audi_rudy

im sure this car will sell great in America just because desiels in luxury cars here are very very rare. So this will fill the gap and probably be a big hit as an alternative. Looks real good though.

Curb Zone

 

Centurion

Looks very good but the back looks a bit weird. It looks like an enlarged IS, I wish Lexus had done more and tried to make the car looks more unique.

Mr. Mercedes

I hope so, but I somehow think it will be more than a match for the V12's. A key figure that has been left out is the torque produced, and with an electric motor a huge amount of that would be available immediately. The torque from an electric motor is like an on/off switch isn’t it?

bum-man

But none of them have diesels putting out this much power, and don't forget electric motors put down massive amounts of torque instantly.

Yaz AMG

Not all markets get a diesel you know, and if didn't know, we don't get diesel models of the S/7/A8. This is obviously for the U.S. market and I think it will be a hit. If you didn't know, hybrids are the future, not diesels.

Congrats to Lexus for being the first in this segment

Deutsch

this car is a step in the right direction for Japanese auto design; brave but very original and simplistic. The exhuast are very unique, you normally see this kind of an idea on a concept car in rotation at major autoshows. Lexus took it a step forward.

Bozzor

That 320 kw number is quite low: either the 5.0 L is lightly stressed or the electric motor is not really that great in what it is putting down. Mind you, 320 kw is more than enough for just about anyone, but was still hoping for something north of 350 kW...But they did say in excess of 320 kW....could be a fair bit in excess I would hope...

But this car does look GREAT! In short wheelbase form it is nice, but the long wheelbase gives it real elegance: everything seems just right. It will sell on looks this time, unlike the LS430, which was pretty non-descript, though not without some appeal.

4wd will be interesting: it will be fascinating to see the technical specs of this system, how they have managed to incorporate the two drive systems. I am especially wondering about the torque transfer issue. I thought that this would e standard front engine, rwd system with the electric motor running the front wheels, but that would cause toque issues. I am sure Lexus have come up with a very innovative solution to this challenge.

But I have a funny feeling that this is a car that will really shake the Germans: it is offering good fuel economy (assuming Lexus is being honest with those numbers), 4wd, lots of space and a host of other goodies. We will have to wait and see how it goes on the road, but all in all this does seems to be the right car (in the upper luxury segment) at the right time.

Yannis

Fuel shells are the future and diesels are the best we have right now without the additional cost of hybrid.

Merc1

Bingo! My thoughts exactly. The LWB model really looks ill-proportioned to me. It looks like it came from a car company who just came up with their first attempt on making a full size car, unlike BMW/MB/Audi who all know how to proportion a large car and make it look perfectly balanced or "right".

M

Merc1

Yes this is true, but the S600 is a torque monster so we'll see what Lexus can come up with.

M

Curb Zone