There’s a new luxury small SUV on the horizon, as Lexus Australia confirms the LBX for local market arrival next year.
Lexus Australia is planning to showcase the new model at the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup in November, where punters will be given a first look. Other Lexus models will also be on display during the event.
The local brand’s CEO, John Pappas, said sponsoring the famous race enabled the special presentation. He also said the event is a key target market for the brand, saying:
“The Lexus Melbourne Cup showcases all that is stylish, sophisticated and refined, which also speaks to our range of Lexus vehicles. The LBX, in particular, shows that luxury is not defined by vehicle size. It looks, feels and drives like a Lexus should. It introduces levels of sophistication and refined quality rarely seen in a car this size, but nevertheless expected by premium buyers.”
The LBX will be the sixth SUV in Lexus’s showroom, following the recent confirmation of the heavy-duty GX. As you might be able to tell, the LBX is based on the Toyota Yaris Cross and shares the same TNGA-B platform.
This means it sits beneath the C-HR and related Lexus UX, which both use the slightly larger TNGA-C platform. As such, the LBX is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid powertrain, similar to what is seen in the Yaris Cross. Specs for Australia are yet to be confirmed, but on a global level the petite unit produces 100kW.
So far this year Lexus Australia has sold (newly registered) 8300 new vehicles, according to August VFACTS new vehicle registration figures. That figure is up an impressive 85.6 per cent on the same period last year.
Its most popular model here is the NX mid-size SUV, contributing 3425 units to that tally, followed by the RX large SUV with 1597 units. The UX is the third most popular, with 1391 units, perhaps indicating strong appeal for another small SUV. More details will be announced later this year.
