Lexus has announced that it will release three additional, but still top-secret all-new models in Australia before the fourth quarter of next year, boosting its range by one-third as the Japanese marque ventures into uncharted territory.
Each will be sold alongside existing established nameplates like the compact UX, best-selling NX, resurgent RX and LX competing in the small, medium, large and full-sized 4×4 luxury SUV segments respectively.
And, just in case you’re wondering, no: the fully-electric RZ mid-sized EV crossover arriving in May isn’t counted among them, further underlining the brand’s ambitious growth plans in this country.
While stopping short of revealing their identities, Lexus Australia chief executive, John Pappas, said that their presence will help shore up the brand’s future in this country.
“We have UX, NX, LX, RX… RZ,” he told the Australian press at the launch of the fifth-generation RX series in Melbourne earlier this month.
“These models represent our strongest offensive yet in the luxury SUV market, and they really form the heart of our brand strategy.
“Globally we will reveal three fantastic new models in three new segments, and they’ll expand our appeal to new types of customers as they land here over the next 18 months or so.
“(But) I can’t confirm what they are because their global reveals haven’t happened yet.”
Mr Pappas hopes that, after the severe stock shortages and extended delivery wait times that have plagued the industry in general and Lexus in particular, the revitalised and bolstered model range will propel the brand into a new, increasingly electrified and more prosperous era in Australia.
“With some of the supply challenges we’ve had over the last 18 months to two years, then we’ll obviously be getting new customers into the brand, because we’ll be bringing in new models in new segments, and therefore the brand will be growing,” he added.
“That’s the exciting part. Because we’ve always wanted breadth, and we’ve always wanted a diversified portfolio when we talk about powertrains and getting our electrified mix to 100 per cent and eventually a 100 per cent ZEV (zero emissions vehicle range) by 2035.”
As well as bolstering the existing range, the secret trio might act as indirect replacements for once-popular nameplates that are no longer available, including the CT200h hybrid hatch, BMW 3 Series-rivalling IS sports sedan, RC coupe and GS large sedan.
So, what do we think these new models will be and where would they fit in?
Back in December, 2021, Toyota and Lexus together revealed 16 future concepts as part of their bold forward-planning strategy, with all pointing to coming production models.
With that in mind, and with more than a little sleuthing around, here’s what Australia can expect over the next 18 months.
Lexus GX 4×4 Hybrid Max
Lexus is poised to finally bring the GX – the large, seven-seater SUV derived from the Toyota Prado 4×4 and offered elsewhere since 2001 – into Australia from sometime next year.
But this isn’t what you might have glimpsed on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, since the coming version is said to be based on the next-gen (J180?) Prado, that switches to the latest LandCruiser 300 Series’ Toyota New Global Architecture F frame (TNGA-F). So, along with plush gadgets, it should also offer go-anywhere ladder-frame chassis toughness on one hand, and available advanced four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid powertrains on the other.
Given this is a package smaller than the wildly successful LX, it seems a no-brainer for us – particularly with the gap left in the three-row SUV line-up due to the demise of the now-defunct RX L three-row large SUV. Land Rover Discovery and Defender, look out!
Lexus ‘BX’ baby SUV
Remember the CT200h? This was a dowdy, Corolla-based “luxury” hatch with neither the refinement nor dynamic sophistication to bother a Ford Focus, never mind the Mercedes A-Class it was targeting.
Now, Lexus is trying something new, with the help of the TNGA GA-B platform used specifically underneath the Yaris Cross. In completely haute couture though, darlings!
Speculated to employ a variation of Toyota’s three-cylinder petrol-hybrid and available all-wheel drive systems, the resulting ‘BX’ (a codename that may not make it to production) should be a smartly-attired and opulent city-sized crossover, offering plenty of ground clearance and a high-riding position.
Aimed at the Mini Countryman and Audi Q2, the word is we’ll see something announced around mid-year.
Lexus sub-RZ crossover? EV sedan? Hybrid sports coupe? You decide!
SUVs might be all the rage, and it’s reasonable to expect an all-electric compact Lexus crossover based on the rumoured Toyota bZ3X, as previewed by the Toyota bZ Compact SUV Concept late last year.
But, as the 2021 Toyota/Lexus future-model reveal suggests, a small sports sedan in the mould of the Tesla Model 3 seems to be part of the brand’s coming model range. A sort of belated IS replacement, but sharper. Whether it’s based on the e-TNGA platform lurking beneath the RZ is unclear.
What is obvious, however, is that Lexus also seems to be interested in also offering a sports coupe, as a sort of homage to the iconic LFA V10-powered supercar. This one would most likely be a hybrid-turbo proposition, as a high-performance halo flagship and technological showcase.
We know… that’s more than three cars all up, and more than what Lexus Australia has already confirmed. We’re speculating here.
Watch this space to see which of our predictions come to fruition over the next 18 months.
Exciting times indeed for Lexus.
Keyword: Top secret, here soon: Lexus confirms three all-new models for Australia, including likely affordable hybrid SUVs, Prado-based 4x4 and Tesla Model 3 electric-car rival