Report: Lexus to replace body-on-frame GX SUV with a large unibody crossover to be called the TX
Just as Toyota reportedly confirmed to be still adamant about offering traditional body-on-frame SUVs rather than changing over to unibodied crossovers like the rest of the market, word via AutomotiveNews is that Toyota’s upper luxury branch is actually doing the opposite by introducing a car-based large crossover to replace the not-so-popular-anymore Lexus GX midsized SUV, which is based off of the foreign market Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, a body-on-frame SUV.
The crossover is said to be based off of Lexus’s original HPX seven-seater crossover concept from the 2003 New York International Auto Show. Now we’re not exactly sure what that means, but a 2003 crossover as a starting point seems rather obsolete, but it may not actually be from a design standpoint.
A timeframe of at least three years is expected before a production model will be seen in local dealerships, which means a launch date in either 2016 or 2017. Toyota has reportedly applied for the “TX” nameplate, which is what will be used for this new crossover.
No details were spared surrounding the platform of choice, which AutomotiveNews says could either be based on the RX-Avalon front-wheel drive architecture, or Lexus’s IS/GS rear-wheel drive chassis.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: AutomotiveNews