Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, has imported 17 of their mid-size luxury crossover SUV, the RX450H in India. Trying to establish themselves as a brand in India, Lexus is taking steps accordingly.
The RX450h is a Hybrid and is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 coupled with a parallel hybrid system comprising an AC motor along with a 1.9 kWh Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack. It is mated to an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT) with six stepped ratios which send the power to the front wheels. With a combined power output of 308 bhp, it boasts an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.33.
The five-seater isn’t a plug-in, which means that the energy is regenerated from the powertrain. Both the gas engine and electric motor contribute to driving the wheels, while it can be run on the batteries alone as well, but for a limited range. It is also available with an optional all-wheel drive. With a 0-100 kmph arriving in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 200kmph, it is no slouch. It sits in between the company’s larger GX and LX body-on-frame SUVs, and the smaller NX crossover.
What is interesting that Lexus has decided to import their Hybrid SUV instead of the sedan. Since the import as a CBU will drastically increase the cost of the vehicle, a sedan will be priced around Rs 50-60 lakh which is in the territory of premium cars like the 5 Series or the E, them being established vehicles in that segment. Hence a mid-size SUV makes sense when Toyota wants to define the Lexus as a different brand.
The expected pricing for RX450h could be around Rs 80-85 lakh. With this pricing, it would have to face severe competition from the likes of Mercedes-Benz GLE, BMW X5 and Volvo XC90.
