NEXT-generation Lexus brave design, exhilarating performance and imaginative technology has been revealed in the new Lexus NX luxury medium SUV, which features completely renewed athletic proportion.
At the same time, it’s debuting a powerful 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a more advanced petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. A three-tier line-up comprising NX 350h, NX 350 and NX 250 will arrive in Australia in November, 2021.
The new NX will also become the first Lexus plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and further details will be communicated about the NX 450h+ in due course.
With an all-new, stronger platform boasting larger dimensions including a longer wheelbase, the all-new NX defines next-generation Lexus design language by pursuing simplicity rooted in strong proportions and expressing captivating forms.
This dynamic exterior design reflects both the engaging technology within the advanced Tazuna Concept – a cockpit concept making its Lexus production vehicle debut – and a heighted focus on performance, ride comfort and handling.
The Tazuna Concept is a cockpit concept that allows the driver to intuitively connect with the car and concentrate more on driving operations.
It blends trademark-Lexus quality with a captivating new design, a luxurious blend of tones and textures, and a combination of button tactility with next-generation multimedia featuring 14.0-inch widescreen, touch-display capability.
A Lexus-first E-Latch system electronically controls the latching and unlatching of doors, combining with a blind-spot monitor to provide a safe exit assist (SEA) function that helps prevent accidents caused by door operation when the vehicle is stopped.
These advancements form part of the extensive next-generation Lexus Safety System+, adopting the latest preventive safety technologies and advanced technologies that enhance convenience, based on a human-centred approach.
An evolution of the Lexus Driving Signature – which targets engaging and linear vehicle behaviour faithful to a driver’s intentions – is borne from extensive dynamic development at the company’s technical centre in Shimoyama, Japan.
While inheriting the linear steering feel that Lexus has thoroughly pursued to date, Lexus has focused on developing the driving control to deliver a precise driving feel.
Delivering a superb blend of high response and low fuel consumption, the new-generation petrol-electric NX 350h combines a 2.5-litre petrol engine with electrified performance supported by a new high-capacity Lithium-ion battery pack.
It’s available in front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).
A newly developed, electronically controlled full-time AWD system is standard for the new NX 350 variant and its 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – with a 0.4L-larger capacity compared with the previous NX 300.
With a focus on light, agile driving dynamics, a new NX 250 variant joins the luxury medium SUV range with a responsive 2.5-litre petrol engine delivering high thermal efficiency, offered in FWD.
The globally available NX 450h+ PHEV (not confirmed for Australia) features a thermally-efficient 2.5-litre petrol engine, front and rear motors, and a Lithium-ion battery pack with an impressive 18.1 kiloWatt-hour (kWh) power output.
Lexus Australia Chief Executive Scott Thompson said the all-new NX represented a leap forward for the luxury lifestyle brand and a luxury medium SUV that is the most popular Lexus in Australia.
“The all-new Lexus NX is an extensive leap forward for design, performance and technology, with its athletic exterior matched by a dynamic new cockpit concept, advanced powertrains, plus engaging steering and handling,” Mr Thompson said.
“When these attributes combine with trademark-Lexus quality and luxury, ride comfort and refinement, we are confident the all-new NX will create a new luxury medium SUV benchmark when it arrives in November.”
Further details, including pricing and local specifications, will be available closer to launch.
