Lexus Starts Building Electric Vehicle Plants In China, Annual Capacity Of 100,000 Units

Lexus ES. (Photo: Lexus Global)

JAKARTA - Lexus is getting serious about looking at the world's largest automotive market, namely China, the evidence has started the construction of its factory in China more precisely in Shanghai.

Based on a report from CNevpost, Monday, June 30, according to a report from the local government of the EV factory project located in the Jinshan district in southwest Shanghai has officially begun construction.

The project is expected to be completed in August 2026 and will start production in 2027, with an annual production capacity of up to 100,000 vehicles, according to a report from local media The Paper.

The report also revealed that Toyota intends to take advantage of the project to accelerate the transition to electrification and smart cars, launching an EV specifically designed for China's domestic and international markets.

Previously, the Japanese brand announced on February 5 that it would build its own electric vehicle factory in Shanghai, to produce the Lexus model. At that time, it was also mentioned that the first Lexus electric vehicle model was scheduled to start production in 2027.

The factory's initial production capacity is around 100,000 units per year, with an estimated 1,000 new jobs created during the initial production phase. This means Lexus will become the second foreign car manufacturer after Tesla, which has set up a fully owned automotive factory in China.

As is known, China has relaxed restrictions on the pure electric vehicle sector since 2018, which allows foreign companies to operate fully owned entities.