IT has been my habit to pay attention to speeches delivered during occasions of import, vehicle launches included. And so, to cut to the chase, here is the piece of Alfred V. Ty (AVT), the dapper chairman of both Lexus Philippines and Lexus Manila Inc., during the recent unveiling of the full electric Lexus RZ 450.
“Honorable Senate President, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri; Honorable Undersecretary Felix William “Wimpy” Fuentebella, Department of Energy; Lexus Asia Pacific Vice President, Preston Tan; Lexus Philippines Vice Chairman, Dr. David Go; Lexus Philippines President, Atsuhiro Okamoto; Lexus Manila Inc. Vice Chairman, Vince Socco; Lexus Manila Inc. President, Raymond Rodriguez; friends from the Media and valued guests; ladies and gentlemen, good day and welcome to Lexus.
“Today is a very exciting day for me, but even more for many of you, I suppose. I have personally been waiting for this day for a long time. Today, Lexus will surge ahead in its journey towards electrification, a journey that started with the RX back in 2011. In fact, I am extremely delighted that our very first offering of a full battery electric vehicle in the Philippines is brought to you by no less than Lexus.
“It is, indeed, a fitting expression of our philosophy of creating amazing.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the all-new Lexus RZ has arrived on Philippine shores and will be providing Filipino car lovers with a totally new Lexus driving experience.
Heartbeat
“You will hear your heartbeat with excitement in the even more quiet interiors that Lexus is renowned for.
“You will feel the exhilaration of the RZ reacting directly to your driving inputs without any of the guilt of creating carbon emissions that harm the planet.
“You will have untold peace of mind with its suite of safety features while enjoying the thrill of its spirited handling. This all-electric SUV will surely leave you wanting to drive it to your every destination, every day.
“Lexus and Toyota have been leaders in electrification. We have, in fact, sold a total of over 22 million hybrid electrified vehicles worldwide, which is the equivalent of 7.5 million battery electric vehicles—the most by any car maker in the world.
“It was also Lexus that introduced the world’s first luxury hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h. Plus, Lexus has instituted numerous sustainability-focused practices over the years, such as adding recyclable or reclaimable materials to vehicle components—plant-based bioplastics, for instance—and following production processes that help prevent hundreds of thousands of pounds of materials from ending up in landfills.
Zero
“The Z in RZ is just one letter, but it carries huge—and exciting—implications for the future Lexus driving experience. The Z stands for Zero, and as Chairman Akio Toyoda announced previously, it represents Lexus’ goal to create clean-powered vehicles that produce no CO2 emissions ‘throughout the whole process of their use.’
“Toyoda believes ‘that achieving carbon neutrality means realizing a world in which all people living on this planet continue to live happily. Lexus wants to help realize such a world…for that challenge, we need to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible, as soon as possible.’
“Lexus has announced a plan to go full battery-electric in North America, Europe and China by the year 2030, followed by a full global switch to EV by 2035.
“Lexus also expects to grow sales to 1,000,000 vehicles per year by that time. This bold, sustainably-minded transition is, of course, in keeping with Lexus’ longstanding, and tireless, eco-minded ethos.
“Here in the Philippines, we aim to grow our suite of electrified vehicles. We also plan to support the creation of an ecosystem that will make our country electrified-friendly.
New doors
“We have installed dedicated EV charging stations here at Lexus Manila to complement the portable chargers provided with the Lexus RZ.
“Over time, though, we want to provide more stations in line with the goals of EVIDA. Meantime, the Lexus RZ can avail of commercially available charging stations that have started to spread across the metropolitan area.
“Our new Lexus RZ is a game changer in many ways. It elevates the already amazing driving experience of our fine Lexus automobiles. It opens new doors to being able to achieve our shared goal of carbon neutrality. It introduces a range of new and sustainable manufacturing processes. And, most of all, it allows us to build that better future for ourselves, our children and theirs.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for joining us today in what I am certain will be a major leap forward in our journey to an electrified future. Let us drive together to a truly better world for all.
“Thank you.”
PEE STOP “Even before its launch, we are already swamped with advance orders for the Lexus RZ450,” said Toyota-Lexus top gun Jing Atienza, who added that waiting time is at least one year. A dream car, indeed.