TF109B

Any new info on the bmw tie up? Nothing on any more coupes? LF-LC? New LS? TMG involvement at all? Hopefully the NX is a hit and it proves to be a turning point for other new vehicles.

Machog

As an IS250c owner, do you think I have anything to look forward to, any convertible's on the drawing board? Or am I going to have a very unique car in my collection?

Machog

Sulu

The RX now serves the "Mom's taxi" / "Soccer Mom" / "Hockey Mom" role very well in many countries (I was surprised to see so many in Singapore, Southeast Asia). I do not believe that switching the RX to a RWD-based SUV/sporty-wagon (like the orginal Cadillac SRX) will improve it any, and may, in fact, alienate its current customers (remember that the original RWD SRX did not sell and is now a FWD-based crossover, just like the RX).

I could see the next-gen RX adopt some (but not all) of the new NX's (controversial / polarizing) styling, and grow to become a 3-row wagon, but continue as the 21st-century Lexus equivalent of the Vista Cruiser.

cino

iTrader: (1)

Hopefully, Toyota considers drop top version of RC. I'm not in a market for a vert, but it would be nice for those who are.

LexFather

I haven't heard anything about any drop tops...maybe the LF LC.....

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Hoovey, that's very sad to hear that they could offer a traditional stick for select models (i.e.: IS and RC) but won't bother. Was there also no talk at all of future dual-clutch or single-clutch automated manuals?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I personally have not heard in any rumor mills about DCTs/Single Clutch, but there will be more likely hood of those than traditional 3-pedal set-ups in the future

Blackraven

^^^
Yup this is true.

That along with the ES (which is very popular amongst Asian business executives and their rich elite families)

GS69

Lexus Weighs the Best Way to Add 7 Seat CrossOver

Lexus plans to offer a 7-seat crossover, either by bringing out a new vehicle or by increasing the size of the venerable RX 350.

"3rd-row seating is the No. 1 issue we hear from dealers," Lexus Division chief Jeff Bracken said at the auto show here. "We feel like we're missing a 35,000-units-a-year opportunity. We're working hard to rectify that."

Lexus' crossover mainstay is the RX 350, a mid-sized 5-seater that in the best of economic times has sold more than 100,000 units a year.

The RX is based on the platform of the Toyota Highlander, which was redesigned this year. But the Lexus variant won't arrive until late 2015, to make room for the launch of the compact NX 200t and NX 300h 5-seat crossovers arriving this winter.

Lexus has a 7-seat SUV -- the GX 460 -- but it is a body-on-frame SUV with a trucklike ride. There has been speculation that a car-based 7-seat crossover would reduce the need for the GX 460, but a Lexus source said the GX 460 is highly profitable for the automaker, even at low volumes.

It has been 11 years since Lexus unveiled the HPX 7-seat, car-based crossover concept at the New York auto show -- and 7 years since a LF-Xh crossover concept appeared at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Plans for a production version of the LF-Xh were halted with the recession.

Now, such a vehicle appears back on the agenda. Toyota has applied for a trademark for the TX nameplate. Toyota product planners are secretive about whether the TX would use the Highlander-Camry-Avalon front-wheel-drive architecture for packaging benefits, or use the Lexus IS/GS sedans' rear-wheel-drive architecture for a sportier feel.

Still, the TX coding could merely be for a 7-seat variant of the RX 350. The 2014 Highlander kept the same 109.8-inch wheelbase, but gained nearly 3 inches of overall length to 191.1 inches. Despite the length increase, the Highlander's 3rd-row seat is cramped, which might not mesh with Lexus owners' luxury requirements.

"It could be any number of solutions," Bracken said. "We could bring it to market in 2016 or 2017. If we can get it, that's the priority. We won't be bothered if it steps on RX. We want it."

rogerh00

Bracken said "We won't be bothered if it steps on RX. We want it."

I'm shocked at that statement. The RX is their bread and butter, highest selling vehicle Lexus has. Many long and loyal customers will be turned off if they bloat the RX just to accommodate a third row.
Based on the article I have to believe that there will be some sort of option for someone that wants a third row seat. If not my current RX will be the last one I ever own.

Fizzboy7

"TX" is a stupid name. Hi, I drive a Texas and I park it next to my Nissan Pulsar (NX) and remote-controlled vehicle (RC). Really getting out of hand with these names.

So adding a car-based 7-seater is long overdue. Infiniti has done good with their JX (Q-whatever) here in Los Angeles. People with bigger families and some money love car-based SUV's for the whole family. I would just not end the regular RX's shorter position. The standard RX also serves a very much needed niche and sells super well for those who don't want or need a large SUV.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

maybe they'll do a short and longer wheelbase rx but that really doesn't make sense as the short wheelbase rx would compete too much with nx.

i've speculated for years that the next rx will be only 3 row...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

So they claim GX is a profitable niche and they'll keep that. NX essentially replaces the original RX in size, and the new Highlander is over 3" longer than the outgoing RX. There could be a few theories but the registering of the TX moniker adds some mystery. Does the '16 RX grow to the same size as the Highlander and gain two/three seats? Grow but not gain two/three seats? Does it stay on a shortened platform? Would a TX be 193-195in? Here's some lengths

180.1in 1RX
182.3in 1NX
187.8in 3RX
189.2in 2GX
191.1in '14 Highlander
197.0in 3LX

Toys4RJill

Yup totally agree. They need to either can the GX or turn the GX into a broader 7 seat crossover similar to the GL Mercedes.

I think changing the RX formula is a bad idea.

LexFather

Glad to hear the GX sticking around