A new report finds Lexus will travel to next March’s Geneva Motor Show to unveil a production-bound compact crossover aimed squarely at the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
Official details are not available, but rumors claim the crossover will be heavily influenced by the LF-NX concept that was presented in Frankfurt last September and again in Tokyo last month. The concept will be toned down for production but the harsh, chiseled lines are expected to remain.
Interestingly, both concepts accurately previewed the production crossover’s drivetrains. When it goes on sale, the LF-NX will be offered with a 220-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain consisting of a small electric motor and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, and a brand new gas-burning 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine fed with a turbocharger. Power will be sent to either the front or all four wheels via an automatic transmission.
The turbo four will be Japanese automaker’s first turbocharged engine. After debuting in the crossover, it will be gradually replace the existing 2.5-liter V6 and find its way under the hood of a wide variety of upcoming Lexus vehicles.
The crossover will boost Lexus sales around the world but company executives are not looking to catch up to German rivals.
“We don’t want to copy BMW and we are certainly not chasing BMW and Mercedes volumes. Our focus is to keep the brand very individual,” explained Richard Balshaw, the director of Lexus’ British arm, in interview with Auto Express.
If the rumor proves true, look for official information about the production variant of the Lexus LF-NX to emerge in the weeks leading up to its debut in Geneva. Following its public unveiling, the crossover will go on sale across the United States and Europe in the summer of 2014.
Leave a Reply