Frankfurt 2013: Lexus LF-NX Crossover Concept
Radical Lexus Concept puts Evoque on notice
By Imthishan Giado
They may not be taking our roads by storm but compact luxury SUVs in the vein of the Evoque, Audi Q3 and BMW X3 are big sellers worldwide, trading offroad ability for badge kudos, sumptuous interiors and enough electronics to make Sharaf DG feel inadequate. Lexus’s entries have to date been larger vehicles like the GX460 and LX570, extensive reskins of existing truck platforms; good, but hardly pulse-raising.
That may be about to change with the LF-NX crossover concept, set to debut in Frankfurt next week. Dipped liberally in Lexus’s L-Finesse design language the car is a rash of aggressive creases and folds with the same predator face grille that’s a design…highlight, I suppose, of the new Lexus IS.
The spindle grille’s hexagonal shape is echoed on the taut rear end, complete with razor sharp taillights. One thing’s for sure….it won’t go unnoticed.
The cabin is typical showgirl flash, although Lexus says it previews future Lexus interiors with a more stripped down minimalist look, less buttons and more touch-sensitive surfaces.
Speaking of touch – you’ll notice Lexus’s trademark horrible mouse pointer is gone, replaced by a giant touchscreen Ipad surface for selecting screen options. I can’t wait for that to become standard soon enough.
For now, the LF-NX is a concept and the styling isn’t final by any means. Nevertheless you can expect a production version of this car with toned-down styling to appear next year in the Evoque price bracket of AED230-260k.
Wait a minute, doesn’t Lexus already have a compact luxury SUV – the RX350? Then again, Land Rover already had the LR2 before the Evoque came along. So, I’m going to throw a calculated guess here and say that this will probably just be a pricier, prettier RX350 in the same way the Evoque is a pricier, prettier LR2. Well, at least they got rid of that mouse/controller/joystick thing whilst they were at it.