2027 Lexus NX: three hybrid parts become one e-Axle
Lexus folded the NX hybrid’s transmission, motor and control electronics into one unit. The new interior color is named after Mars sand.
Facts from the Lexus USA Newsroom release of Sept. 1, 2026 (updated Sept. 9), as checked for the Facebook post on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8, 2026. No horsepower, range or price quoted: EPA figures are pending and pricing comes later.
For 2027, Lexus changed the hardware under the NX hybrid rather than the sheet metal around it. These are the parts you never see, and Lexus says they make the NX lighter, lower and more efficient.
Three parts, one box
A hybrid like the NX needs three things between the battery and the wheels: a transmission, an electric motor, and a box of electronics that tells the motor what to do. Lexus calls that box the power control unit. On the 2027 NX, all three come as a single unit Lexus calls an e-Axle.
Lexus says that makes a more compact, lighter package and helps lower the vehicle’s center of gravity. In plain English, the heavy stuff sits lower. A lower center of gravity helps a tall vehicle feel steadier in corners, which is useful in a crossover that rides higher than a sedan and gets driven like one anyway.
Why silicon carbide matters
The second change is in the inverter, the part that converts the battery’s power into the kind the electric motor runs on. Its chips are now silicon carbide, and Lexus says that brings further efficiency gains. Less energy wasted on the way, more of the battery doing actual work.
Silicon carbide is also what a lot of sandpaper is coated with. In the NX it has found a more glamorous job.
All-wheel drive that stays on
The NX’s electric all-wheel drive, which Lexus calls E-Four, can now run continuously when you are driving in a straight line, not only when you pull away or a wheel slips.
No more gas-only NX
Every 2027 NX is a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. The grades are the NX 350h and the NX 450h+, and the gas-only versions are gone. The plug-in gets a revised lithium-ion battery pack, and DC fast charging and a power charge port door are standard. Lexus says pricing comes later, and EPA figures are still pending, so we are not quoting any numbers we would have to take back.
If you like your hybrid hardware explained, our Nissan Rogue e-Power story does the same for a very different idea.
The Mars part
Lexus says the new interior color, Abalos, is inspired by the sand dunes of Mars’ northern hemisphere. The e-Axle is the engineering story. The Mars sand is the one your passengers will ask about. Nobody has driven an NX there to check the match.
Would you take the lighter hybrid hardware now, or wait for the EPA numbers?
