2013 Frankfurt: Toyota and Lexus debuts far from conservative

Story and photos by John LeBlanc FRANKFURT - Trying to garner some attention in a European market where it’s a relatively small player, Japan’s Toyota debuted two outlandish concepts here in Frankfurt. It has been almost a decade since BMW’s X3 started the compact luxury crossover craze, followed by the likes of the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX, Infiniti EX, and Range Rover Evoque, among others. But with the knife-edged Lexus LF-NX Concept, it looks like Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand will finally have a contender in this burgeoning class. Lexus won’t confirm, but the LF-NX appears to use the platform of the new-for-2013 Toyota RAV4. The Japanese automaker will say the front-wheel-drive Lexus concept is powered by the gas-electric hybrid powertrain found in the hybrid versions of the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES sedans, but all-wheel-drive in the final production version is not being ruled out. While you may know the Yaris as a mild-mannered econobox, the new Toyota Yaris R Concept may change your mind. Using a two-door Yaris hatchback as a foundation, the Hybrid R uses a Toyota Motorsport-designed 1.6-litre four-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors for a combined power output of more than 400 horsepower — about four times that of the current Canadian-market model’s output. This article was originally published by National Post Driving.

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