The all-new Lexus NX has been leaked online, with imagery of the Japanese brand’s second-generation mid-size SUV showing an evolutionary exterior design and a major cabin overhaul.
According to reports, a video revealing the 2022 Lexus NX was uploaded to YouTube before being shared in a Reddit forum and then removed.
The images come just months after Lexus Australia announced a raft of MY21 updates and associated price hikes across the NX range, raising the entry point to the line-up to $57,500 plus on-road costs.
New 2021 Lexus NX 300 and NX 300h Crafted editions were also released earlier this week.
But for the 2022 model year, when Lexus takes its top-selling model into a new generation, the leaked images indicate it’ll receive a decent nip-and-tuck rather than a wholesale exterior redesign.
Up front, the LED daytime running lights are now integrated into the headlights and the grille looks to be slightly wider with a new vertically-oriented pattern.
At the rear, the tail-lights are now joined by an LED bar that runs across the tailgate, while the exhaust tips appear streamlined into the bumper and sporty vertical air outlets sit either side.
Inside the cabin it’s a somewhat different story, with a thorough overhaul and some important additions easily spotted – the most obvious being an all-new larger infotainment touch-screen dominating the central dash area.
There’s no fiddly touch pad controller in the centre console, the gear shift arrangement is much more compact, there’s a wireless phone charging pad, separate controls for the dual-zone climate control and no analogue clock immediately apparent.
A fully-digital instrument cluster is also noted.
The current Australian range comprises the NX 300 with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (175kW/350Nm) and the NX 300h with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid (147kW combined), both with front-wheel drive and AWD options and three trim levels: Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury.
For the new generation, the leaked video indicates that two new powertrains will be included in the line-up – an NX 350h hybrid and the expected NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, which will be the first PHEV from the Japanese brand.
A global unveiling is now likely in the first half of this year, with an Australian launch anticipated late this year or early in 2022.