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Lexus is set to launch a five-door compact hatchback at September’s Frankfurt motor show.

Although Lexus won’t officially confirm as much yet, Autocar can reveal the concept that’s a close match for the car it’ll offer up against BMW’s 1-series and Audi’s A3 in 2010.

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Company insiders suggest that the car was signed off late last year, largely at the behest of European execs who insi...Read the full article

"Our sources won’t divulge the car’s name - although rumours suggest that both ‘BS’ and ‘CS’ are in the frame."

Oh come on, there is no way they are going to name it BS......   "Can I have a Lexus Bull S**t please".  Can you imagine Clarkson on this one?

Never going to happen!

Lexus CS is not much better CS being an irritant used by the Police and Armed forces. Loads of much better ones like DS, ES, FS but all have links with orther makes or conutations. A name would be much better IMO

I have a sinking feeling that it might be based on the Toyota Auris/Corolla. Let's wait and see.

Samiur Rahman SHAH:

I have a sinking feeling that it might be based on the Toyota Auris/Corolla. Let's wait and see.

The under pinnings on the Auris aren't that bad, they're just not tuned particularly well (British tastes anyway).  Lexus would take the time and effort tweak them accordingly I believe.

TegTypeR:

The under pinnings on the Auris aren't that bad, they're just not tuned particularly well (British tastes anyway).  Lexus would take the time and effort tweak them accordingly I believe.

I haven't driven one, I'm on mainland Europe by the way. Would you say its too stiff? A Lexus should not fall to pieces on a rough road (the Pug 308 does).

A similar exercise was performed by Infiniti in the US in the nineties, the Infiniti G20. It was based on the Nissan Primera and even though it came with a pretty nice engine, performance could've been best described as "stately".

so basically in lexus refusing to produce a diesel they have eliminated the prospect of selling a single car in the uk ! how many petrol 1 series do you see.....none. how many of these lexus' do you expect to see...none !

Potential name issues aside I don't see too much problem with another car in this sector.  But, a 2.4 litre, all be it midly hybridised, engine does seem a little out of place when everyone else from Ford, through VAG to BMW and Merc etc etc is embracing small turbo engines.  With stop/start and hybrid systems of thier own these will surely be hugely more economical and appealing to euro buyers... 

 

good! another pointless Toyota...

taylork:

so basically in lexus refusing to produce a diesel they have eliminated the prospect of selling a single car in the uk ! how many petrol 1 series do you see.....none. how many of these lexus' do you expect to see...none !

 

I wouldn't say that you don't see any but a large proportion of sales must be diesels.  It seems a very strange decision if it turns out to be true - just like their decision not to offer an auto option for the IS 220 diesel........

Samiur Rahman SHAH:

I haven't driven one, I'm on mainland Europe by the way. Would you say its too stiff? A Lexus should not fall to pieces on a rough road (the Pug 308 does).

A similar exercise was performed by Infiniti in the US in the nineties, the Infiniti G20. It was based on the Nissan Primera and even though it came with a pretty nice engine, performance could've been best described as "stately".

 

I think Lexus have too much at stake to produce a duffer in this class.  Their intention won't be to just re-body an Auris, I guess they will give it a thorough working over both in the engine and suspension department so they can truly claim to be a 1 series rival.  After all it was a philosophy that worked for the IS.

The Auris itself is just not a very inspiring car.  It rides reasonably firmly but no worse than a lot of its competitors.  What it lacks is the energy that Lexus demand from their products.

All this is of course if they base it on the Auris floor pan, and that there isn't another base in their range that they believe will be more suitable.  How about the Subaru platform for the recently abandoned coupe project?

TegTypeR:

I think Lexus have too much at stake to produce a duffer in this class.

You would think wouldn't you, but the IS220D is just such a duffe, rough, noisy, stupidly geared! My IS250 auto is like a completely different car. I can live with the rubbish fuel consumption as I don;t do many miles, but much as it pains me to say it, the Germans are way ahead in the type of engines suitablle for Europe.