Lexus Exec Talks Lineup Gaps
Lexus GM Sees Gaps in Lineup. And Two Are Already Getting Filled
We all love the current Lexus lineup, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love more of it.
Apparently Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken feels there’s room for growth, too. Bracken caught up with Automotive News at the Detroit auto show recently to explain where he could see the marque expanding.
Most importantly, the exec thinks there’s upwards of 70,000 sales per year being lost in the subcompact and three-row crossover segments alone. So it just makes sense that now we’re hearing that both those gaps will reportedly be filled.
RELATED: What Forum Members Are Saying About Gaps in the Lexus Lineup
The UX Concept, which debuted at this year’s Paris show, should soon be going into production. So that glaring subcompact crossover hole should be a thing of the past. (Though how many NX sales will the UX cannibalize?)
Bracken’s other top priority will apparently be addressed by the new longer-base RX, with a third-row seating option (which we’ve been speculating about for a while now). The body-on-frame NX and GX that Lexus currently offers have seemingly been too truck-like to satisfy dealers.
Bracken sees further holes in the performance lineup. Although those sales gains don’t figure to be as momentous as the crossovers.
“We still have performance gaps to fill, and we can do that really well with the F,” says Bracken. “We feel we’ve been missing it on the higher end when it comes to passenger cars.”
Bracken didn’t get into specifics, but AN speculates we might see an F-badged LC and LS.
Lastly, Bracken notes that Lexus is thoroughly investigating the possibilities of an all-electric vehicle. Though Toyota and Lexus have long been the hybrid leaders, Bracken thinks it would be foolish not to study the viability of EVs, especially after Mercedes-Benz announced they’d be offering 10 by 2025.
What do you think?
