This Lexus LBX Concept Is Basically A GR Yaris on Stilts!

This special Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept packs the same 300 HP-rated turbocharged mill as the GR Yaris.

Taking centre stage at Toyota’s Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 exhibition alongside the new GR Yaris 8AT is a manic SUV concept dubbed the Lexus LBX Morizo RR Concept. Unlike the standard LBX crossover, this SUV concept gets the same three-pot turbocharged mill as the aforementioned rally hot-hatch, plus some other performance upgrades.

Greenlighted by Master Morizo himself, the LBX Morizo RR Concept borrows the 1.6-litre 3-cyl turbocharged mill from the newly-updated GR Yaris, capable of pumping out 300 HP (224 kW) and 400 NM. Similar to the GR-badged hatchback, this crossover concept also gets Toyota’s new 8-speed Direct Shift automatic gearbox, which helps transfer power to all four wheels.

Lexus, however, did not mention whether the LBX concept gets the same front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials as the GR Yaris, though we suspect it does given the fact the concept also sports an all-wheel drive drivetrain setup.

On the visual front, the LBX concept gets a minor design tweak over its ‘civilian’ twin, though some of them are quite subtle. Key highlights include a redesigned front face featuring a blacked-out front grille with a yellow accent, bigger 19-inch alloy wheels with yellow-hued brake callipers hiding beneath them, as well as a blacked-out rear diffuser with dual tailpipes – the latter also borrowed from the GR Yaris.

Although we can’t find any pictures of the LBX Concept’s cabin, Lexus did mention that this concept also gets some minor design tweaks in the form of sport seats and alloy foot pedals.

Neither Toyota nor Lexus have reveal any plans to turn the LBX concept into a production model

Unfortunately, neither Lexus nor Toyota have voiced out any plans to turn the LBX Morizo RR Concept into a full-fledged production model, with this jacked-up, five-door GR Yaris twin remains a study, at least for now.

2023 Lexus LBX B-segment SUV crossover

As a reminder, this concept is based on the standard Lexus LBX small SUV, which by itself is a luxurious Lexus-badged version of the TNGA-based Toyota Yaris Cross SUV. Aside from underpinning the same TNGA platform, both the standard LBX and Yaris Cross also pack the same 1.5-litre 3-cyl petrol mill beneath its hood, which works in-tandem with either two or three electric motors to pump out 134 HP and 185 NM.