On Wednesday, the new 2019 Lexus UX started rolling out to retail points in Japan following its Geneva Motor Show debut in March. The UX is the brand's first model to be developed with the new Global Architecture-Compact platform.
The new Lexus UX was designed to stay true to its roots while also integrating some urban yet sporty features of contemporary luxury car design. By encompassing traditional Japanese architectural concepts within a sturdy, sporty body, Lexus created a vehicle engineered to connect drivers with the driving experience and vice versa and to omit any and all concerns about handling, safety and stability.
Vote Now! Tech And Auto Awards 2018 is here. Click here to vote for your favourite gadgets and cars.
Built to be study, look tough, and provide a sense of security to drivers in part thanks to the GA-C platform's low center of gravity and wideset wheels, the exterior also encapsulates the sense of "constant motion," as a result of swooping character lines that seamlessly span the front of the body to the rear.
"Designers strived to create a seamless continuity between the inside and outside" of the vehicle, as is typical of Japanese architecture, by structuring the instrument panel in such a way that it looks to continue beyond the windshield and veer towards the fenders. This provides drivers with a clear sense of tire placement and also minimizes the distractions a more aggressive framework could create.
The front seats, which are set within a spacious cabin, are finished in sashiko quilting, "an age-old embroidery art," and the embellishment on the instrument panel was inspired by traditional Japanese paper called washi. Like the outside design suggests, the driver's feeling of control is boosted by intuitively placed controls that require minimal movement from the driver to activate.
To further enhance the driver's sense of security, the UX is equipped with the latest version of the "Lexus Safety System+," a system that works with the driver to avoid pedestrians and cyclists, to stay in a lane when using cruise control, to adjust high beams for oncoming traffic and to reiterate road sign information on the heads-up display in case the driver missed it.
The Lexus UX comes in two main versions, the UX 200 and the UX 250h -- one partly electric and the other oil-powered -- which can then be broken down into one of three models for a more personalized driver experience. The former sports a 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine with front-wheel drive, and the latter is powered by a 2.0-liter next-generation hybrid system accompanied by your choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
The UX 200 starts at 3,900,000 Yen and the UX 250h starts at 4,250,000 Yen and can already be purchased from Lexus dealerships across Japan. Rollout to other select Asian markets is to follow.
Though not yet available in Europe, the UX is on display at dealerships across the continent and available for order starting at £29,900.
The UX will start at $34,000 in Canada next month.
And in the US, the UX 200 is scheduled to arrive in December with an MSRP starting at $32,000 followed by the UX 250h in January, from $34,000.
Comments
0 comment