Lexus LF-Ch – the front

We’ve got the first photo of the front of the new Lexus FL-Ch Compact Concept ahead of its reveal at Frankfurt.

It doesn’t seem like great big news, I know. But all we’ve had from Lexus so far on their new Premium Compact is a less than revealing studio shot of the rear 3/4 view. But just popped in to our inbox is the picture of the front of the Lexus LF-Ch. So now you have the front and the back. Can’t say I’m totally overwhelmed by the style.

The LF-Ch is a big deal for Lexus. They do make a very good car, but almost all are fairly uninspiring. The sporty ISs is a fairly good drive, and the IS Convertible is a decent alternative for a 4 seat drop-top as long as you don’t want to thrash the car to the edge of its limits. But that’s about it. The LS is beautifully made but as boring as hell. The GS – from a promising redesign not that long ago – seems lost at the ageing end of the market.

So the future of Lexus depends on maintaining its prestige aims but capturing the hearts and minds of a younger buyer; one by definition that is more eco-aware – some may say naive – and less affluent.

Will the LF-Ch do that? Hard to say, but the styling isn’t exactly cutting-edge – at least not what we’ve seen so far. It seems likely there will be power units beyond the Toyota HSD unit we’ve seen in the Prius (and which will be in the Auris Hybrid HSD to be seen at Frankfurt), but it will probably be the Hybrid unit that Lexus will use to push the marketing of the LF-Ch.

I think we need to see more to make a proper judgement. We’re bound to soon – before Frankfurt.