Lexus says no to ute

An artist's impression of what a Lexus ute may look like. Thankfully, there'll be no such thing.

If you're holding your breath for a Lexus-badged luxury HiLux to land in Australia, then we've got some bad news for you. The brand's local boss has flatly ruled out adding a pickup to the range at any time in the near future.

Luxury utes are about to become a thing, but don't expect Japanese brand Lexus to be unveiling one any time soon. Speaking at the launch of the updated IS range in Melbourne, the brand's Australian CEO, Peter McGregor, told CarsGuide.com.au utes simply weren't what his luxury customers wanted.

"From an Australian point of view, I don't see (a ute) being part of the Lexus ethos or philosophy. We have luxury sedans, luxury SUVs and luxury performance cars, I don't envisage that in the near future we'll be moving into luxury pickups," Mr McGregor said.

"I just don't think it fits with the brand. We offer what we think our luxury customers want."

Lexus' stance sits in stark contrast to that of luxury vehicle stablemate Mercedes-Benz, with the German brand's new X-Class ute confirmed for an Australian launch. The Navara-based dual-cab will commence production in the final quarter of 2017, with the Mercedes-badged ute scheduled for a first quarter arrival in 2018.

That's a path Lexus won't be walking down any time soon.

The X-Class is expected to arrive with a choice of thee engines, including a range-topping V6 diesel. And Mercedes is promising its X-Class will be ready for heavy duties, too, with the German brand predicting a 3.5-tonne towing capacity and a payload maximum of more than one tonne.

Australia is considered a key market for the X-Class, owing to our insatiable appetite for both luxury vehicles and commercial utes. The Toyota HiLux, for example, has sold 34,179 units in the first 10 months of 2016, outstripping even the top-selling passenger car, the Toyota Corolla, which managed 34,158 units. Meanwhile, in the 12 months to July, luxury car sales hit 104,277 - up more than 15 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Mercedes is clearly hoping that blending the markets together will tap into a new, unexplored growth area for the brand. But that's a path Lexus won't be walking down any time soon.

"That's the current view, but if the market changes in the future, then that may be reconsidered," Mr McGregor said.

Are you disappointed that Lexus won't be building a ute? Tell us what you think in the comments below.