Lexus to Manufacture NX Crossovers in Canada

[krew]

Lexus to Manufacture NX & Three-Row RX Crossovers in Canada

Official announcement later today.

View the original article post

 

[ThePenguin]

I read this as "NX Three-Row" and was curious how they would manage that :laughing:

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Official press releases are now posted on Lexus' Canadian and Global Newsrooms.

Note that those press releases only mention NX, with nary a mention of 3-row RX. A Bloomberg via Automotive News report includes this passage:

Last week, Bloomberg reported the plant would also produce a three-row version of the RX, currently produced in Cambridge. However, (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada president Fred) Volf said Monday that report was inaccurate.

While I am unable to edit krew's news article, I did edit this thread's title to reflect today's announcement that only NX, and not RX L is to be built in Cambridge, Ontario starting in early 2022.

Given the 2nd-generation NX's expected (per Carmaker1) July 2020 start of production and 4th-quarter 2020 (2021 model year) start of sales, it seems that the first roughly 1.5 years of 2NX production will be solely Japanese-sourced.

By contrast, per Wikipedia, Canadian production of non-hybrid 2RX began in September 2003, a scant 7 months after 2RX's February 2003 sales launch. For each year of the second and third generation RX, a small number of non-hybrid RXs were assembled in Japan.

 

[Gecko]

Knowing Lexus, I hope they don't push a second gen NX out to 2022 (2023 MY).

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Knowing Lexus, I hope they don't push a second gen NX out to 2022 (2023 MY).

I doubt it. NX is too much of a "core" Lexus model by now, and those are on a "clockwork" 6-year cycle. Also, its "small TNGA-K" Toyota counterpart, the RAV4 is already out.

 

[GSCT]

Knowing Lexus, I hope they don't push a second gen NX out to 2022 (2023 MY).

Me too. I would really like to see the new NX with a far less cluttered interior and (hope beyond hope) a plug-in hybrid.

 

[flexus]

"Today's news follows the company's recent announcement that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) will begin producing the top-selling Lexus NX and NX hybrid starting in early 2022. This production will be in addition to the RAV4, RAV4 hybrid, Lexus RX, and Lexus RX hybrid currently being produced in Canada."
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releas...-canada-s-total-sales-in-april-893277976.html
Choosing Canada instead of US was very wise for Toyota. Canada is now part of TPP11 and from there vehicles could be exported duty free to allover Pacific. In the otherhand, Canada is neighbour of US and maintains good relations and it's highly unlikely that US would put tarrifs against Canada. Well played Toyota!

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Choosing Canada instead of US was very wise for Toyota. Canada is now part of TPP11 and from there vehicles could be exported duty free to allover Pacific. In the otherhand, Canada is neighbour of US and maintains good relations and it's highly unlikely that US would put tarrifs against Canada. Well played Toyota!

Excellent point! With labor costs being a bit higher in Canada than in the U.S. and GM departing as a local manufacturer, I thought that Toyota was merely keeping its Canadian manufacturing presence to be "politically correct". But Lexus products can certainly withstand those higher labor costs better than more downmarket Toyotas, and Canada's TPP membership (which hadn't even crossed my mind) definitely gives Canada an advantage.