Will Lexus introduce its first minivan in Shanghai?

It might be based on the Toyota Alphard.

Lexus released a dark teaser image to preview a model it will unveil during the 2019 Shanghai auto show. While nothing is official yet, the photo might be our first look at a car that's set to take the Toyota-owned luxury brand into a new segment.

The photo itself doesn't reveal anything about the car; it merely confirms that, whatever it is, it falls in line with the design language every current member of the Lexus line-up follows. Website Lexus Enthusiast pointed out the teaser image was accompanied by a caption written in Chinese and alluding to luxury and personal space. This is the biggest hint yet that Lexus is about to enter the minivan segment.

It's too early to tell what kind of minivan Lexus will release. It's safe to assume it's going to be based on an existing Toyota model; we can't imagine Lexus developing a minivan from scratch. The Sienna available in the United States is not part of the Toyota line-up in China, but the Japanese firm sells a van named Alphard whose tall, wide front end would lend itself well to a gigantic Lexus spindle grille.

Either way, don't expect to see the Lexus minivan -- which could wear the LM nameplate -- show up in America anytime soon.