World Debut For New Lexus LS 600h At New York Auto Show

KEY POINTS

• World’s first vehicle with full hybrid V8 powertrain
• Preliminary performance data indicate output of more than 430bhp (435+ DIN hp)
• All-wheel drive with new E-CVT continuously variable transmission
• European sales scheduled to start in June 2007

Lexus unveiled the all-new LS 600h luxury saloon at the New York Auto Show today, marking another major advance in the development of its hybrid power model range. The LS 600h is the world’s first vehicle to feature a full hybrid V8 powertrain, featuring a combination of a 5.0-litre petrol engine and two high-output electric motors.

The LS 600h has been designed and engineered to achieve exceptional levels of performance, style and safety, its opulence and technical brilliance matched by its practicality and efficiency. In short, it is a car in a class of its own.

HYBRID V8 POWERTRAIN

The Lexus Hybrid Drive system in the LS 600h is a further development of the technology already used to great effect in the RX 400h and GS 450h. It combines an all-new 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine with large, high-output motors and a new large capacity battery pack.

This arrangement will endow the LS 600h with an unmatched balance of environmental efficiency and performance, with a peak combined output from the powertrain of more than 430bhp (435 DIN hp). It is the most advanced petrol-electric hybrid power system the motor industry has yet seen, delivering power and performance on a par with modern 12-cylinder engines, with fuel efficiency that matches a conventional V8 unit.

To harness the system’s prodigious power and ensure excellent handling stability, the LS 600h uses a new mechanical all-wheel drive system. The LS 600h also benefits from a new dual-stage electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (E-CVT), ensuring smooth, linear power delivery and an impressive turn of speed for overtaking manoeuvres.

Low noise and vibration levels are characteristic of the hybrid powertrain and the LS 600h is set to define new standards for quiet running in the luxury saloon class. To help achieve this, the vehicle’s accessory motors and switches have also been re-engineered. The result will be one of the quietest automobiles ever built.

LEXUS LS 600H – PRELIMINARY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENDS