Little Lexus for Europe...but likely not U.S.
Lexus will offer a smaller model in Europe, according to a report in the German newspaper WirtschaftsWoche.
The paper says that Tadashi Arashima, director of Lexus’ European division, confirmed to a reporter that the company will release a subcompact to compete in the European market and to help it meet Europe’s stringent CO2 emission rules. No date for the new model’s debut was announced, but the car will compete with the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3.
But don’t expect it here in the U.S., where there’s minimal demand for hatchback smaller that the IS250 sedan. A small wagon version of the Lexus IS was sold in the U.S. but, despite being a hit with reviewers, was withdrawn due to insufficient sales.