Lexus LF-1 concept likely to become flagship SUV
DETROIT -- Luxury automakers can't create enough crossovers to retain customers who have grown bored with their cars. Lexus is now the latest to express interest in creating what it calls a flagship luxury crossover.
The LF-1 Limitless concept is aimed at such models already out there as the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. It's sure to get built. The luxury brand has a need for a full-sized flagship crossover SUV that would be a counterpart to the LS sedan, Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken confirmed.
Though the LF-1 was shown as a concept with only four seats, look for three rows when it eventually comes to production. Lexus has large SUVs now, but they are more truck-based than the crossovers that have flooded the market.
"This is our vision for a new kind of flagship vehicle that embraces crossover capability without giving up the performance and luxury delivered by today's top sedans," said Kevin Hunter, president of Calty Design Research, the styling arm of the Toyota empire with offices in Huntington Beach, Calif., and Ann Arbor.
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Recognizing that concepts have a wide range for imagination, Lexus is saying the LF-1 could be powered by fuel cell, a plug-in hybrid, all-electric or gasoline engine.
Toyota and Lexus have said that every model they sell will offer either a fully electric or partly electrified powertrain.
Hunter calls the LF-1's design concept "molten katana, which combines the shapes of liquid metal with the sharp edges of a traditional Japanese sword."
