Lexus India previews its line-up of cars at a private event in Kochi; RC F displayed

Toyota's luxury sub-brand Lexus is gearing up to start India operations soon. Ahead of the launch, the company showcased its Indian line-up at a private preview event organised by Lexus Kochi.

Also read: Toyota opens bookings for Lexus models in India

The preview event aims to introduce the Lexus brand and models to potential customers. Toyota has already started the booking process of Lexus vehicles in India. The models to be offered on sale in the country are the RX SUV series, the ES sedan series and the flagship LX series of its SUV. The high-performance coupe of the brand, the RC F, was also on display at the private sneak preview held at Vivanta by Taj-Malabar in Kochi, according to Hani Mustafa of Flywheel.

Toyota is said to be planning to set up independent dealerships for the Lexus brand, called Lexus Boutique. All the models of the Lexus will be imported as CBU. On-road price of the line-up is expected to begin at Rs 85 lakh.

Lexus RX450h SUV is the most popular product in the company's portfolio. The Lexus RX450h will be powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine complemented with a hybrid unit. The powertrain will return 308hp mated to an e-CVT gearbox. The Lexus RX450h will be pitted against Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

The X450d SUV is based on Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. It is the flagship product of Lexus. The diesel-powered LX450d gets a twin-turbo 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine that develops 269hp and a massive 650Nm of torque. The petrol-powered LX570 is powered by a 5.7-litre V8 engine developing 383hp and 546Nm of torque. Lexus SUV, rivalling Range Rover, Audi Q7 and Mercedes GL, will be priced at around Rs 1.5 crore.

The ES300h is based on the Camry sedan and both car have a lot in common. The sedan will be powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine and the electric motor assist mated to the same CVT gearbox. This is the same unit that powers the Camry hybrid in India as well.

Lexus RC F is a compact premium coupe powered by 5.0-litre 2UR-GSE V8 engine mated to eight-speed automatic transmission sending the power to the rear wheels. The mill develops 467hp of power and 389Nm of torque. The vehicle requires only 4.4 seconds to reach 96kmph and has top speed of 270kmph.