Lexus SUV with F badge in the making?

ABU DHABI: Lexus is reportedly working on an SUV, which would be a high-performance model with F-badging. Though evident reports are yet to come out it seems that the Japanese automaker is all set to take advantage of this high-performing segment. The SUV segment is consistently gaining popularity and with automakers like Lexus entering the game, it is only going to get better for consumers out there.

According to the reports, Cooper Ericksen who is the vice president of product planning and strategy at Lexus told that an F-badged SUV is a widely talked about topic inside the company at present. Digging a little deep, it came to light that the Lexus UX, which is the latest crossover, might be in the consideration list for an F family member as a petrol-hybrid version. This comes as a reveal by Lexus’s chief engineer and executive vice president, Chika Kako.

As of now, the company is also figuring out what exactly would the F-badged SUV be for the brand. Will it challenge the likes of Land Rovers or others is still unknown? Will it be an off-roader or offer a smooth experience on road? Lexus is still searching for answers.

Ericksen added in his statement, “[What> we’re currently trying to figure out is [if> the on-road performance aspect [is> more important [for Lexus> to invest in than the off-road performance.”

Nothing can be said about Lexus future plans regarding F-badged SUV but according to some rumours, there are currently three models in the contention list, including high-performance Lexus UX, the LX and the RX. All three in their upscaled and tuned versions.