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The nameplates applied for are NX 200t and NX 300h. Following Lexus traditions, the X designates an SUV, the 200t suggests a turbo engine – most likely the new 2.0-litre -- and the 300h would be a hybrid version, possibly using the 2.5-litre drivetrain from the Camry Hybrid.
However the sub all-wheel drive could roll on the all-wheel drive platform of the next Toyota RAV4. The NX trademark could mean we’ve finally got a name for the small crossover Lexus will undoubtedly bring to market in the face of increasing popularity for smaller SUVs – and which would face off against the Audi Q3, BMW X1, the coming Mercedes-Benz GLA and even the Mini Countryman.
Carsguide has reported previously on the likelihood of the smaller Lexus SUV, which we’ve referred to as the CX (for concept crossover). But again, the NX trademark could also come to nothing. It’s not unknown for car companies to trademark names and then let them rot in the patent office. Lexus received trademark approval a few years ago for ‘TX’ but has done nothing with it yet.
The trademark applications were filed for the US and Canada, according to expert enthusiast site Kaizen Factor, which also suggests there may be some tit-for-tat game with Nissan in the names. The NX badge was worn in the 1990s by a Nissan Sentra-derived coupe, and Lexus using it now “might be payback of sorts for the latter’s usurping of Lexus’ unused, trademarked JX prefix for theInfiniti JX crossover SUV” the Kaizen Factor report says.
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