Hybrid Technology Helps Lexus Attain Ultimate LuxuryThe concept of the gasoline-electric hybrid is one of the most significant
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| Ladies and gentlemen... presenting the ultimate Lexus: the LS 600h L. (Photo: Lexus Canada) |
technologies in the automotive industry and likewise one of the most important to Japan's finest prestige brand, Lexus. Using the renowned Hybrid Synergy Drive developed by parent company Toyota, Lexus has been able to target its opponents' high-powered V8 gasoline-powered vehicles, as well as their more fuel-efficient diesel offerings with various combinations of standard gasoline engines coupled with zero-emissions electric motors, but unlike hybrids of the past and some of the present, Lexus' models focus on increasing performance and power while decreasing any unnecessary waste.
In
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| Sometimes the best way to reach the top is to re-invent the game. Lexus' Hybrid Synergy Drive does just that. (Photo: Lexus Canada) |
many ways, Lexus is a pioneer in the field of hybrid automobiles. The brand's first hybrid was also the first vehicle in the world to mate luxury with hybrid efficiency in the popular RX crossover utility vehicle. Instead of developing two separate vehicles, the RX 400h is able to successfully target performance and economically-minded consumers. Off the bat, the RX 400h has been a success, and Lexus continues to pursue the adaptation of its hybrid technology to other vehicles in its product range. At last year's New York International Auto Show, the brand unveiled the GS 450h, a hybrid version of its midsize GS executive sedan. Starting a New York pattern, Lexus unveiled its next hybrid and top of the line LS luxury sedan in Manhattan's Jacob Javitz Center this week, the ultimate LS 600h L.
As with the regular LS, which debuted earlier this year at the NAIAS
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| Hybrid boosts the V8's power equal to a 5.0L V12, but with the consumption of a midsize V6 AWD sedan. (Photo: Lexus Canada) |
in Detroit, Lexus is preparing a full frontal assault on the high-end 'limo' segment. A member of this field since 1989, Lexus has steadily increased its market share amongst its German, British, American and Japanese rivals in the V8 powertrain field, but, for the first time ever, the LS is targeting the upper end of the segment, namely twelve-cylinder super sedans. However, Lexus' approach to this task is completely different from anything ever done before; the top of the line LS uses the Hybrid Synergy Drive system to boost performance and total output up to a level comparable to that of a 5.0-litre V12-powered automobile.
Although
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| 430 horsepower, but zero emissions when slow-speed cruising in town. Lexus' technology is simply unparalleled. (Photo: Lexus Canada) |
full details have yet to be released, what we can tell you is that the gasoline half of the LS 600h L's powertrain consists of the new 380 horsepower 4.6-litre V8 with 370 lb-ft of torque, but instead of being mated to the standard eight-speed automatic gearbox, Lexus has paired it to a two-stage CVT gearbox for improved efficiency. Currently, all Toyota and Lexus hybrid products use CVT transmissions. Combined with the high-torque electric motors, the car creates somewhere in the neighborhood of 430 horsepower, which is right on target with the competition's V12s. Another important note about the drivetrain, and a change from the standard LS 460, is that power is routed through a new all-wheel drive system.
