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Is Lexus preparing an electric UX?

Is Lexus preparing an electric UX?

Trademark filings hint at an UX300e.

The first battery-electric member of the Lexus line-up could be based on the UX. The firm hasn't revealed what the future holds for the soft-roader, but a trademark application recently filed in Europe suggests full electrification is in the pipeline.

Website Autoguide reports Toyota's luxury division applied to protect the nameplate UX300e in Europe. Nothing is official yet, but the name seemingly points to an electric version of the UX, the firm's entry-level model. The letter h denotes a hybrid in Lexus-speak, like the UX250h, so the letter e could signal an electric model. We're not fully ruling out that e points to a plug-in hybrid powertrain with electric-only range.

This is all speculation; technical details aren't available yet. However, Autoguide believes the electric UX won't be offered alongside the gasoline-powered and hybrid variants in American showrooms. The model will go on sale in Asia -- notably in China, where buyers who don't go electric face the prospect of getting regulated out of major cities -- and Europe. Norway could be a major market for a battery-electric UX300e as well. American sales aren't planned yet.

Lexus hasn't commented on the trademark filing. If it indeed announces an electric UX, we'll likely see the model in the metal before the end of 2019.