The decade-old Lexus CT 200h has long been discontinued in Malaysia but it’s still on sale in Japan. The hybrid-only Toyota Prius-based entry model Lexus is expected to be discontinued by the end of this year, which begs the next question – what will replace it?
According to Japanese publication Mag-X, the Lexus CT 200h will not have a direct successor, but its role as an entry point into the Lexus family will be replaced by a new, -based SUV.
Long gone from Malaysia, it's still on sale in Japan, but not for much longer
Said model is rumoured to wear the Lexus LBX nameplate (short for Lexus B-Crossover?). Like the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Lexus LBX will ride on the B-segment TNGA-B platform.
The Lexus LBX is expected to make its debut in 2023 and will be positioned below the -based Lexus UX, which uses a larger TNGA-C platform that’s also shared with the .
Since it succeeds the Lexus CT 200h, the Lexus LBX is said to be a hybrid-only model, at least in Japan.
Globally, the Toyota Yaris Cross is available one of two engine options – a naturally aspired 1.5-litre Dynamic Force M15A-FKS engine paired to a Direct Shift CVT-type automatic transmission, or a hybrid variant of the former, the Atkinson cycle 1.5-litre M15A-FXE engine.
As such, a regular combustion engine variant Lexus LBX cannot be ruled out yet.
In Malaysia, the Lexus UX is the brand’s entry point for now. Prices of the 2.0-litre Dynamic Force engine-powered Lexus UX 200 range from RM 237,191 to RM 291,082. Prices are valid until 30-June 2022.
Lexus UX
As for the Yaris Cross, the model is not sold here, although it’s available in Singapore. Note the Singapore doesn’t sell the Toyota Corolla Cross.
Keyword: Lexus to launch new entry model, Yaris Cross-based 2023 Lexus LBX to succeed CT 200h