Lexus confirms ‘yoke’ steering wheel for Australia, ‘should pass ADRs’

Lexus said its controversial ‘yoke’ steering wheel is still another 12 to 18 months away and should pass the notoriously tough Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

The Formula One-inspired ‘yoke’ does away with the traditional round steering wheel, lopping off the top entirely and flattening out the bottom.

The ‘yoke’ is paired with infinitely variable steering, enabled by steer-by-wire which does away with any mechanical connection to the front wheels. The steering is done solely by sensors, motors and computers.

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U-turns can be executed in a mere flick of the wrists – 150 degrees instead of 540 degrees of a conventional system. Still under development, the ‘yoke’ is not yet offered in any markets yet.

Lexus will offer the system on its first dedicated-platform electric vehicle, the RZ – but not for another 12 to 18 months, said Chief Executive John Pappas.

“I don’t think it will have any issues with ADRs,” Pappas told Wheels. “We’re trying to get it right. It’s under development.”

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2023 Lexus RZ electric SUV

Pappas said the ‘yoke’ was an upgrade and would cost extra if customers wanted it. “It will, but we haven’t determined how that all looks and what it is,” he said.

Meanwhile wait times for new Lexus vehicles are expected to shorten after the brand announced it had secured a larger share of global production. Production shortages have led to Lexus pausing orders of vehicles like the NX plug-in electric hybrid.

More than 5000 NX units are due this year alone, Lexus said.

The first batch of RZ electric vehicles will tally 500, and 150 are already sold, said Lexus. There are ‘no plans’ to offer a cheaper, single-motor front-drive electric RZ variant in Australia at this stage.

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2024 Lexus LM reveal

Off the back of Lexus’s announcement it will bring the luxury LM van to Australia for the first time, it has also confirmed two hybrid variants will be offered. The LM350h will arrive in the last quarter of this year, while the LM500h is expected quarter one next year.

Offering ‘business class’ comfort for rear seat passengers, hybrid LM350h van is powered by a petrol 2.5-litre inline-4 with electric motors and 184kW (combined). The LM500h uses a turbocharged 2.4-litre inline-4 with a healthy 273kW combined.

“It’s going to give us a look at new buyers,” said Pappas. “Where it’s going to sit in that space, in terms of level of luxury, it’s going to be market-leading.”

Pricing has not yet been announced.