During a Society of Automotive Analysts presentation held prior to the recent 2014 Detroit Auto Show, Toyota CEO Jim Lentz made mention of the LF-NX concept. At the same time, a slide showing a crossover styled like the LF-NX was displayed... but the two vehicles are clearly different.
Instead of the aggressive lines of the LF-NX, the crossover shown is much sleeker. The headlights and side view mirrors also resemble production units, the spindle grille is significantly smaller, and there are now fog lights located in the lower section of the front bumper. You can see the full presentation in a video uploaded to YouTube by AmericanJR (via Autoblog). The slide in question comes up at the 10:40 mark.
The production model the LF-NX concept will spawn will be called the NX and is expected to initially be offered with two different powertrains: a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in NX 200t trim and a four-cylinder-based hybrid system in an NX 300h model. Underpinning the NX will be a modified version of the platform found in the Toyota RAV4. Front-wheel drive is likely to be standard, with all-wheel drive remaining an option.
A debut of the NX is expected at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in March, and sales should commence in the fall, making it a 2015 model.
Stay tuned for an update.
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