The Mercedes-Benz GL seven-seater SUV sells well thanks to its size, space and third row seats. There’s a demand for such vehicles, and buyers do have a few to choose from, depending on their priorities; the Merc sits at the top of the list by being luxurious and expensive. However, it may still get an equally luxurious and expensive rival from Lexus, if moaning dealers have their way.
Apparently, “Third-row seating is the No. 1 issue we hear from dealers,” said company representative Jeff Bracken, on the sidelines of the New York auto show, adding that “We feel like we’re missing a 35,000-units-a-year opportunity. We’re working hard to rectify that.”
Autonews says this new larger SUV would either use the same Toyota Highlander-Camry-Avalon front-wheel-drive architecture as the RX series for better packaging, or Lexus IS/GS sedans’ rear-wheel-drive architecture for improved handling.
It would appear that the already existent seven-seater SUV, the GX (pictured below), with its body-on-frame construction is just not clicking with buyers who would rather have a car-based vehicle instead.
Believed to bear the TX model denomination, a name recently trademarked by Toyota, the vehicle won’t be shown until next year at the earliest, if they do go ahead and begin working on it.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
