2027 Lexus IS EV: 500 HP and 800 km Range Targeted

The next-generation Lexus IS should arrive in 2027 as a fully electric sedan, according to Japanese sources reported by Best Car. On the menu: nearly 500 hp in AWD guise, a targeted range of 1,000 km with solid-state batteries, and a design directly inspired by the LF-ZC concept from 2023.

"Engineers are aiming for up to 1,000 kilometers of range per charge." — Best Car (Japan), via EcoloAuto

The Lexus IS is a tough cookie. An "Ultimate Edition" was supposed to signal its death knell in 2025 — instead, it got a fresh facelift for the 2026 model year, with a revised nose, updated cabin, and refined chassis. But behind this surface-level update, the brand is preparing a complete break from everything it has done in this segment.

Goodbye combustion, hello batteries

No transitional hybrid. No six-cylinder as a last hurrah. According to information from Japan, the next IS will be exclusively electric from the get-go, built on a dedicated architecture rather than a hastily adapted combustion platform. This choice is significant: a native EV platform allows for a lower hood line, a longer wheelbase, and optimized weight distribution — exactly what you'd expect from a sport sedan.

Two configurations are planned. A rear-wheel-drive version with a single motor at the back, and an AWD version with two motors for a total output approaching 500 hp. The base version will remain more modest, but no precise figures have leaked on that front.

1,000 km of range — on paper

This is the number turning heads. Lexus is reportedly targeting 1,000 kilometers per charge thanks to solid-state batteries — a technology Toyota has been developing for years that promises significantly higher energy density than conventional lithium-ion cells. CarBuzz, for its part, mentions around 500 miles (roughly 800 km), while Carscoops talks about 620 miles (about 1,000 km).

The reality is that nobody knows yet. Solid-state batteries haven't been deployed in mass-production vehicles. Toyota and Lexus are working on it actively, but "targeting 1,000 km" and "delivering 1,000 km in real-world conditions, in winter, on the highway" are two very different things. The WLTP cycle is generous. An A6 in January at -5°C, much less so.

When will it be available?

According to Japanese sources cited by Car and Driver and Carscoops, the new electric IS should be launched sometime in 2027. Lexus had also announced during the LF-ZC presentation in 2023 that a production version would be built starting in 2026, which aligns with a commercial launch the following year. Lexus has not yet officially confirmed this information — Car and Driver notes it contacted the brand without receiving a response.

Design inspired by the LF-ZC concept

The styling of the future IS will be directly inspired by the LF-ZC concept from 2023 — low hood, sharp lighting signatures, coupe-like sedan profile. The new ES 2026 has already gone down this path, but the IS should push the envelope even further, according to Dutch sources from Autoblog NL. Lexus seems to want to establish a clear hierarchy: the ES for comfort and serenity, the IS for driving pleasure and dynamism.

In terms of dimensions, the next IS would measure approximately 479 cm in length (188.5 inches per Car and Driver), about 7.5 cm longer than the current model. It would still remain noticeably more compact than the ES, keeping its premium sport sedan positioning.

Under the skin, Lexus would pack its latest in-house technologies: gigacasting (structural parts cast as single pieces, Tesla-style), a software-defined architecture,