Performance and electricity used to be bad neighbors. Enthusiasts scoffed. Brands talked about efficiency like it was the only virtue. Every hybrid sports car felt like a compromise, wrapped in warnings that fun wasn’t the goal. Then the timeline shifted. Electrification ate the market whole. From买菜 cars to million-dollar hypercars. It happened fast. Now performance brands don’t ask if electric power fits in. They ask how much.
Kohei Chiashi leads the new Lexus ES. He’s got a theory on the F-Sport badge’s future.
The Engineer’s Bet
We cornered Chiashi during the ES launch event. Simple question. For a serious F-Sport model, does Lexus need a hybrid? Or do we go fully electric? He didn’t hedge.
Chiashi likes batteries. He says electrification gives raw power. It also gives control. Granular control over the powertrain envelope. Different types of performance. One system. Many outcomes.
It sounds like corporate PR fluff. Until you get into the mechanics. Chiashi dropped a detail about the ES500e platform. The system can route 100% of torque to the rear wheels. Yes. All of it.
Do not reach for a drift button. You won’t find one in the menu. Lexus handles the split automatically. The driver feels it, sure, but the algorithm is pulling the strings. Not the pedal.
Why We Aren’t Getting F-Sport Yet
This technical reality explains the delay. Lexus isn’t ignoring F-Sport. They are just slow. Very slow. Chiashi says the ES500e already hits many notes the badge usually stands for. Throw in another trim right at launch? It complicates things. Marketing headaches. Inventory chaos.
So the sedan stands alone for now.
The electric model is also cheaper than the hybrid version. A nice twist, considering how premiums usually work. But does it satisfy the craving?
“I think the BEV is well-suit[ed] because electrification has raw power.”
It’s a fair point. V8s were loud. They shook the ground. They felt alive in a chaotic, imperfect way. Electric power is quiet. Precise. Maybe too perfect? Or maybe we’re just stubborn about noise.
The ES is here. It’s fast. It’s clean. Is it an F-Sport spirit? Close enough, says Chiashi.
Wait for the real test. When they finally bolt that badge to a sedan, will you recognize the soul of the machine? Or will you just feel the instant torque and forget you’re in a Lexus at all.
