Lexus UX will attract new customers and surprise transmission

27 February 2018

The new model will be the compact crossover of the company

The last few years, automobile companies are rapidly expanding range of crossovers. It is particularly hard they increase the range down towards the most compact models. In this regard, the Lexus is a little late: the NX has entered the market much later than many of its competitors. The same can be said about the latest Lexus UX. Better late than never?

A full presentation of the Lexus UX will take place at the International motor show in Geneva, and while the manufacturer has published the first photo and released the debut video, which can be considered the rear part of the bodywork and interior.

The good news is that the Lexus UX will not be a clone of the Lexus NX in a slightly smaller scale. The product is made in the style of the eponymous concept, which debuted in 2017. However, the production version was expected simplified.

Model name UX means User Experience, that is, "user experience". The new focus on young people: the manufacturer wants to attract a younger audience, which in the future will be able to change on older models of the brand.

Technical characteristics of the car are still kept secret. It is expected that the Lexus UX will be built on a fresh platform TNGA, which lies at the basis of a number of new products, "Toyota". It turns out that the compact Lexus will be the closest relative of the Toyota C-HR. Accordingly, the power units can be borrowed from him. Released to the market in 2016 (but never reached Russia) SUV C-HR is offered with petrol engines volume of 1.2 (turbo), 1,5, 1,8 and 2 litres. There is also a hybrid version based on the 1.8-liter "atmosfernika".

Lexus UX is expected to debut a radically new types of transmission — Direct Shift-CVT. It is a hybrid of variable-speed drive and "mechanics". In the beginning of movement will be used in the mechanical transmission of torque through the gears, as it happens in manual transmission or "robot". In this case then in the case enters the CVT. Such symbiosis has helped to reduce the shift timing (apparently it is a "virtual" speeds) and improve overall efficiency by 6 %.

Other details on the Lexus UX will be published during the week.