Lexus LBX city SUV to get turbo Toyota GR Yaris hot-hatch power – report

The first non-Toyota vehicle with the turbocharged three-cylinder heart of the Toyota GR Yaris hot hatch may be the pint-sized Lexus LBX SUV, according to a new Japanese report – and it may be unveiled as soon as next year.

And it may also become the first car from outside the Toyota line-up – and the first from the Lexus luxury-car division – to wear the Japanese car giant’s Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) performance badge, the report claims.

Reputable Japanese magazine Mag-X – citing inside sources – claims a high-performance version of the Lexus LBX is being developed with the 200kW/370Nm 1.6-litre turbo three-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris.

It would reportedly be matched with the hot hatch’s variable all-wheel-drive system, and a choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmissions, the latter currently in development for the Yaris.

Arrival timing is not quoted in the Mag-X report, however it suggests the high-performance model would follow some time after the regular line-up, which has gone on sale in Japan this week.

Shortly after the Mag-X report was published, Lexus confirmed in a media statement in Japan that a “performance” version of the LBX would be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January next year.

“At the Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 to be held in January 2024, the new LBX … will be showcased as one of its new worldviews, featuring power that allows you to enjoy driving and experience an extraordinary sense of exhilaration.

“We are planning to exhibit a performance model with a strengthened [power]train.”

If the Japanese report is accurate, the 200kW and 370Nm outputs of the Toyota GR Yaris are double the 100kW offered by the standard car’s 1.5-litre non-turbo three-cylinder engine and electric motor.

The standard Lexus LBX hybrid can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 9.2 seconds; the GR Yaris can complete the same dash in a claimed 5.2 seconds.

Mag-X does not say if the turbo LBX will wear the Lexus F performance badge – but it claims some parts of the vehicle will be adorned with the logo of Toyota’s GR division.

If the report is true it’s believed it would become the first non-Toyota vehicle to wear the GR badge. The pint-sized Daihatsu Copen roadster sold in Japan is available in a GR Sport version, but in that form it is marketed as a Toyota – and not a Daihatsu.

“The high-performance version prepared for LBX seems to have been developed with the help of the GR company. The GR logo, which is not supposed to be engraved on Lexus cars, will be placed on the parts of the LBX,” the Mag-X claims.

The Lexus LBX and Toyota GR Yaris may seem like distant relatives under the skin, but they are both underpinned by versions of the Toyota group’s TNGA-B architecture for city cars and SUVs.

Both vehicles are available with all-wheel drive – albeit two different systems which are completely unrelated – as well as double-wishbone independent rear suspension.

According to the Japanese magazine, the LBX’s “suspension and brakes will be strengthened to match the performance level,” and “the front bumper and radiator grille may be differentiated by the use of exclusive products to differentiate the two models.”

It will reportedly ride on wider wheels and tyres, covered by wider flares on the wheel arches – rather than bespoke panels.

As with the GR Yaris, the all-wheel-drive system will reportedly allow drivers to switch between a 60:40, and a 30:70 front-to-rear torque split.

If Mag-X‘s claim of a choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmissions is accurate, it would become the first manual Lexus since the second-generation IS250 sedan and IS250 C convertible were discontinued globally in 2013.

Meanwhile the automatic will reportedly be an eight-speed torque-converter unit being developed for the GR Yaris – on which it it will debut – which Toyota president Akio Toyoda says will be a “game-changer”.