Lexus Transforms the Crossover

This is the Lexus LF-NX concept vehicle that the company debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show:

That somewhat scary-looking vehicle is a compact crossover, powered by a hybrid.

The spindle grille design, which has been implemented on all Lexus vehicles of late, is taken to an extreme, but then again, concepts often have extreme characteristics. Come to think of it, as the number of concepts overall is diminishing, as they are being replaced by designs that are just this side of being production-ready, the overall aggressiveness of the LF-NX is actually a good thing.

The September premiere of the LF-NX was followed in November’s unveiling of the LF-NX Turbo concept at the Tokyo Motor Show:

While its predecessor has a hybrid, this version has a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. This is the first turbocharged engine under the hood of a Lexus. But it seems as though given the development of the cylinder head integrated exhaust manifold and twins-scroll turbocharger, this could be conceptually real.

And there is a size given to the LF-NX Turbo: 182.7-in. long, 73.6-in. wide, 63.8-in. high, and with a 106.3-in. wheelbase. Compare those numbers with the real Lexus RX: length, 187.8 in.; width, 74.2 in.; height, 66.3 in.; wheelbase, 107.9 in.

The diamond shapes, sharp cutlines, and angles are all there in geometric abundance.

Later this month at the 2014 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Lexus will unveil the real NX on April 20. At this point, all they’ve revealed is this:

Here’s guessing that while the spindle grille will remain with a capacious maw, the press-brake angularity will give way to some crisp creases but not the Lego Mindstorms overall approach.