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A senior Lexus executive in Europe has confirmed the car maker will offer a small hatch to compete with BMW’s 1-Series and Audi’s A3.
The company’s European managing director Tadashi Arashima has told German newspaper WirtschaftsWoche that a baby Lexus is part of the company’s plans to grow its share of the European market.
Speculation suggests the new model will have a complete line up of body variants, including a hatch, coupe and possibly a convertible.
If it goes ahead, the car would be the first front-drive vehicle in the Lexus line-up. The BMW 1-Series is rear-wheel drive, while the A3 has front- and all-wheel-drive variants.
The baby Lexus is believed to be a separate model from the dedicated Lexus hybrid that will be unveiled to the public at next January’s Detroit motor show.
Australia is more likely to get the European model, though, because our design rules are closer to Europe, making the certification process easier.
The move continues a drive by Lexus to widen its model line-up so that it competes against its German rivals at every level of their business.
Locally, Lexus is also working on a sportier version of the IS250 to bridge the gap between the IS F and the standard model IS250.
Lexus says the run-out of its best-selling model, the RX350, has contributed to the slide. A new model arrives in the first quarter of next year, while the IS250 has also had a makeover.
