Lexus appears ready to further cash in on the global love affair with all things SUV by publishing a few subtle images of a new "flagship" for its range of vehicles, which is a new crossover concept to be fully revealed at the Detroit auto show in January. The luxury arm of Toyota already has a new LC flagship coupe with a price in excess of US$100,000, so it could be looking to introduce a model to mimic it in its crossover line.
Currently named the LF-1, the concept was created by the company's Calty design studio located in Southern California. The studio has previously been responsible for the LF-LC concept that was revealed at the motor show in Detroit in 2012, and then went on to eventually become the stunning LC coupe.
The LF-LC was considered something of a design breakthrough at the time, and the teaser image of the LF-1 follows a similar theme with a heavily stylized rear hatch and lots of curves and angles, which certainly suggest a crossover along similar lines to the LF-LC.
As a number of other luxury manufacturers have their own new high-end crossovers in the pipeline, such as BMW with its X7 and Jeep with the Grand Wagoneer, it makes a lot of sense for Lexus to be unveiling a new model to compete directly with them. And of course, Lexus will also have the likes of the Range Rover Autobiography in its sights with this one too.
This certainly isn't the only exciting new model the company has in development at the moment though. Jeff Bracken, the general manager of Lexus in North America, has recently admitted we should expect a slew of new product-related announcements over the next 12 months or so. Among them there will be further new concepts, some special editions of existing models, including anniversary models, and also next-generation versions of current Lexus product.
