Lexus LBX in Cape Town. Picture: Lexus.
WATCH: Exclusive Lexus LBX promo filmed in Cape Town
The Lexus LBX looks great, but it’s Cape Town that steals the show …
Lexus LBX in Cape Town. Picture: Lexus.
The diverse (and affordable) film location of Cape Town, South Africa, is used regularly by car companies for new-car promos. The All-new Lexus LBX is the latest, and as much as we love the firm’s most compact and affordable car yet, we just can’t get enough of these Cape Town vistas.
ALL-NEW LEXUS LBX: TELL US MORE
As far as the car itself, Lexus on Monday revealed its smallest, most affordable vehicle. This sub-compact crossover is based on the Toyota Yaris Cross, using the versatile TNGA-B platform in Europe.
As you can see in the Cape Town promo video, which appears to have filmed everywhere possible in the city, it is aimed squarely at urban centres. Being the smallest of the breed, it measures slightly shorter a Lexus UX, but looks every bit the luxurious item you want from a Lexus.
NO EV. JUST HYBRID
Engine wise, the LBX is hybrid only, featuring the same 1.5-litre inline three-cylinder as the Toyota Yaris Cross, mated to a single electric motor for a modest 100 kW. Like the UX, it is front-wheel drive only, although an all-wheel-drive option with a small electric motor to power the rear axle is being discussed.
Like many Lexus offerings, the mechanicals may be shared, but it is the comfort and luxury items that will get bums in seats. To that end, Lexus says it has focused heavily on sound, vibration and harshness suppression. Apparently the Lexus LBX delivers a cabin ambience like never before in this category of car.
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Infotainment, head-up display, and multiple electronic driver-assist features also promise to be top notch. And there will be a lot of personalisation options. Roughly 330 000 potential combinations of interior colors, seat materials, embroidery patterns, ambient lighting and more.
WILL IT BE SOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Lexus has confirmed Japan and Europe as the first markets for the all-new Lexus LBX. Local availability has not been confirmed yet. But we see there being an excellent market in South Africa for the smallest and most affordable Lexus to date.
