Lexus, the luxury vehicle division of the renowned Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota has finally been started accepting bookings for vehicles to be sold in here in the country, but deliveries will commence only in March next year. The very first dealership of the Lexus in India will be set up in Mumbai ribbon of which will be cut before the official debut of the company early next year.
All Lexus showrooms will be christened as ‘Lexus Boutique'. The Mumbai Lexus dealership will possibly be inaugurated at Taj Hotel in Santacruz, located nearby the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). At the initial phase, the automaker will come up with three models in different segments namely Lexus RX 450h crossover, Lexus ES 300h Sedan and Lexus LX450d/Lexus LX 570 SUV. All these models will be brought here from Japan via the CBU (Complete Built Unit) route at first. Albeit, Lexus is also working on its plans of gearing up for local assembly which will commence on a later date.
Let’s make some note for Lexus’s Indian line-up, which is more or less dated with the global-based unit. However, the first batch of the India-based vehicles won’t house navigation feature as India maps are quite difficult to configure on imports. Below mentioned some of the details of the car with their expected price, do have a glance.
Lexus RX450h SUV (INR 1.17 Crore)
Globally, it is being offered under the nameplate of the fourth generation and it will be imported to India in as RX450h derivative. Under the hood, it will sport a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine packed with Toyota’s Hybrid system which has also been available on the Toyota Prius. In addition, the motor is coupled to an e-CVT gearbox and capable enough to run the unit with a combined power output of 308 hp. In another global market, the SUV is getting head to head with the like of the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5. Keeping the Indian road condition in mind, 18-inch alloy wheel will be added instead of the larger 20-inch which available in the global market, which according to reports, will help enhance the ride quality of the unit.
Lexus ES300h (INR 75 Lakhs)
Based on the architecture which is also underpinning the Toyota Camry, the Lexus ES300h sedan will make its debut in India as an entry level car. In terms of the powerhouse, it will come up with the same 2.5-litre petrol motor and the electric motor assist complied with the same CVT gearbox which is available under the hood of Toyota Camry. Likewise the other Lexus cars, the ES300h will also be imported as a fully developed unit initially, but, this is expected to be the first model to be assembled locally in India, thanks to its common platform with the Camry that is being locally assembled here. It goes without saying that locally assembled unit will be offered with slightly lower price, thanks to the FAME facility.
Lexus LX450d/Lexus LX 570 (INR 2 Crore / INR 2.15 Crore)
The flagship SUV of the company, Lexus LX450d/Lexus LX570 stands on the same platform as of the Toyota Land Cruiser. Internationally, the SUV is being offered in two engine options, where the petrol-powered LX570 carries a 5.7-litre V8 engine which is capable enough of producing maximum power of 383 hp with 546 Nm of peak torque, whereas the diesel-powered LX450d comes with a twin-turbo 4.5-litre V8 motor which is tuned to fire out 269 hp of massive power and a peak 650Nm of torque. Both engines also run beneath the hood of the Toyota Land Cruiser internationally. On the India-spec SUV, Lexus will import the LX570 petrol at first while the diesel model will join the segment later.
Note: All the prices are at ex-showroom.
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