Preview: Lexus LF-Sh

2005 Lexus LF-Sh concept

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 2005 Tokyo Motor Show Index by TCC Team (10/18/2005)

It’s been nearly 17 years since the first LS made its debut at the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit . One of two cars designed to launch the Lexus badge, it received a mixed reception from its industry rivals, few of them able to imagine a truly successful Japanese luxury car.

Nearly two decades later, Lexus has become the best-selling luxury brand in the United States, and as it finally launches the nameplate in the Japanese home market, parent Toyota Motor Co. is making it clear it wants to become a global leader, as well.

So when the automaker pulled the wraps off its LF-Sh concept vehicle in Tokyo last week, few were ready to dismiss the thinly-disguised prototype of what will soon become the third-generation LS sedan. Standing around the Lexus display, one could see a stream of senior industry officials, including the likes of BMW Chairman and CEO Helmut Panke, come to compare and examine the latest Lexus offering.

The so-called “Flagship Sedan Concept Car” is one of the first Lexus models to bear the cues from the new “L-Finesse” design theme. It clearly shares some of the touches that first appeared on the brand’s newly updated entry model, the IS sedan. The LF-Sh is more muscular in appearance than the old LS, and there’s no question Toyota intended to make it less derivative, less dependent on styling themes pioneered in Europe. But Panke couldn’t help but notice the Japanese car’s distinct “Bangle butt,” the high rear deck lid first used on BMW’s controversial 7-Series.

The prototype unveiled at Makuhari Messe was slightly longer than the current LS430, at 199.2 inches total length, and with a 116.9-inch wheelbase. But in production, Lexus will add a second, longer version, in keeping with highline luxury trends.

Light on specs

Toyota officials were surprisingly circumspect with specifics on both the LF show car and LS production model. The concept vehicle on the tilt-and-whirl stand boasted a hybrid-V-8 mated to an all-wheel-drive system. When it rolls into showrooms next year, expect to see a 4.6-liter V-8 in the LS460. A rumored V-10 apparently is not in the works, TheCarConnection was told, though a seven-speed transmission will be added at some point.

There will also be an optional 5.0-liter V-8/hybrid package. At the preview, executives said the gasoline-electric powertrain will produce "an acceleration feeling of a different dimension.” That’s in line with what TCC had been told by recently retired Lexus General Manager Denny Clements, who’d been championing a line of hybrid performance vehicles. The first of these, the GS450h, was also shown in Tokyo . In 5.0-liter hybrid form, a senior American Toyota executive boasted to TheCarConnection that the LS will outperform both the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series — a tall order that will be closely scrutinized.

We’re still waiting to see how far Lexus will go with its hybrid-powered brand-within-a-brand. Along with its rival, Honda, the Japanese automaker has taken some hits lately for trading mileage for performance with some of its hybrid-electric vehicles. It intends to re-emphasize fuel economy with upcoming hybrids like the Camry, but appears committed to using the technology for both mileage and performance with the Lexus brand.

In keeping with Lexus tradition, look for the new LS to put an emphasis on creature comfort, particularly on low noise levels. But company officials admit they may have taken that feature about as far as it can go. Much more and it could prove disconcerting, so Lexus has actually dialed back in some engine noise with the latest GS and IS models, and that’s likely to be carried over into the LS460.

The Japanese automaker will also provide plenty of high-tech features, many of them expected to come as standard equipment on the long-wheelbase LS. Look for not only radar-guided cruise control, but an accident mitigation system capable of slowing, perhaps even stopping, the next LS if the software detects a potential crash. There will be a lane-departure warning system and an updated version of infrared night-vision technology, as well.

While Lexus is the luxury sales leader in the U.S. market, it has yet to gain traction outside North America. It remains an also-ran in both Europe and back home in Japan, where Toyota only recently launched the Lexus brand. The parent company is investing heavily in this global push. Lexus has gotten its own design department and engineering team. There’s even a separate Lexus strategy board. Toyota is nothing, if not patient, and will continue to devote hefty resources to make its luxury brand a worldwide success. The next LS will provide a sign of how soon that’s likely to happen.