Rendered: Future Lexus Flagship SUV

Top Speed Lexus flagship SUV rendering (Credit: Top Speed)

People just can’t get enough of luxury SUVs and Lexus is looking to capitalize on that fact. For the same reason Cadillac is mulling over creating a more luxurious and expensive version of the Escalade, while Jaguar, Maserati and other luxury brands are coming out with their first SUV. Lexus already has a few SUV models, but the word on the street is that it will be creating a flagship SUV to fatten up its profit margins.

While it’s true that the LS is the Lexus flagship vehicle, as we reported before the brand is seriously considering adding a second one, because two’s just better than one.

A flagship SUV would have to be ultra-impressive, offering luxury and technology that surpasses the LX. That’s not an easy task, although it’s necessary. After all, the Toyota Land Rover isn’t too far off from the LX’s offering, and that’s just not good for business. Keeping that in mind, Top Speed produced a nice rendering of what such an SUV would look like. The picture definitely says Lexus with the big spindle grille up front, crazy angular lights all over the place and so forth.

You might notice that the SUV wears a “floating” roof, which has a blacked-out C-pillar for dramatic effect. Many details are similar to the current RX, like the spoiler that makes the roofline jut out by a few inches.

Expect that the new Lexus flagship SUV will be large and in charge, likely riding on the same platform as the LS. That means it probably will have three rows of seating, which is a holy grail in today’s market. The whole thing should sit atop wheels that measure at least 20 inches.

This new vehicle will be impressive in many ways. It should introduce a new level of autonomous drive features not currently available in Lexus’ lineup. Top Speed thinks the powertrain will be hybrid, with the potent 5.0-liter V-8 with an electric motor attached to it, plus all-wheel drive. With twin turbos strapped on for good measure, total system output could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower. That would likely give it a 0 to 60 acceleration time of about 4.5 seconds.

If these predictions are anywhere near what Lexus brings to market, it will be one impressive SUV, which is exactly what the brand needs right now.