U.S. Dealers Plead for a Smaller Lexus Crossover

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

If American dealers get their way, Lexus’ planned subcompact crossover — first shown in concept form last year — won’t be the strictly Europe-focused proposition the brand’s parent company intended.

The UX concept, introduced at the 2016 Paris Auto Show, shares its architecture with the Toyota C-HR and is already scheduled for production. We’ll see the model debut in Geneva next March. Lexus Europe is positioning the model as a new entry point for the brand’s utility lineup, designed to appeal to urbanites used to navigating tight spaces.

But European city-dwellers aren’t the only ones who took notice of the UX concept. Dealers in the U.S. are clamoring for a chance to bulk up their growing lineup with something small. It’s something Lexus is now considering.

“Our dealers are all over us to produce that concept vehicle,” said Jeff Bracken, general manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA’s Lexus division, in an interview with Wards Auto.

“We’re in the process of helping our company understand what we’re leaving on the table” by not having a premium subcompact offering in the United States, he added.

Subcompact crossovers, especially premium ones, do not generate the volume of, say, a Lexus NX or RX model. The 52.1-percent growth figure quoted by Wards for the premium subcompact crossover segment (through November) includes the Chevrolet Bolt, which isn’t everyone’s idea of a proper crossover, nor a premium one. Still, there is some volume to be had in the segment, and even some growth. Sales of BMW’s X1 are up over 11 percent this year.

Looking at last week’s L.A. Auto Show, it’s clear Lexus wants to squeeze as many sales as possible from its existing model line. A three-row RX350 variant and an LX with fewer seats speaks to this effort. It’s not hard to see the company giving in to dealer demands, as long as head office can be assured of competitive volume.

Compared to such visually bland offerings as the X1, Audi Q3, and Mercedes-Benz GLA, the UX could make its sales case on style alone. That said, we still don’t know what the actual production UX looks like. While it’ll surely share the TNGA platform used by various late-model Toyota products, Lexus could go a much different route than the vehicle seen last year in Paris. Telltale styling cues, including the world-swallowing grille, will surely remain.

Lexus sales shrunk by 6.7 percent in the U.S. last month, but the problem did not lie in small and midsize crossovers. RX sales remained more or less flat, coming in just 167 units lower than last November’s tally. Meanwhile, sales of the compact NX rose 5.5 percent for a new November record.

[Image: Lexus Europe]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Kyree Kyree on Dec 04, 2017

    Lexus also quietly released a version of the GX, either this year or last year, called the Sport package. You get captain's chairs in the middle row (making it a six-seater), unique bumpers with satin silver trim, an exposed exhaust tip and unique smoked-out headlamps and tail-lamps.

  • Pete Zaitcev Pete Zaitcev on Dec 06, 2017

    I'm looking very closely at Evoque and XC40 at this time, but I'm not onboard with a rebadged C-HR. Both of the previous contenders offer a plausible offroadability, in case of Evoque thanks to the (in)famous ZF 9-speed. But C-HR does not even have AWD. Does not meet requirements, pass. The NX is much too large, BTW. I had one as a rental and it was barely possible to navigate. I have to say that Evoque is not much narrower. What I really want is some kind of luxury Crosstrek with even lower gearing. But that does not exist.

  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
  • Dukeisduke I've been waiting to see if they were going to do something special for the 60th Anniversary. I was four years old when the Mustang was introduced. I can remember that one of our neighbors bought a '65 coupe (they were all titled as '65 models, even the '64-1/2 cars), and it's the first one I can remember seeing. In the '90s I knew an older gentleman that owned a '64-1/2 model coupe with the 260 V8.
  • SCE to AUX "...the complete Mustang model lineup to peruse"Will the fake Mustang show up, too?
  • SCE to AUX We don't need no stinking badges.
  • SCE to AUX I've never been teased by a bumper like that one before.
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