As I mentioned in the previous post, due to a forwarded dealership document, I have the full breakdown of the next-generation 2010 Lexus RX 350. In that first post, I covered the specification side of things, and now here’s a list of the new standard equipment, along with the standard equipment no longer offered:

New Standard Equipment

• 18-inch Alloy Wheels
• P235/50R18 M+S Tires
• XM Satellite Radio (Factory Activated)
• Smart Entry System
• Push Button Start
• Bluetooth Capability
• Rear Seat Side Airbags
• Double Wishbone Rear Suspension
• Retractable Outside Rearview Mirrors
• Integrated Turn Signal Lamps
• Puddle Lamps
• Rear Seatbelt Pretensioners
• Hill Ascent Control (HAC)
• Temporary Spare Tire
• 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
• Sequential Shift Mode
• Active Torque Control 4WD System
• Electric Power Steering
• Multi-Information Display
• Front Passenger Knee Airbag
• Premium Fabric Seat Surfaces
• Sliding Rear Seat
• Remote Release for Folding Rear Seatbacks
• Active Front Headrests with Whiplash Protection
• Roof Mounted Satellite Fin Antenna

Deleted Standard Equipment

• Driver Foldable Armrest
• Front Passenger Foldable Armrest
• Full-Size Spare Tire
• Roof Rail Crossbars
• Full-Time 4WD System
• 2-Position Driver Seat Memory System
• Auto-dimming Side View Mirrors
• Leather Seat Surfaces

There’s definitely more good than bad looking over this list — the added airbags, push-button start, sequential shift mode, a new information display, all great additions. But at the cost of standard leather seats?

It’s all just point-form now, though, so there’s no telling just what some of these changes will actually entail.

Early this morning, I was sent a dealership document outlining the full details of the North American Canadian 2010 Lexus RX 350, right down to the available packages (still no production model photos though, the pic above is the LF-Xh concept).

I’m going to break up the information over a series of posts today, starting with the specs:

• The 3.5L V6 engine remains the same, though it’s now pumping out an extra 5hp (to 275hp) and 6lb-ft of torque (to 257lb-ft).
• The suspension is also carried over, however a new sport-tuned suspension will be available as an option.
• The drivetrain is getting upgraded to a six-speed automatic with a Super Electronically Controlled Transmission. Hill-start Assist Control has been added as a standard feature, and VDIM will be available as an option.
• Overall vehicle length has been shortened increased 1.6″ (29mm) to 187.8″ (4,770mm).
• Overall vehicle width has been increased to 74.2″ (1,885mm), 1.6″ (41mm).
• The height has been bumped up significantly, up to 67.7″ (1,720mm) from 66.1″ (1,679mm).
• The wheelbase has been extended 1 “(29mm) to 107.9″ (2,740mm).
• Curb Weight has increased a whopping 640lbs to 4,510lbs.
• 18″ P235/60R18 wheels are now standard. 19″ P235/55R19 wheels are optional.

The biggest thing to notice is the increased height of the RX and the big weight bump, which are no doubt related. The sports-tuned suspension is interesting as well, but there’s still a lack of details to what that means exactly.

More shortly, next up is a full list of new and deleted features/options.

Update: This information is for the Canadian version of the RX, though it’s easily assumed that the new US RX will share most, if not all, of these features.

In an interview with German newspaper WirtschaftsWoche, Lexus Europe Managing Director Tadashi Arashima confirmed that Lexus will indeed be launching a compact entry-level model. From Motor Authority:

“We will offer a Lexus in the compact class,” he told reporters, explaining that the company needs “smaller and more efficient vehicles” to meet Europe’s CO2 emissions regulations. He described the car as being a rival to the likes of BMW’s 1-series and Audi’s A3, although he didn’t reveal any exact release date.

Lexus has been selling in cars in Europe since 1990 but it still commands less than 1% of the total market, something Arashima hopes to change with the introduction of a more affordable and more fuel-efficient model.

Motor Authority seems to think that this isn’t a vehicle we will see in North America, but I don’t believe that to be the case at all. In fact, I’d go as far to say that this would probably eclipse BMW 1-series & Audi A3 sales in very short order. Tiny luxury, especially combined with hybrid technology, would be a perfect package for the USA’s current economic climate.

[Source: Motor Authority Image: Lexus Owners Club]

When I read Toyota Managing Officer Toshio Furutani’s comments in the Nikkei Business News last week that “in the medium to long term, Toyota was considering making the Lexus lineup hybrid-only”, it barely registered. Now, after seeing it reported over and over, I’ve come to release it might be an idea to post here — this is a Lexus news site, after all.

Honestly, I had always just assumed that eventually Lexus would stop selling conventional gas engines and replace them all with hybrid versions. In fact, with the hybrid version of the RX making up 86% of all European sales and the very technology being so important to the brand’s success there, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the next-gen RX to be only offered as a hybrid there.

With the exception of the IS-F, picturing a hybrid-only lineup isn’t very difficult at all — and then when you consider the rumor that the LF-A would also be offered as a hybrid, even the IS-F doesn’t seem implausible at all.

(And this doesn’t even take into account the potential brand benefit of being the first mass market car manufacturer to drop conventional engines!)

[Source: Reuters]

Fresh from its debut at the Paris Auto Show, the Lexus IS 250C is now making an appearance at the Australia International Auto Show. When asked about the new convertible, Lexus Australia GM John Roca had this to say:

“For the first time in Lexus history we can now claim we have an IS range…[it] will join the soon-to-be-launched IS-F and new IS 250 sedan to form a very strong backbone for the brand,” Mr Roca said.

“IS 250C has been developed to strict Lexus standards. Its superior NVH suppression, wind turbulence characteristics, ride comfort, interior space and versatility will set a new benchmark for convertibles in its class. It will also arrive at a time when practicality and versatility are driving purchase decisions. IS 250C consumers will not have to choose between sedan versatility and convertible enjoyment.”

Lexus is extremely excited about the addition of IS 250C to the local model line-up in the later half of 2009,” Mr Roca said.

Seems the IS 250C will be taking its time making its way to Australia, but even more than that, Lexus fans down under still don’t have the IS-F?

[Source Japanese Sports Cars]

Some interesting facts came out of a Europa Press interview with Lexus Europe vice-president Andy Pfeiffenberger — from the translated text:

…the vice president of the European subsidiary of Toyota said his company expected its sales this year on the European continent will be reduced by about 11%, to about 48,000 units, due to economic weakness, which has resulted in a sharp decline in car registrations in the region, particularly in the markets in Spain, Italy, Britain and Germany.

The new vice president of the company on the European continent stressed that “probably in the future” Lexus brand will become a “fundamentally hybrid,” in which the highest sales volume for this technology.

Pfeiffenberger explained that the subsidiary of the Toyota group is considering making a new compact model in order to compete with cars like the BMW 1 Series or the Audi A3, which are in a segment in which the Japanese firm is not present at present.

An 11% drop certainly isn’t good news, but at least it’s lower than the projected US number. It also gives us some insight to the overall brand growth in Europe, where statistics are far and few between.

As far as the Lexus competitor to the 1-Series or the A3, I’ve gone from one extreme to the other, where it’s now to a point where it’s probably the vehicle I’m most looking forward to in the Lexus lineup.

[Source: Europa Press via AutoblogGreen]