Lexus teases new vehicle; to be unveiled at 2019 Shanghai Auto Show

KUALA LUMPUR: Lexus, the premium vehicle division of the Japanese auto giant Toyota has teased a new vehicle, which will be unveiled next month at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show. Strings of this news are being joined to the rumoured ‘Lexus version of Toyota Alphard’, which has been on the wish list of Lexus Manila’s president, Raymond Rodriguez.

Lexus Taiwan has posted a teaser image of the upcoming luxury vehicle on its Facebook page. The image gives a gauzy glance at the four-wheeler’s grille and headlamp units. The post also contained a message reading “the luxury of space” and the rest of the part in Chinese. When translated, it reads “How does Lexus jump off the limits of transportation? When the vehicle is upgraded to personal private space.” along with the mention of its unveiling venue, the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show.

The headlights appearing in the teaser image resemble in design to that of the Toyota Alphard’s and come along with arrow-shaped daytime running lights. Then there is a metal grille with similarly angled arrows to that of the DRLs.

The language used in the post is more or less the same combination of phrases that the company uses to sell the minivan in the Asian markets. This leads to the speculation that Lexus is likely making a minivan. Moreover, the company has constrained the vehicle’s announcement only to this region, as for now. If this continues, then the upcoming luxury coaster will be limited to the Chinese and South Asian markets for its initial launch. Further anticipations also suggest that the new vehicle could equip the new LM badge in two trims named LM 350 and LM 300h.

Under the hood, it is likely to feature the 2GR-FKE 3.5-litre direct-injected V6 (which also powers the Alphard) alongside a hybrid model.