Shortly after the announcement that Lexus would debut a new concept car at this month’s Paris Motor Show, Leftlane News posted spy photos of what they claim is a camouflaged Lexus compact crossover.
The only problem with the theory? The mystery crossover strongly resembles a previously spotted Toyota RAV4 prototype (click for larger images):
Despite the similarities, there are some noticeable differences:
- The headlights, the fog lights, and the slope of the hood line are all very similar, but appear to have different proportions.
- The side mirrors on the mystery crossover are door mounted — a common Lexus design characteristic. The RAV4 are window mounted.
- There’s been significant effort to cover the rear door shape and hide the rear profile of the mystery crossover.
- The trunk doors and the entire rear bumpers are distinct from one another — the RAV4 rear door drops deep into a thin bumper, where the mystery crossover door has a more CT-like shape.
- The mystery crossover has dual exhausts.
Add in the fact that the mystery crossover was out testing with a Range Rover Evoque and an Audi Q3, and it makes for an interesting puzzle. One thing’s for sure, if Lexus was testing a compact crossover, there would be no better disguise than mirroring an already-photographed RAV4 prototype.
[Source: Leftlane News & Autoblog] (Thanks Carmaker1!)
No discussion thread for this article yet.