-sized luxury sedan will come onto the market with electric drive in 2027.
In fact, the Japanese publication reports that the next-generation IS will be offered exclusively with electric power, meaning Lexus will no longer have a direct competitor to combustion-powered sports sedans like the regular C-Class and 3 Series.
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While the IS was withdrawn from Australia in 2021 for failing to meet new safety regulations, it lived on overseas and even received another facelift for 2026.
However, the Japanese 3 Series rival is showing its age. The current generation entered production in 2013, and although it received a new design for 2021, the interior was not significantly changed, which was remedied with an update for 2026.
Since the introduction of the first-generation IS in 1999, Lexus’ sports sedan has been priced similarly to the larger, more premium front-wheel-drive ES sedan.
That continues with the new IS and new ES, the latter of which was unveiled last year.
The ES will continue to offer hybrid power, but will also receive an electric powertrain for the first time, available in single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations.
In contrast, the IS will reportedly feature a single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive EV configuration, with Lexus targeting up to 368kW of power and a range of up to 1000km – the latter of which could potentially be achieved through the use of solid-state batteries.
According to reports, the new generation IS will continue to be smaller than the ES. Best Car Web It will reportedly be 4790mm long, 1880mm wide and 1395mm high, compared to the ES which is 5140mm long, 1920mm wide and up to 1560mm high.
Not only does the IS have a smaller footprint than the ES, but it will also reportedly sport dramatic-inspired styling
LF-ZC concept presented in 2023, as well as similar dimensions.
In December 2024, NHK World Japan reported that Lexus would introduce a pair of electric vehicles – a midsize sedan and a large SUV – based on a new modular platform, with the sedan announced by the LF-ZC concept to be introduced in 2023.
Back in 2021, Lexus introduced what looked like a replacement for the IS with the Electrified Sedan Concept.
This concept car had a slightly more conventional sedan silhouette than the LF-ZC, although with a distinctive mix of curves and angles. The side folding of this concept was eventually used on the new generation ES.
The Electrified Sport Concept, also unveiled in 2021, gave way to last year’s nearly identical LFA Concept, intended to serve as a precursor to a production vehicle, while the Electrified SUV Concept was ultimately an accurate preview of the Toyota Highlander EV.
Lexus also previewed an unnamed concept that appeared to be a shooting brake version of the Electrified Sedan Concept.
MORE: Explore the Lexus IS showroom
