It’s an “active conversation” within the firm.
Lexus has admitted to the media that its F performance sub-brand may expand to include some (if not all) of its SUVs, a move that would surprise absolutely no one. While the idea of a ‘performance SUV’ remains somewhat oxymoronic, the popularity and abundance of them means that not a single car brand can afford to ignore the prospect entirely. Lexus is no different.
On the sidelines of the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race, product strategy boss Cooper Ericksen spoke to Motor1 saying that the idea of an F SUV is an “active conversation” within the ranks at Lexus.
“[What] we’re currently trying to figure out is [if] the on-road performance aspect [is] more important [for Lexus] to invest in, [rather] than the off-road performance.” – Cooper Ericksen, Vice President (Product Planning & Strategy), Lexus
It was previously Chika Kako, the executive vice president, who alluded that Lexus’ compact UX crossover had “potential” as an F car, setting the rumour mill alight. While cars like the UX, the NX, and the RX would very obviously become even more road-biased in their respective F forms, cars like the Lexus GX and Lexus LX would have to take into consideration that their buyers tend to appreciate the go-anywhere capabilities of their SUVs.
That said, it’s more than likely that we’ll see an F-branded Lexus SUV in the near future. As we said at the beginning of this piece, the demand for sporty SUVs is strong and healthy, and Lexus would be insane to simply ignore those customers in the name of brand purity (which in the case of F, isn’t even that well-established compared to BMW’s M and Mercedes-Benz’s AMG). But as of right now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
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