LexFinally

At that price, and with the reports that it'll be on the same platform as the RX, it's clear this is a less ambitious effort than, say, the Jeep Wagoneer. I'd think they want in on the profits of 3-row family crossovers that every other luxury and entry-luxury maker has. It won't be able to tow or go off-road, and it won't have as nice an interior as most Lincoln or Genesis models either.

I think Lexus still has to go higher to remain credlble as a luxury brand. You can have the low stuff, just as Mercedes and BMW do. But you've also got to have the car that most can't afford but everybody thinks of. Everybody recounting the history of Lexus compares it to Mercedes, but Lexus made its bones by displacing Cadillac. It needs an Escalade equivalent today — more opulent, expensive and desired than anything Lexus makes now. That's where the luxury car brand market is.