10 YEARSOF LEXUS NX
INNOVATION, STYLE AND CHOICE MARKS 10 SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF LEXUS NX
Lexus this month celebrates the 10th anniversary of NX in Australia, the outstanding mid-size luxury SUV that ushered in a new era of style and sophistication for young families.
Inspired by the resounding success of the pioneering Lexus RX – the world’s first luxury crossover – Lexus took the same innovative approach in creating a spacious, all-purpose luxury lifestyle vehicle loaded with technology, safety and thoughtful comfort features, this time in an even more attainable mid-size package.
The NX was warmly embraced by customers, immediately becoming Lexus Australia’s most-popular model in its first full year.
It has remained a top seller and compelling alternative to German rivals ever since.
The expanded, second-generation NX launched in 2022 continued the innovation, most notably with the NX 450h+, the first Lexus plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) coupled to an internal combustion engine (ICE). This variant was set up to drive primarily on silent electric power with support from the ICE as required.
With PHEV, HEV and petrol powertrains – together with two- and all-wheel drivetrains – and Luxury, Sports Luxury and F Sport grades with Enhancement Packs, Lexus offered no less than 17 NX configurations to meet the diverse needs of customers.
The breadth of choice together with an unrivalled ownership experience culminated in NX dominating the mid-size luxury segment in 20231, with hybrid making up approximately half of all NX deliveries. The popularity of hybrid continues at speed with NX 350h and NX 450h+ accounting for 74.4 per cent of all NX deliveries so far in 2024.
Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas says the NX truly resonates with the desires of many Lexus customers.
“The NX offers the perfect blend of Lexus performance and panache in a mid-size luxury SUV of outstanding quality, beautiful design and exceptional value.
“It has stayed ahead of the curve and become synonymous with many Lexus firsts, well beyond intelligent NX fuel-saving plug-in hybrid technology,” Mr Pappas said.
Lexus signalled its intention to enter the mid-size luxury SUV segment at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with the LF-NX concept.
The NX was the first Lexus to feature a turbocharged engine, the first fitted with a 360-degree panoramic view monitor and wireless phone charging pad – ahead of tech-laden flagship models including the LS – and the first with slip and yaw rate feedback for the E-Four all-wheel drive system, further refining the Lexus Driving Signature.
Mr. Pappas said the second-generation NX is also regarded as a breakthrough vehicle, being the first Lexus to incorporate the Tazuna concept – a sophisticated cockpit design that reflects the harmonious connection between rider and horse. This innovative approach enables the driver to maintain a forward gaze while intuitively interacting with the vehicle's controls, fostering an experience of seamless elegance and control.
The NX genesis came at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with the reveal of the LF-NX concept vehicle, a near-production SUV with unmistakeable Lexus styling based on the L-finesse design language, a driver-focused cockpit and a signature 2.5-litre hybrid four-cylinder powertrain.
When the production version launched in Australia the following year it opened Lexus to a wider audience, going from strength to strength and winning over more than 35,000 customers.
The NX 450h+ remains a beacon for Lexus performance, efficiency and practicality. With 227kW of hybrid system power, an all-electric driving range of 87km2, and average fuel consumption of 1.3L/100km3 (obtained in laboratory tests and does not reflect real world driving), the NX PHEV is well suited to customers keen to reduce their carbon footprint without having to overthink about their next battery charge.
It was the RX 400h that introduced the hybrid SUV notion to Lexus customers, but it was the NX that truly broadened the appeal of hybrid both locally and overseas; and when the one millionth Lexus hybrid was delivered globally in 2016, fittingly it was an NX 300h to a customer in Milan, Italy.
