It seems the EV revolution is joined at the hip with the soaring hype for crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks. And even Toyota, now under new leadership at every level, wants to join the zero-emissions party.
The namesake Toyota brand still has a little faith left in the hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles – but that one is slowly fading away. Meanwhile, the luxury division Lexus is more and more invested in battery-powered electrification. For example, they already have the NX and RX PHEVs on sale, and the latter will be joined soon by the all-new, first-ever TX hybrid and plug-in hybrid on the American market.
Just recently, the rumor mill has also heard from none other than Lexus International president Takashi Watanabe that the premium automaker might top all these offerings with something unheard of before, aka an electric pickup truck. That's a mighty daring endeavor, of course, but also entirely logical – primarily if it's focused on the North American region.
Over there, near-premium EV pickup trucks are already taking flight in the sales charts, mostly thanks to the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV, and the new kid on the block, Rivian R1T. And the market isn't standing still as GM will also add the Chevy Silverado EV and the premium GMC Sierra EV, Ram Trucks will introduce the 1500 REV, and the mighty Tesla will finally unleash their edgy Cybertruck.
Naturally, that idea – a Lexus pickup truck of the EV variety – has caught the attention of everyone, including the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. And they quickly took the task away from Lexus, unofficially imagining what a Lexus 'workhorse' could look like. Some decided that the best way is to redress the N400 Toyota Tacoma with a premium feel and call it a good CGI day.
Others didn't think that would cut it, as the Lexus pickup truck would most likely be of the full-size light-duty variety rather than a smaller mid-sizer. Now, Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has taken up the task of revealing that flagship Lexus truck - in CGI.
And his recipe is just as simple, though also a little more than outrageous, to say the least. So, instead of solely using Toyota group DNA for the hypothetical Lexus pickup truck, the pixel master relied on a CGI mashup. First, he took the charming appearance of the 2024 Lexus GX as a design benchmark, and then he added the (visible) underpinnings of the Ford F-150 Lightning. The result is, um, interesting.
So, what do you think about a Lexus EV pickup truck with the front and rear styling of the all-new Lexus GX but also with the middle section taken almost unchanged from the famous Ford F-150 Lightning? Should we give it our CGI hall pass or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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