Lexus Press Conference

Geneva Motor Show 2017

Alain Uyttenhoven, Head of Lexus Europe

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, I would like to welcome you to our motor show stand. This new look demonstrates our ongoing commitment to design and craftsmanship. It reflects a new era at Lexus. It’s an inviting place designed to stir the senses of our guests. Visitors will discover hints of our brand heritage as well as indications of the bold direction Lexus is heading.

When you visit, you will discover elements that reflect our passions and ambitions. Items that inspired product designs and features found in Lexus cars today. As a small but iconic example, this Kiriko vase is a unique piece of Japanese craftsmanship, dating back to the early 19th century Edo period. This uniquely cut and coloured glass inspired the bespoke door inserts you will find on our new flagship model.

Our luxury lifestyle brand passions extend beyond this space. In January, we revealed our new luxury sport yacht concept in Miami.

This unique project put our designers to the test. The sport yacht features Lexus distinctive design cues and a Mark Levinson sound system. Thanks to its twin 5 litre V8 engines delivering 660kW, it can reach an impressive top speed of 43 knots, or 80 km/h.

Lexus is also a partner in the biggest European movie production ever, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, produced by EuropaCorp. For this movie, the creative teams imagined a vehicle grounded in reality but befitting the Valerian world set 700 years in the future: the Lexus Skyjet.

Experience Amazing is more than our new tagline, it is our ambitious goal for all activities.

And, we have brought a few amazing things here to Geneva. Nothing beats the excitement of Motorsports!

So let me introduce the impressive “carbon black” car that stands in front of you today: the 2017 RC F GT3 making its European debut.

GT3 probably represents the highest level of engagement in customer motorsports and that’s where we want to play a role in the coming years. This RC F GT3 will race in the United States and Japan throughout 2017. In Europe, we ran prototypes during VLN races at the Nürburgring. We even ran this car for the first time at the VLN9 race in October, and it won the race, making Lexus the first Asian manufacturer to claim victory in a VLN race. This year, we will participate in selected International GT Open races, an important next step in our development programme. We want to bring Lexus into top-level GT3 racing in Europe in the near future.

In addition to positive reactions to our recent lifestyle and motorsports activities, we see similar results from customers in our showrooms. In 2016, Lexus global sales increased to 677 thousand vehicles - our 6th consecutive year of growth.

Here in Europe we remain among the fastest growing regions for Lexus with a 17% sales increase last year setting a new record with over 74 thousand units. The launch of the all-new RX in particular was a tremendous success as our retail partners tripled their sales versus 2015.

What can you expect from Lexus in 2017?

We will bring two new exceptional vehicles to the market. These two distinct Lexus models feature the very best we have to offer: a bold design, exceptional performance credentials and innovative technologies.

We revealed the LC last year and it will reach European showrooms in the late summer. And I have good news to share today: the LC will be very competitively priced. In Germany for instance, it will be offered from 99,190€.

This year, we introduce the 5th generation of our flagship sedan, the LS. 28 years ago, this model launched our brand and triggered a revolution in the premium market. This 5th generation has all the ingredients to do it again!

The new LS 500 made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It features an all-new twin-turbo V6 engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission - an industry first in the luxury market. The LS 500 brings the best of both worlds: it delivers V8-level power and performance while minimizing noise and fuel consumption.

Today, I am very happy to introduce the second model in the new LS line-up. Ladies and gentlemen, the full hybrid LS 500h.

The new LS combines the physical presence and the interior space of a luxury sedan with the sleek/stylish silhouette of a 4 door coupé. Its stunning interior has already won its first accolade taking home the EyesOn Design award at the Detroit Motor Show.

The LS 500h is powered by the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System. This system is also featured in our LC 500h. It represents the next generation hybrid system providing more direct acceleration, especially when moving off from stationary and more fun to drive, all while improving fuel efficiency at higher speeds.

Our new Global Architecture - Luxury platform is lower and wider. It is the stiffest platform, Lexus has ever developed. It allows the occupants to sit closer to the centre of gravity and the critical weight to be ideally distributed.

The new LS features the most advanced dynamic safety control system in the industry. It’s intuitive pedestrian detection function with active steering is a world’s first! If a collision with a pedestrian is imminent, the car will automatically brake and steer around the person while keeping its traffic lane.

As you would expect this new LS features more than technology Innovation. It is also a synonym for exceptional luxury. Take the rear seats, they offer the ultimate relaxation experience combining a massage function with heating according to ancient Japanese Shiatsu principles. This is another world’s first! We worked with some of Japan’s most talented craftsmen to create a unique look and feel for the interior. The inner door panels are inspired by origami and have been pleated by hand, one by one. And here is the Kiriko glass insert I mentioned earlier, created using the same techniques as the vase displayed in the lounge upstairs. LS 500h will be launched in Europe during the last quarter of 2017.

We can’t wait for you to experience amazing yourself by getting behind the wheel or perhaps in the back seat for that massage. Please feel free to join us in our new lounge area here at the stand and I hope you enjoy the rest of the show.

As we close I would like to invite Lexus International Executive Vice-President, and future President, Yoshihiro Sawa to join me on stage for a photo shoot opportunity.

Thank you and have a great day in Geneva!

The model, revealed soon after the premiere appearance of the twin-turbo petrol V6-powered LS 500 at the 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, is a further manifestation of how Lexus has reimagined the luxury sedan, presenting brave design, exhilarating performance and a sophisticated appeal to capture the imagination of forward-thinking, younger customers.

The car’s design successfully brings together the virtues of a long-wheelbase four-door sedan with a low, coupe-like profile, positioning the LS perfectly across the two growing sedan and coupe segments.

