ANN ARBOR — The eighth-generation Lexus ES is one of the oldest models in the lineup of Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury brand. For 2026, the sedan adopts one of the newest innovations in the industry: the multi-energy platform.
Using a common vehicle architecture, the ES offers customers a choice of all-electric and gas-electric hybrid powertrains. With the ES, Lexus joins Stellantis NV, BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz AG in moving to multi-energy platforms (Lexus uses the term “multi-pathway”) as global automakers plan for an unpredictable future of government regulations and diverse global markets.
“Our multi-pathway approach with this vehicle gives us a little bit more flexibility in addressing what the customer is looking for in a vehicle,” said Chicago-based Darryl Hurlow, Lexus digital and product field manager for the central area, in an interview at the ES’s media test in Ann Arbor. “We want to be in the electric vehicle space, and we want to be in the hybrid space as well. Because we have that multi-pathway approach, we can address both those needs and shift our production as demand goes.”…