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Toyota’s 3-row electric SUV will likely gain an upscale, luxury sibling

Lexus is gearing up to introduce the next-gen TX, and all signs point to it being an all-electric three-row SUV. The new electric SUV is expected to be based on Toyota’s upcoming Highlander BEV.

Is Lexus launching a three-row electric SUV?

After revealing the long-awaited Highlander BEV in February, Toyota said last month it was preparing for its second US-made electric vehicle with an additional $800 million investment to upgrade its Kentucky manufacturing plant.

The Highlander BEV will be Toyota’s first all-electric vehicle produced in the US, starting later this year, but the company didn’t offer any other details about the second model.

A Nikkei report last September claimed Toyota was planning to build two new electric SUVs in Kentucky to replace the outgoing Lexus ES.

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With Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus preparing to unveil the new 2027 TX soon, it’s expected to arrive as a more upscale version of the Highlander BEV. Lexus has yet to publicly announce that the new TX will be all-electric, but Toyota filed a patent with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 2023 for the names “Lexus TZ 450e” and “Lexus TZ 550e,” suggesting EV variants in the works.

Lexus-three-row-electric-SUV
2026 Lexus TX (Source: Lexus)

What will that look like? The 2027 Highlander BEV is based on a modified version of Toyota’s TNGA-K platform, engineered to optimize interior space and efficiency.

It will be available with two battery pack options: 77 kWh or 95.8 kWh, expected to provide up to 287 miles and 320 miles of range, respectively.

Toyota-Highlander-EV-three-row-SUV
2027 Toyota Highlander EV three-row electric SUV (Source: Toyota)

Toyota’s three-row electric SUV will offer front and all-wheel-drive powertrains. The FWD version delivers 221 hp and 198 lb-ft of torque, while AWD models pack 338 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque.

Measuring 198.8″ long, 78.3″ wide, and 67.3″ tall, with a wheelbase of 120.1″, the electric Highlander is slightly smaller than the current gas-powered 2026 Lexus TX.

The Toyota Highlander BEV will go on sale later this year with prices expected to start at around $50,000. Lexus’ three-row electric SUV is expected to debut by the end of 2026 or early 2027, starting around $60,000 as a more premium sibling to the Highlander.

If and when the three-row Lexus SUV arrives, it will face an increasingly crowded segment with the Hyundai IONIQ 9, Lucid Gravity, Rivian R1S, Kia EV9, Volvo EX90, and Cadillac Vistiq, to name a few.

Would you buy an electric Lexus SUV over the other luxury models? Let us know which one you’d choose in the comments.

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Avatar for Peter Johnson Peter Johnson

Peter Johnson is covering the auto industry’s step-by-step transformation to electric vehicles. He is an experienced investor, financial writer, and EV enthusiast. His enthusiasm for electric vehicles, primarily Tesla, is a significant reason he pursued a career in investments. If he isn’t telling you about his latest 10K findings, you can find him enjoying the outdoors or exercising