chiph9

Increased government regulation, especially around fuel consumption, could result in the GX being cancelled.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/02/l...ain-exclusive/

Well, they already have one turbocharged SUV, and Ford has been successful with their 2.7l Ecoboost in the F-150, so maybe it could get something like that. Or even better: a turbo-diesel. Love that torque!

Chip H.

GXallday

I doubt they'll drop GX. Most likely will go to unibody platform. The GX model has been pretty successful for Lexus.

Jacket

Yup. The US government is single-handedly ruining the truck and SUV market with its regulations. I like to call it the dumbing down of vehicle construction in our throw away society. For people that truly need/want a utility vehicle, there are very few survivors and that number continues to drop. I'm surprised that Toyota still keeps the Lexus brand running on Runner and Land Cruiser frames, but I'm sure it's a cost control mechanism. As CAFE numbers continue to squeeze the manufacturers, they will be forced to sacrifice strength and durability for MPG's.

Oddly enough, the demand for these vehicles is still very high (rising?), but with gas prices dropping like they have it's only going to create an even bigger gap between consumer and government.

I could foresee a new world for Toyota/Lexus in a few years.

Lexus GX - reintroduced based on the Highlander platform
Lexus LX - reintroduced based on Sequoia, or dropped from the US market and replaced with something else US-only for full size luxury (since worldwide sales of the current LX are strong)
4Runner - Retained as a survivor in the Utility market
Land Cruiser 200 series - Retained (although I'd be much happier to see it dropped from the US as well and replaced with the "real" 70 series Cruiser).

The 200 series platform continues to stray further and further from its heritage, and throwing in electronic crawl control doesn't make it an offroad utility vehicle. The 4Runner/GX platform (and Tacoma) are far better suited for carrying forward Toyota's utility class, but again, the US government is working hard to drive these guys out. And certainly the reviews aren't helping either, when GX vehicle tests are against the likes of the MDX and X5, which don't even compare when you look outside the interior. Who knows - I guess I'm a dying breed of folks that prefer utility, durability and mixed use performance over cup holders and electronic parallel parking computers.

Jacket

It's too bad that TOyota will never do this despite all the success with their worldwide diesel engines. Even the diesel Tundra is going to get a Cummins rather than a Toyota powerplant. Boo.

chiph9

I can see their point - easier to pay someone else for meeting tough diesel emissions standards.
Plus, Cummins has a good reputation in the US (except for their ISX engine..)

Chip H.

UpStarr

Government regulations? They can hardly regulate themselves so I'm not the least bit worried about them coming after a GX or an LX.

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

This is plain BS. These so-called regulations only apply to imports I'm sure. I hate how people keep on pushing a luxury car company to make fuel economic vehicles, and cheap ones too. Kinda defeats the purpose of a luxury segment. They have Toyota and Scion to take care of that.

I just wanna add, the GX does not run on a 4Runner platform, it's the other way around. The GX aka Prado is sold all over the world, while the 4 Runner is only available here in the US and select countries. So technically the 4 Runner is a cheap version of the GX and not the more common perception of people that the GX is just an expensive 4 Runner.

And also, the Land Cruiser is one of the best SUV's that's sold by Toyota around the world. Just because it carries the name badge Toyota, doesn't mean it's cheap or cheaply made. The best cars Toyota/Lexus makes in terms of performance and engineering are only made in Japan, that's why the Land Cruiser is very expensive.

BradTank

CAFE is a really dumb set of laws, the US is about the only country that makes manufacturers have an average fuel economy rating.

With the new upcoming standards, a full size SUV is like an LX or GX are going to be impossible to make anymore. There needs to be some changes in the law.

By 2025, the average fuel economy is supposed to be 54.5mpg. A Prius doesn't even get that, how on Earth do you expect a real full size SUV?

And the average consumer is clueless, you tell them the government is forcing manufacturers to get greater fuel economy and they cheer it on. Never mind that we'll all be driving golf carts to meet the new law.

YoshiMan

Meh, I doubt they are going to go away. That's the reason that Toyota pushes the Prius so hard and has so many versions of it. People make fun of Toyota for it, but those Prius's allow them to sell the Tundras and Landcruisers because it bumps up the average fuel economy ratings.

I do love how some people criticize the big SUV's, but don't seem to give a damn about the big heavy duty trucks. Like the Ford Excursion... I can guarantee if Toyota built an SUV that large, i would be waiting at the dealer with cash in hand as soon as the first one came rolling in... because this is America, dammit!

chiph9

Yeah, CAFE is pretty much unachievable with vehicles designed for the open road. For city cars (like the Smart and Scion IQ) they can probably do it.

Technically, cars like the Tesla meet the requirements. But they start at $80k and you can't tow a boat with one.

Chip H.