By John LeBlanc
After a 2011 the Toyota luxury brand would like to forget (there was that little issue of giving up its 11-year reign as the best-selling luxury brand in the United States), 2012 and beyond is looking very busy (and important) for Lexus.
In addition to its new, 2013 GS mid-size sports sedan, and the also-new
2013 ES luxury sedan I just drove for the first time this past week, Lexus is looking to reinvigorate its image, make it sportier, and give it some emotion.
We know the LF-LC hybrid concept from last year’s Detroit auto show, seen above, will be the design totem for the brand going forward. Its so-called “spindle” grille and aggressive bodywork is already appearing on production models. And in addition to this year's new ES and GS sedans, refreshed versions of the IS compact sports sedan/coupe, RX crossover, LS full-size luxury sedan, and LX SUV are coming over the next year as well.
But to gain even more incremental sales, Lexus is also ready to enter segments it’s never been before.
First, as one of the last luxury automakers to continue with body-on-frame (truck-based) SUVs, Lexus is looking at migrating its LX three-row SUV to a unibody (car-based) chassis at the end of its current cycle. When that happens, Lexus will finally have a product to take on the likes of the Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Buick Enclave, and Infiniti JX, among several others.
It hasn’t been signed-off yet, but Lexus officials have been recently talking up the potential for a two-door version of its just-released GS sports sedan. Lexus planning chief Karl Schlicht reportedly told
Automotive News earlier this year that the brand needed a coupe to fill out its lineup of sedans and utility vehicles. Again, expect styling to be inspired by the LF-LC concept.
While the above new Lexus models are almost a lock to show up sooner than later, to truly compete on a global level, the Toyota brand has some serious holes to fill in it slineup. And one example is the burgeoning small, luxury car segment.
You’d have to be living underneath a Lada Niva to not know that the future of luxury will be small. All the major players—Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, heck, even General Motors—are working on or already have luxury compacts in the works.
And not just sedans. Small, premium crossovers, like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and forthcoming B-Class-based Mercedes compact crossover, have broad appeal around the world.
Right now, Lexus has its CT 200h hybrid hatchback. And, er, that’s it. It definitely could use a small sedan (and NOT like the abysmal HS 250h that was canned this year) as well. Something like the Buick Verano or Acura ILX. But a Lexus compact crossover should be on the brand’s to-do list as well. If Buick (the Encore) can do it, why not Lexus?
What do you think? Can Lexus get away with its current offerings to continue to be relevant with younger, less affluent buyers? Or does it need a complete model overhaul to regain its luxury sales leadership?
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