The cabin has benefited from an equally new approach, focusing on “progressive comfort,” interpreting Japanese aesthetics and craftsmanship traditions in the context of an advanced, luxurious and innovative vehicle interior such as the original door trim ornamentation. Notably the LS 500 was honoured at NAIAS with the EyesOn Design Award for excellence in interior design.

Conceived as the new global pinnacle of the Lexus brand, the LS goes beyond what the world expects from a luxury car. Chief Engineer Toshio Asahi explained: “Developing such a flagship model required a massive paradigm shift. Rather than being bound by the conventions that had defined luxury cars in the past, we aimed to create a car with innovative, emotional and sensual appeal that would draw customers’ eyes away from other luxury cars and provide entirely new values.”

The LS 500h is equipped with the new Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System, a technology that transforms the performance and driver appeal of hybrid, providing improved responsiveness and more rewarding, linear acceleration, particularly when moving off from stationary. At the same time, the inherent fuel and emissions efficiency of Lexus Hybrid Drive has been further improved.

The powertrain features a 3.5-litre V6 Dual VVT-i V6 petrol engine and two electric motors, together delivering maximum system power of 354hp/264kW. While the LS 500 will be available in Europe exclusively as all-wheel drive model, the LS 500h will be introduced in both rear and all-wheel drive versions.

The LS 500h is built on the new Lexus Global Architecture – Luxury platform, which ensures a low centre of gravity and optimum weight distribution, contributing to the car’s essential stability and handling agility, which in turn deliver increased driver rewards. The fundamental high rigidity of the chassis allows the new multilink suspension to be tuned to achieve a great handling performance and the supreme comfort for which the LS is renowned. In Europe, Adaptive Variable Suspension, with air suspension are a standard feature of higher specification models.

The car’s dynamic performance benefits also from the co-ordination of braking, steering and stability systems through Lexus Dynamic Handling.

Advanced technologies are further used to deliver impressive safety performance. The LS 500h’s Lexus Safety System+ package additionally includes a new advanced safety system, which features the world’s first intuitive pedestrian detection function with active steering among other innovative technologies.

Omotenashi, expressing the unique sense of Japanese hospitality, defines the LS 500h’s whisper-quiet and luxurious interior. Supreme comfort is provided by front and rear seats with multiple power adjustment, heating, cooling and massage functions. There is also an optional rear seat arrangement that includes an extending leg ottoman and the most generous leg room of any LS generation. Notably the new LS 500h is longer even than the current long wheelbase LS. The wheelbase increased from 3,090 mm to 3,125 mm.

Lexus Takumi craftsmanship also contributes to the special quality of the LS 500h’s cabin, in luxurious new trims, materials and detailing, including a new pleating treatment and Kiriko glasswork on the inner door panels.

The all-new car, now homologated by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, will participate in racing championships in USA and Japan, as well as a number of selected European races.

In the USA, Lexus has supplied two Lexus RC F GT3 to the 3GT Racing team, to compete in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.

In Japan, two cars are contesting the GT300 class of the Super GT Series with the LM corsa team.

In Europe, Farnbacher Racing and Emil Frey Racing, the two teams which competed in VLN Endurance series with RC F GT3 prototype vehicles last year, will continue their development work this season, aiming to compete at higher levels in GT3 racing in Europe in the future. On this basis, they will compete in European races in 2017, including selected events in the International GT Open series.

Last year, Lexus became the first Asian carmaker to win a VLN Endurance Championship race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a RC F GT3 prototype claiming overall victory at the VLN9 race on 8 October.

Lexus also achieved outstanding results last year with the RC F GT500, another racing car derived from the RC F. The 2016 RC F GT500 dominated the Super GT series in Japan last year, with Team SARD and drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Kohei Hirate respectively claiming the team and drivers’ championship titles in the GT500 category.

SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle Name LEXUS RC F GT3

Engine 5.4 L V8

Power 373+ kW (500+ hp)

Torque not available

Transmission 6-sd sequential racing box

Wheels 13x18 ft, 13 x 18 rr - centre-lock

Brakes iron rotors

Wheelbase 2730 mm

Overall Length 4845 mm

Overall Width 2030 mm

Overall Height 1270 mm

Curb Weight 1,300 kg

The system, first installed in the powertrain of the new LC 500h luxury coupe, brings multiple benefits in terms of improved throttle responsiveness, high-speed cruising at lower engine rpm and the ability to cruise at higher speeds, with the petrol engine shut off – up to 140km/h.

At the same time, overall fuel efficiency and emissions performance are improved, while preserving the smooth, quiet and sophisticated drive that is a hallmark of Lexus hybrids.

The Multi Stage Hybrid System adds a four-stage shift device to the LS 500h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain, which features a 3.5-litre V6 Dual VVT-i petrol engine and two electric motors. The result is more direct response to driver throttle inputs – a quality that is particularly noticeable when pulling away from stationary.

Although the system comprises a four-stage shift, its operation replicates the feel of driving with a 10-speed transmission, like that featured in the twin-turbo 3.5l V6 petrol engine powered LS 500, with a linear, direct and continuous acceleration feel, making for a more rewarding driving experience.

The Lexus press conference will take place on March 7, at 12:45PM on the stand no. 4211 in Hall 4, Palexpo.

The 2017 RC F GT3 racing car will also be presented for the first time in Europe, showcasing the brand’s growing engagement in motorsports.

Other Lexus models on display will include the LC, the RC, the RC F and the RX and NX ranges.

The redesigned Lexus stand will showcase Lexus’ hallmark craftsmanship, quality and safety while giving visitors an immersive experience. The new design, implemented for the first time in Europe at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, highlights the brand’s new global communication strategy and tagline – Experience Amazing.

The Lexus press conference will take place on March 7, at 12:45PM on the stand no. 4211 in Hall 4, Palexpo.