Lexus Sport Yacht Concept Makes Award-Winning Appearance and Production is Confirmed for a New, Larger Model
The ultra-sleek and powerful Lexus Sport Yacht concept was a star of the Japan International Boat Show at the weekend, winning a special award from Japan’s Boat of the Year committee.
The one-of-a-kind vessel previously made a big impact at its global reveal at an international Lexus media event in Miami in January last year, hosted by Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Yoshihiro Sawa, President of Lexus International.
The yacht concept was conceived by Lexus Design to explore new areas of luxury and active lifestyles. It was engineered by Toyota’s Marine Division and a single, working proof-of-concept was built in partnership with the Marquis-Larson Boat Group, based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Production announcement
Accepting the award for the Lexus Sport Yacht Concept, Shigeki Tomoyama, TMC Executive Vice President with responsibility for the marine division, announced plans for a future Lexus premium yacht to be produced for worldwide sale.
“Based on our amazing experiences in engineering, building, testing and showing the Lexus Sport Yacht concept last year, we’ve decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new, larger yacht. This will build on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more comfort and living space,” he said.
“We plan to start sales in the USA in the latter half of 2019, with sales in Japan following from the spring of 2020.”
The new yacht will carry forward the partnership with Marquis-Larson, leveraging their renowned boat manufacturing expertise. Planned as a larger, 65-foot sport fly-bridge cruiser, the new yacht will have luxury staterooms below deck and space to entertain up to 15 guests.
Connected services using the company’s new Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) will provide security functions, smartphone integration, remote diagnostics, maintenance and other services. Specifications, prices and other details will be announced at a later date.
Lexus Sport Yacht concept
The Lexus Sport Yacht concept was a one-off vision produced by Lexus Design, engineered by the Toyota Marine Division and built in partnership with Marquis-Larson.
The hull, inner structure and superstructure of the bespoke, 42-foot open sport cruiser are made of hand-laid carbon fibre material, vacuum-infused with two-part polyurethane resin. Power is provided by two marine-specification versions of the 5.0-litre Lexus V8 engine, like that used in the Lexus RC F coupe and GS F saloon performance models, and the new LC 500 coupe.
The yacht concept can accommodate up to eight people in high-speed luxury. It is equipped with a high-tech multimedia system and is finished with hand-crafted wood and leather detailing.
You can download a selection of high-resolution images of the Lexus Sport Yacht concept here.
Specifications
Overall length (m) 12.7
Beam/width (m) 3.8
Passenger capacity 8
Total power (hp/kW) 885/660
Top speed (mph/kts) 49/43
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Japan International Boat Show is the largest exposition of the Japanese Marine Industry, taking place from 8 to 11 March 2018 at the Yokohama Bayside Marina near Tokyo. The Boat of the Year awards are selected by a committee of 30 Japanese marine journalists.
Toyota Marine was founded in 1990 and is based at Laguna Gamagori in Aichi, Japan. It is one of the largest makers of premium yachts in Japan. Toyota Marine’s Ponam range includes fibreglass sport fishing boats from 26 to 30 feet long and luxury cabin cruisers in 31 and 35-foot lengths with fully welded aluminium alloy hulls. Power is provided by marine versions of Lexus 3.0-litre and 4.5-litre turbodiesel engines. Ponam vessels have won three Japan Boat of the Year awards.
Marquis-Larson Boat Group is an independent privately-owned company in Pulaski (near Green Bay), Wisconsin, that designs, engineers and manufactures the brands of Marquis Yachts and Carver Yachts and Larson boats. The pinnacle of their line is the Marquis 720 three-level luxury yacht with fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) hull, deck and superstructure. For more information please see www.MarquisYachts.com or www.LarsonBoatGroup.com.
