Toyota to build its next-gen Lexus electric SUV in Shanghai first, with a gigacast body, from the second half of 2027

Toyota/Lexus Shanghai gigacasting line

Nikkei reported that Toyota will start building a next-generation Lexus electric SUV at its new wholly owned Shanghai plant in the second half of 2027, a rare case of Toyota launching its newest EV technology outside Japan first. The body uses gigacasting, which makes several aluminium parts as one large casting, cutting weight and adding a few percent of range.

• Output starts around 1,000 cars a month, rising to tens of thousands a year from 2028.
• Gigacasting can cut the weight of the cast body sections by about 20%.
• The plant broke ground in June 2025, with completion targeted for August 2026 and capacity of 100,000 cars a year.
• Toyota had earlier stopped work on a coupe-style EV in Japan to focus on SUVs, which sell better in China.