Toyota was lucky enough to give U.S. buyers the GR Corolla. It’s the textbook definition of a hot hatch, and we love it. Unfortunately, there are still some fun products that we don’t get, like the GR Yaris itself, and some stuff that some would rather stay off our shores, like the recently introduced Yaris-based crossover the Lexus LBX.
Luckily, though, Toyota and Lexus still have some enthusiasts at the helm of things. In a concept shown at the Tokyo Show, they’ve gone and dropped the GR Yaris’ drivetrain into the LBX. Dubbed the LBX Morizo RR Concept, it was developed in conjunction with Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, a well-known enthusiast who’s also known as “Morizo” and a master driver.
The LBX Morizo is literally just a GR Yaris crossover. The 1.6-liter 300-horsepower turbocharged I3 was dropped in and paired with an eight-speed automatic and a full-time all-wheel drive system, though Lexus didn’t say whether or not the LBX had the same limited slip diffs as the GR Yaris. Other performance enhancements include “developments that covered the vehicle’s packaging, body, suspension, tires, AWD control,” though Lexus didn’t exactly say what those were.
Visually the LBX Morizo looks good. Up front it gets a unique fascia with larger, blacked-out grille openings featuring yellow trim, yellow brake calipers set behind 19-inch wheels, unique rear bumper with diffuser and the same dual exhaust outlets as the GR Yaris. Though no pictures of the interior were shown, it’s said that it’s equipped with unique sport seats and alloy pedals.
The LBX Morizo is a concept for now, as the automaker hasn’t said whether or not it has production plans. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this thing coming to market in Japan eventually though. For it to come here might be tricky and would require the standard LBX to make an appearance first and sadly a sub UX sized crossover doesn’t seem like something that would be in the cards for Lexus. Until any decision is made we’ll just keep watching from afar and hope for the best.