Customers in the U.S. and Canada will have to make do with an old-fashioned rack-and-pinion steering system for a while
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by Sebastien Bell
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When the RZ 450e arrives in northern North America, it will not be equipped with a steer-by-wire system, nor with the attention-grabbing steering yoke, a Lexus spokesperson said. Customers in the U.S. and Canada, though, can expect it to be offered at some point in the future.
“Steer-by-wire won’t be available in Canada at launch on RZ 450e, but it will be available at a later date,” said Romaric Lartilleux, a spokesperson for Lexus Canada, adding that the feature will not be offered at launch in the United States, either.
Instead, like the Toyota bZ4X, to which the all-electric RZ 450e is related, it will have a more familiar electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system. Like that crossover, the Lexus will be equipped with a traditional steering wheel.
Read: Here’s How The Lexus RZ 450e’s Steer-By-Wire System Works
In addition, and unlike in Europe, the steer-by-wire system will not be called the One Motion Grip (OMG), a Lexus spokesperson told Green Car Reports. It won’t be referred to internally as a steering “yoke,” either. Lexus has not yet come up with a name for the system in North America, at least not one that it’s willing to share with the public yet.
When it does arrive, regardless of what it’s called, the steer-by-wire system will be offered alongside the older-school rack-and-pinion system. It remains unclear how much Lexus will charge for the option, but what is clear is that it thinks that steer-by-wire systems are the future.
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Last summer, Takasahi Watanabe said that the technology has “a deep connection with the kind of electrification” Lexus is trying to achieve. He added that it helps create a closer connection between the vehicle and its driver by “blending the steering, braking, and acceleration all together with the same taste,” referring to the brand’s electronic throttle and braking technology.
With a lock-to-lock steering angle of just 150 degrees for the yoke, Lexus believes that the new feature will improve the user experience by never requiring the driver to take their hands off the wheel.
Equipped with a 71.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, Lexus estimates that the RZ 450e has a range of 220 miles (354 KM) in the U.S. Available with up to 308 hp (230 kW/313 PS) and 435 Nm (321 lb-ft) of torque, the EV can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) just 5.0 seconds and has a top speed of 99 mph (160 km/h). Prices for the EV start at $59,650 in the U.S.
