Lexus Teases Luxury MPV For Shanghai Motor Show — Alphard On Steroids

Japanese luxury carmaker Lexus has released a teaser image hinting at a new vehicle that will debut at the 2019 Shanghai Motor Show. The new Lexus vehicle is expected to be a luxury MPV which will be sold in China and other South East Asian markets.

The teaser image of the upcoming Lexus vehicle was posted on the brand's Taiwanese Facebook page. The image was accompanied by a few sentences in Chinese that revealed what the new vehicle would be and that it would debut at the 2019 Shanghai Motor Show, which opens on the 16th of April to the public.

The post when translated reads:

LEXUS ｜THE LUXURY OF SPACE

How does Lexus jump off the limits of transportation?

When the vehicle is upgraded to personal private space...
For her, you can have more imagination.

That will be the present.
@ 2019 Shanghai Auto Show.

Lexus Enthusiast, which first reported this story also states that the language used by the Japanese luxury carmaker in the post hints at a new MPV. The publication claims that phrases like 'Luxury of Space' and 'personal private space' are used to sell minivan in many Asian markets, once again throwing out a hint that the new Lexus will be an MPV. MPVs are considered to be premium vehicles in Asian markets due to the space they offer and their popularity in the markets targeted by the post.

Lexus last year, had trademarked the names LM350 and LM300h in the United States. Now Lexus enthusiast claims that the new MPV could very be the vehicle to bear the two trademarked nameplates when it arrives later this month. Not much is known about the powerplants that could make their way under the bonnet of the new Lexus MPV. However, the 'h' badging on the second trademarked name does suggest that the carmaker's 2.5-litre petrol hybrid powerplant will be the green option under the bonnet.

The fact that Lexus is making an MPV shouldn't come as that big a surprise. Toyota, the parent company of Lexus is known for its MPVs. Toyota's Alphard is a large luxury minivan that it sells in many Asian markets and the Innova is the most popular MPV sold in India right now.