Lexus LF-NX concept previews its snarling new compact SUV

As surely as the sun rises in the east, automakers will inevitably find new wrappers to clothe smaller SUVs that can sell at luxury car prices. Here's the first images of the Lexus LF-NX concept that will be fully revealed in a few days at the Frankfurt auto show, and while it's got more creases on its face than Tommy Lee Jones, it's all but guaranteed to preview an actual Lexus small SUV, the one gaping hole in Toyota's luxury lineup.

While the previous Lexus LF concepts carried their modern style well, the NX shows some of its limitations, namely in making the angry Norelco front end so tall. The back end suffers from a similar problem, with an ungraceful pile-up of lines on the back door and a fender fold that looks deep enough in these photos to store a small dog. Lexus says the LF-NX will sport an all-hybrid power source and typical but unsurprising luxury accoutrements; we'll have live photos to examine soon.