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Gautam Sharma31 Jan 2014
NEWS

Leaked online: Lexus NX compact crossover

Premium Japanese brand aims to have a crack at the Range Rover Evoque, Audi Q5 and BMW X3 with an all-new sub-RX contender
Lexus revealed its LF-NX concept at last September’s Frankfurt motor show, and now the production version has been leaked online ahead of its expected debut at the Geneva motor show in March.
The compact SUV is expected to be known simply as the NX (not to be confused with the Nissan coupe that wore this moniker during the 1990s), and it will slot in below the larger RX to compete against the likes of the Range Rover Evoque.
Rather than being conceived from scratch, the NX is derived from the architecture that underpins the Toyota RAV4, although it debuts a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, as well as a hybrid powertrain.
The image alongside appeared as part of a presentation by Toyota USA’s CEO Jim Lentz at the Society of Automotive Analysts’ Automotive Outlook Conference, and he said the new force-fed engine would “pave the way for turbos, for the future, in Lexus models – and turn a few heads along the way.”
According to reports, Lexus has recently trademarked the designation ‘NX200t’, which would be affixed to the 2.0-litre turbo version of the edgy crossover.
The manufacturer has also trademarked the GS200t and RC200t nameplates, suggesting the new turbo powerplant will be slotted into other models as well.
The accompanying image reveals the production-ready NX is a far more mainstream looking proposition than the polarising LF-NX concept that debuted at the Frankfurt show.
The slit-like headlights of the design study have been replaced with more conventional units, while the front fascia and spindle grille have also been toned down. Likewise the profile, which loses the aggressively flared wheelarches and plethora of razor-sharp creases.
The chief designer of the vehicle, Nobuyuki Tomatsu, has been quoted as saying: “We want this to be a very influential car – one to make its rivals look boring.”
Whether this is the case will only be discernible once we see the car in the metal, but the leaked pic seems to indicate it’s not as dramatic as Range Rover’s rakish Evoque, which has been a solid sales success despite its lofty pricing.
There’s as yet no announcement as to when the NX will land in showrooms but – provided it does debut at the upcoming Geneva show – it could conceivably launch in the third quarter of this year.

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Written byGautam Sharma
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