Not all B-segment crossovers turn to gold in the Netherlands!
The B-segment crossovers are an indispensable part of the Dutch car landscape. They are often affordable cars for a large group and then with a high seat. Bingo for many people. Maybe that’s why they call it the B-segment?
It is not the case that all B-segment crossovers cause sales mania. Certainly not. The Lexus LBX introduced this year is a good example of this. A very short summary is that the LBX is the premium sister of the Toyota Yaris Cross. An extra balance shaft makes the three-cylinder run a bit quieter and you have the typical Lexus finish. It really does feel more premium.
Lexus LBX on Marktplaats
It even got the undersigned interested, yeah! In the spring I was drinking coffee at a Lexus dealer to chat about an LBX. It was about a car for the side. Unfortunately nothing fruitful came of it. As a bare car I honestly did not find it Lexus worthy and with some -in my eyes- much needed options to dress things up you got a price tag for the private lease that makes you fall off your chair. From my head you went to about 700 euros per month with some kilometers and options on your LBX. No thank you.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks the Lexus LBX is a fun car, but the price is a little less funny. The sales figures don’t lie. In the first six months of 2024, Lexus sold 246 units of the LBX in our country. The best-selling Lexus of 2024 so far, yes, but not numbers to be impressed by. For comparison, in the same period, Toyota sold 4,136 units of the technically related Yaris Cross.
The first copies of the Lexus LBX are now on Marktplaats. These are former demos or cars that have been configured to fill the showroom a little.
Demo
The LBX in this article is such a used demo. With 10,000 kilometers of experience. Exactly in the color I had in mind. But then. The price tag. You can take the Lexus for 45,950 euros. We are still talking about a B-segment crossover. For that money you can buy a more spacious and new Tesla Model Y. A new Volvo EX30 is even cheaper.
So much for my story about the Lexus LBX based on this example on Marktplaats. Nice thing to see, but that price, huh? I’ve only come across one in the wild and that was in Japan in June. Here in the Netherlands, the LBX feels rarer than spotting a Ferrari. Curious about the sales figures for the remaining six months of 2024.
This article You hardly see this premium crossover on the road first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
