The Lexus NX will blow out its seventh candle later this year, which means that Lexus has been working hard on a new generation behind the scenes for some time. Today, that new NX gives a first sign of life.
Introduced to the world at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in August 2014, the NX is Lexus’ mid-size SUV that will compete with cars such as the Volvo XC60 and BMW X3. The NX, which is only available with a hybrid powertrain in the Netherlands, was facelifted in a fairly subtle way in 2017, but that too is now about four years ago. Lexus has a new second-generation NX in the development rooms, an SUV that sticks to the well-known recipe.
Lexus NX (current model)
Although the NX recipe will be well known, the new Lexus NX is completely new down to the smallest nut. The current model still shares its foundation with the previous generation Toyota RAV4 and Harrier, which means that Toyotas and Lexus’ TNGA platform technology is foreign to him. For the second NX, Lexus snatches the GA-K base of the current RAV4 from Toyota’s warehouse. Not a bad choice, it also means that the new Lexus NX will be available with the hybrid powertrain that we know from the RAV4. That means: a 2.5 four-cylinder that, together with an electric motor, produces 218 hp. At least, that power belongs to the front-wheel drive RAV4. If you go for the four-wheel drive variant, your right foot in the RAV4 will have 222 hp. Whether the new NX, like the current RAV4, will eventually also get a plug-in hybrid powertrain, remains to be seen.
Since the Dutch market introduction of the NX in 2014, Lexus has managed to sell 1,113 copies of the SUV in our country. The car had its peak year in 2015, when 274 copies were sold. In 2019, the NX seemed to have reached its lowest point with a sales number of just under 100 units, although 2020 with a sales score of 62 NXs took it one step further. We do not expect the new NX to be on the market before the end of this year. The NX will not only roll in Japan anymore, but also in Cambridge of the band, located in Ontario, Canada.