Lexus LF-NX SUV – has the production LF-NX been accidentally revealed?

It looks like the production version of the Lexus LF-NX SUV has been accidentally revealed at the Automotive Outlook Conference.

We got the reveal of the Lexus LF-NX Concept – a mid-sized SUV/Crossover, designed to slot in below the Lexus RX – at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, and it turned up again in November at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Two showings in as many months made it all but certain the LF-NX was heading for production, and the accidental reveal of what looks like a production version of the LF-NX at the Society of Automotive Analysts Conference ahead of the Detroit Auto Show during a speech by Toyota’s Jim Lentz seems to confirm the LF-NX’s imminent arrival.

A video of the speech (below – the LF-NX is at around 10:40) by AmericaJR clearly shows what appears to be a toned-down version of the LF-NX as Lentz runs through what it offers, which would indicate we could see the LF-NX launch as soon as the Geneva Motor Show in March.

This apparently production spec LF-NX appears to have lost a chunk of the angularity of the concept car, gets more production-ready lights and mirrors, smaller alloys and a less dramatic grill.

Expected to offer both two and four wheel drive and a choice of 2.0 litre turbo or hybrid powerplants, the LF-NX is aimed at cars like the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X3, with Lexus looking to mop up sales in the burgeoning market for more compact SUVs.

Source: Autoblog