It looks like those filings with the patent and trademark office will bear fruit after all. Out of all of Toyota’s TNGA-F-based SUVs and trucks, the Lexus-branded GX 550 is the true star of the portfolio, in this writer's opinion—and now, the GX lineup looks to be expanding. Back in April, Road & Track reported some recent filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding the GX 550h nameplate, suggesting that the fan-favorite SUV may soon receive a new hybrid powertrain option.
We now have even more concrete information backing up that idea by way of Lexus’s own Australian product planning manager Julian Meldrum, who essentially confirmed the hybrid SUV in a recent interview with CarExpert. The future product details came out during a chat between Meldrum and reporters at the Australian debut event for the updated Lexus RZ, with Meldrum confirming the GX 550h’s planned arrival in several markets.
View Price on Amazon“It's in a couple markets globally, and we've looked into it for our market," Meldrum told CarExpert. According to the report, the GX 550h will adopt the same hybrid setup as the Land Cruiser Prado, which is sold in the United States as the Land Cruiser. That means we’ll find a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder backed by two electric motors, producing around 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. A 1.87 kWh air-cooled battery pack supplies the juice, and should come mounted in the rear load floor.
For reference, the twin-turbocharged V-6 that currently powers the U.S.-market GX provides 349 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. That said, Aussie Lexus fans will reportedly not be receiving the new variant of the GX 550, as local product planners believed that the machine was too “compromised” in terms of what customers demand Down Under. Meldrum also noted that the compromised rear cargo area brought on by the hybrid battery was also a major sticking point for his team.
Given how expensive gasoline is these days, I’m sure some GX buyers would be more than happy to adopt a hybrid powertrain. That said, I wouldn’t head straight to the dealer to ditch the V-6 quite yet; the standard powertrain is a much more enjoyable companion than the hybridized four-pot, at least from my experience in other TNGA-F products. Road & Track has reached out to Lexus for confirmation on these claims, and will update this post with any additional information from the automaker.
Source: roadandtrack.com
