Lexus LF-Ch Hybrid Frankfurt reveal

September 16, 2009 By Cars UK

The Hybrid Lexus LF-Ch reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Lexus has revealed the hybrid LF-Ch at Frankfurt.

Lexus had a good old tease with the LF-Ch. A competitor for the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, they trumpeted. A car that will grab a chunk of the ‘Young & Funky’ market place for Lexus, they proclaimed. And we expected a lot. A Hybrid – of course – but also the reveal of some nice powertrains to fit the needs of the ‘Young & Funky’ demographic Lexus seeks.

But it’s all a bit of a let-down – for us at least. On the style front we just can’t make up our minds. when we saw the first pictures of the LF-Ch we were pretty underwhelmed. That changed to a ‘Can’t make our minds up’ when we got the whole set of pictures, and now – in the flesh – the LF-Ch is still a puzzle.

It has some decent styling cues – but it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It’s commendable that Lexus are going after a younger market and striving to be ‘Green’, but it all seems a bit half-baked. From some angle the LF-Ch looks great, from others it’s distinctly odd.

And what has Lexus told us about the LF-Ch? Actually, once you’re through the flim flam, not a lot. It’s going to be a hybrid. But that seems to be it. No diesels. No petrols. No performance model. In fact Lexus see their whole future as Hybrid. So how is that going to compete with BMW and Audi?

All Lexus has told us is it’s a new direction for them; there are lots of funky design details and it’s a hybrid.

Distinctly underwhelmed. Definitely.