Fizzboy7

America does not like hatchbacks or mini wagons. So many recent failures with them here. I hope they can pull this off.
They did say they wanted to introduce more affordable cars that appeal to younger people. I rather see them do a modern day Integra or RSX coupe. An affordable premium coupe with the Lexus name would move out of showrooms well.

Big Andy

As long as it's not just an Auris with a new grille and a bit of leather it should go down quite well. Audi A3s and BMW - 1 series sell well and it would be good to have another alternative. My main worry is that the new GM (Vauxhall) Astra looks very good, the Golf and the Focus are class leaders and Lexus might find themselves squeezed between those and the recognised premium offerings.

mmarshall

Hatchbacks and small wagons DO sell here in America, but mostly to younger people. The problem is that, with the exception of the IS, a lot of younger people simply stay away from Lexus, period, hatchback or sedan. Many of them don't have the kind of money a new Lexus costs. That's why Lexus needs to introduce something in the 20-30K range, like the old Infiniti G20 and Acura Integra....the Integra was a huge success. To date, Lexus has refused to market anything in the U.S. that is under 30K.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

That would be cool, but Lexus typically trademarks a few names at a time- probably to psych out the press and people like us who go poking around for the info.

For the new RX they trademarked RX 430h, RX 440h, and RX 450h and for the new LX they trademarked LX 550, LX 570, and LX 600. While it would be cool to see them offer two or even three hybrid powertrains, I wouldn't anticipate it based on the trademark filings.

Also, too bad this car won't be RWD. Toyota offers a lot of great small cars in Europe that we don't get here, and I wonder if some of them will be indirect competition for the new entry level car. If they had made it RWD that would be a cool differentiator from the smaller Toyotas and other small cars except the 1 series, though with it being a hybrid I would imagine people won't be entitled to thrash it around much.