2008 Lexus LS 600h L
With the ability to detect if the driver is not watching the road, the agility to park itself, and the efficiency of a gas/electric hybrid powertrain, Lexus asserts its new flagship sedan is the world's most technologically advanced car.
Unveiled at the 2006 New York International Auto Show, the 2008 LS 600h L goes on sale in spring 2007 as the ultimate expression of the line-topping LS 460, which launches in October to succeed the LS 430. Lexus did not reveal a price tag, but company spokesman Mike Michels projected it in the "high five figures," making it the first Japanese sedan with the potential to breach $100,000.
"We wanted to develop an automobile that our customers would say, simply, is the world's best," said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "This is the most technologically advanced automobile in the world."
The LS 600h L is the first car by any automaker to combine a V8 engine with an electric motor; all current hybrids have engines with six or fewer cylinders. Carter said the system delivers the "contradictory combination" of the thrust of a powerful 12-cylinder engine and the fuel economy and exhaust emissions of a V8. Preliminarily rated at more than 430 horsepower, Lexus claims the all-wheel-drive 600h L will do 0-60 mph in about 5 seconds, a full second quicker than the rear-wheel-drive LS 460, but with the same average combined city/highway fuel economy of around 20 mpg, Michels said. Still, fuel economy is not this hybrid's primary mission. Showing off Lexus's craftsmanship and know-how is.
The new LS will debut the company's advanced pre-collision system, designed to sound a warning, apply the brakes, cinch seatbelts, and quicken steering response if it detects the car is headed for an unavoidable collision. A camera mounted on the steering column monitors the driver's face. If it sees the driver is not looking directly ahead as the car approaches an object, the system goes into action. Also available is hands-free parallel parking: pull up to a space, push a button, and the car backs in on its own.
A paint finish sanded by hand, a massaging airliner-like rear passenger seat, a climate system that adjusts based on occupants' body heat, and insulation that reduces cabin noise levels to half those of other luxury cars--making it "subquiet," Carter said-- are also among the LS 600h L's features.
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 2006 New York Auto Show |
