LEXUS UX

The compact crossover in search of youthful wallets

Premium brand meets buyers’ raised expectations

“THAT’S where the money is.” Those are the alleged words of the late US career criminal Willie Sutton, and it’s a sentiment that must have been in the minds of Lexus’ top brass when they decided to greenlight the company’s firstever compact crossover, the UX. If there’s money to be made in the car biz, it’s surely centralised in the lucrative SUV segment.

Sutton wasn’t talking about cars – he was talking about banks; specifically, why he robbed them – but his principle nevertheless holds true. Lexus has a golden opportunity to shift the focus away from the homely CT200H that’s been its gateway model up until now and onto a more exciting SUV. After all, that’s