Concept a '90 percent match' for production car
This is the first official image of the new compact hatch concept that Japanese premium brand Lexus will present at the Frankfurt motor show next month.
There's no official news about any technical detail to accompany the sketch, but the Lexus press release says the new concept 'will demonstrate a mix of technical innovation and ground-breaking design that promises to raise the bar in the premium compact segment'.
A Lexus rival to the BMW 1-series and Audi S3 has been mooted for some time, and its appearance at Frankfurt is not unexpected. UK sales of a production model that insiders say will be 'a 90 percent match' for the concept are likely to begin a year later in the autumn of 2010.
Could share 187bhp hybrid with US-only HS250h
Although we haven't had confirmation of any technical details, this being a Lexus we can reasonably predict that a hybrid powertrain will be showcased on the Frankfurt concept.
This could be the same front-wheel-drive, 187bhp 2.4-litre four cylinder/electric motor combo that propels the US-market's Lexus HS250h, but we'd be lying if we said we knew that for sure.
Either way, it seems a no-brainer for Lexus to enter the lucrative junior premium segment, but it will be interesting to see whether the brand has sufficient badge appeal to make inroads into a market currently sewn-up by the Germans. If we knew any thrusting young 'executives' we'd ask 'em, but presumably Lexus has done its homework!
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