Hot Lexus Morizo RR brand could come to UK

Lexus is exploring the possibility of bringing its high-performance Morizo RR brand to Europe, with the brand’s European boss confirming it is under consideration. 

“We are investigating the homologation work,” said Pascal Ruch, vice president of Lexus Europe. He added the UK could be in prime position to get the brand’s products, because the first Morizo RR model, the Lexus LBX, is already engineered as a right-hand-drive model for the home Japanese market. 

“If there is an application to sell outside of the Japanese market, then the UK would obviously be much easier to adopt than the rest of Europe,” Ruch told Auto Express. “I personally believe that if there is a possibility to do it, and we are investigating, then we should consider it, at least for the UK.”

Ruch said bringing Morizo RR to the UK would be more about brand exposure than sales volume. “The big thing would be bringing another dimension to the brand, some sportiness and dynamism,” he continued. 

The RR in the brand’s name stands for Rookie Racing, Toyota’s motorsports team, and the LBX Morizo RR is a 296bhp four-wheel-drive version of the small SUV that uses much of the same underpinnings as Toyota’s GR Yaris hot hatch – including the 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine, eight-speed gearbox and variable all-wheel drive system. 

Auto Express drove the LBX Morizo RR at the beginning of this year, and found a characterful and engaging small SUV that, while slightly softer than the GR Yaris, has a higher-quality interior and more subtle styling than its Toyota sibling. 

Would you like to see the Lexus Morizo RR brand come to the UK? Let us know in the comments section...