Lexus Announces On-Sale Date for RX 300; All-New SUV Offers New Levels of Performance, Safety and Low Emissions
12 February 1998
Lexus Announces On-Sale Date for RX 300; All-New SUV Offers New Levels of Performance, Safety and Low Emissions
TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 12 -- Lexus Division of Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced the on-sale date for its all-new RX 300
sport utility vehicle (SUV), which offers a new level of safety and
environmental considerations in its class. The RX 300, available beginning
March 20, is being launched via an exciting, innovative advertising campaign
unveiled during coverage of the Winter Olympics.
The RX 300 represents a new breed of SUV and the future direction of this
popular product segment. It provides ground clearance and 4x4 capability to
handle a variety of tough off-road conditions, while offering driving comfort
and on-road performance in line with Lexus sedans. The RX 300's unique design
affords SUV buyers the opportunity to own the best of both worlds.
"The RX 300 is the future of SUVs," commented Jim Press, Lexus Division
senior vice president and general manager. "Customers tell us that this is
the type of vehicle they want most in the future, and Lexus is pleased to be
at the front of the pack in offering a unique combination of SUV utility with
luxury sedan safety and comfort."
Available in four- and front-wheel drive configurations, the RX 300's
24-valve, 3.0-liter V6 engine goes beyond current light truck and even
passenger car emission standards, and meets very stringent California Low
Emission Vehicle (LEV) criteria for passenger cars. It also complies with
future On-Board Refueling Vapor Recovery regulations proposed for all 50
states. Four-wheel drive fuel economy ratings of 19 city and 22 highway, and
front-drive figures of 19 and 24 stand out in the SUV class and compare
favorably to mid-size sedans.
While the RX has the substantial size and stance of an SUV, it is built on
a unibody platform rather than a conventional truck's body-on-frame design.
Its rigid passenger compartment and progressively absorbent crush zones help
protect the RX 300's occupants, and its car-based structure is more crash
compatible with passenger cars. The RX 300 offers an array of safety features
not usually found on trucks, including front seat-mounted, side-impact airbag
Supplemental Restraint Systems, front seat pretensioning and force-limiting
three-point seat belts and upper interior energy-absorbent materials to help
minimize head injury in the event of an accident.
The RX 300's leading-edge ad campaign, created by Team One Advertising,
follows Lexus' exciting new advertising direction first seen in the "Something
Wicked" campaign for the GS 400/300. The campaign calls attention to the RX
300's unique blend of comfort, utility and all-terrain capability, with the
tag line "Like no other vehicle on earth." Television spots feature carnival-
like characters who "capture" the RX and display it in their show as a
wondrous "creature." In a companion spot, the RX "escapes" and reclaims its
freedom as the characters try desperately to keep it caged for the show. The
ads aim to convey that the RX is the next generation of SUVs, something truly
new, innovative and unconventional.
Affordable pricing for the RX 300 rounds out the story behind this new-
concept SUV. The front-wheel-drive version's manufacturer's suggested retail
price is $31,550, while the four-wheel-drive model is priced at $32,950. A
very well-equipped 4x4 model with leather seating, in-dash six-CD autochanger,
power tilt and slide moonroof, memory power front seats, micron interior air
filtration, automatic dimming inside and heated outside mirrors and Homelink-
compatiable programmable garage-door opener will list for $36,860, making the
RX an exceptional value against its key competitors.
The RX 300 joins the all-new LX 470, making Lexus the only full-line
luxury nameplate to offer two distinctively different SUVs.
SOURCE Lexus