Lexus will unveil a sporty, small hybrid-powered hatchback at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this month. The car is just a concept at this point, but Lexus is known for releasing concept cars that are very close to future production cars - so the LF-Ch concept we see in Frankfurt may prove to be a car you can purchase in the near future.
Autoblog reports, "The hatchback is quite a looker, especially coming from Lexus, whose present lineup is relatively staid in appearance." They speculate, however, that the hatchback body style "is likely to be a Europe-only thing, where the eventual production version will cross swords with the likes of premium-compact rivals like the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series." However, Lexus has never sold a model in Europe but not in the U.S., so the LF-Ch may make it to our shores as a 2012 model.
Automobile Magazine thinks the car may herald a new look for the whole Lexus lineup. "Certainly, the new compact concept...is a sign of things to come," they comment. "Revisions to Lexus' other sedans - the IS, ES, GS, and LS," they predict "will appear around the same time" the LF-Ch makes it stateside.
Mechanically, Car and Driver says, "The exact setup has yet to be detailed, but we'd expect to see the same 147-hp, 2.4-liter Atkinson-cycle engine, nickel-metal hydride battery pack, and electric motor as found in the recently released HS250h sedan. That hybrid system is good for a total system output of 187 hp in the HS."
More details are expected at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this month.
If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.
source: usnews.rankingsandreviews
