We have to be honest: when Lexus unveiled the LBX last year, we weren’t overly interested. Essentially a poshed-up version of the Toyota Yaris Cross, it looked perfectly pleasant if not particularly exciting.
That was, however, until it was followed up by the LBX Morizo RR concept. If the name ‘Morizo’ sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the pseudonym used by Akio Toyodo, chairman of Toyota and all-round cool guy, when he goes racing.
Lexus LBX Morizo RR – rear
The Morizo RR concept uses the turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine from the brilliant GR Yaris (and GR Corolla in North America and Asia), turned up to 300bhp and linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
It’s quite a lot more ‘us’ than the standard car, which is why we’re excited to learn that it’s apparently “highly likely” to make production. As reported by Drive, the quote comes from John Pappas, CEO of Lexus Australia, who was quizzed on the possibility of the hot version hitting showrooms during the regular car’s Australian press launch. “Highly likely, but not confirmed,” was his reply.
However, confirmation that it would be making production might have already been under our noses for several months. In a ‘reveal documentary’ on the concept released this year but presumably filmed in 2023, Akio Toyoda himself is sitting in the Morizo RR when he tells someone in the paddock at Fuji Speedway: “This is the LBX. We are selling it from the end of the year. This one will be next year.”
If that’s anything to go by, we might be able to expect a production version of the car by the end of 2024. It’s not clear whether it’ll carry that name over to production, or even if it’ll come to the UK, but either way, we’re not going to complain about another car on the market with the GR Yaris’s brilliantly characterful engine.
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