Lexus India will begin operation with three models namely RX 450h crossover, LX450d large SUV and ES300h sedan; first dealership at Mumbai
Lexus, the luxury sub-brand of Toyota, is likely to enter the Indian market on March 24 as expected. According to a report from Autocar, the first dealership will become operational in Mumbai and ahead of the launch bookings have begun with deliveries to be made little later. The exclusive experience centre called Lexus Boutique will mostly be set up at the Taj Santacruz hotel located adjacent to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
The models that Lexus will begin its operations with in India are also revealed as the RX 450h crossover, LX450d large SUV and ES300h sedan will be launched simultaneously. All these models will be brought into the country via CBU channel initially before local assembly at Toyota’s plant expected to get underway depending on the demand. The Lexus vehicles will come with features made available In the Japanese-spec models except for the navigation system. As expected, Lexus will be bringing its hybrid variants to India.
Also Read: Toyota’s Local Plant to Assemble Lexus Models
The ES300h sedan is going to be the entry-level luxury sedan for India as it will compete against the likes of Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It will be offered as a hybrid version and will have a sporty design language. Sharing underpinnings with the Camry hybrid sedan, it is more likely to be priced around Rs. 50 lakh. Power source is a 2.5-litre petrol engine coupled with the electric motor and a CVT gearbox.
Coming under FAME scheme and sharing platform with Camry, the ES300h will have the prices reduced when local assembly begins. The highly-popular RX range will see the RX450h being powered by 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine connected with a hybrid system. In an identical configuration to the Prius, the maximum power output has been rated at 308 horsepower.
Also Read: Exclusive: Lexus ES300h Hybrid India Launch Soon
It will be linked with an e-CVT automatic transmission. The luxury SUV rivals against Audi Q5 and BMW X3 and will be priced higher than them. Topping Lexus’ range will be the LX570 full-sized SUV based on the Land Cruiser with a 5.7-litre V8 engine making 383 hp and 546 Nm of torque and diesel-powered LX450d with a twin-turbo 4.5-litre V8 developing 269 hp and 650 Nm. Rivalling mainly against Mercedes GL, Audi Q7 and Range Rover, it could be priced around Rs. 1.5 crore.
Source: Autocarindia