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http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5583&categoryId=
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5581&categoryId=
The side profile is identical to what we saw today. The front headlights are not, and I think the production version will look a lot closer to the autospies shot, though of course could change.
Also, this from automobile mag..
http://automobilemag.com/auto_shows/tokyo/0511_lexus_ls/
"Toyota insists that the LF-Sh hybrid concept unveiled here in Tokyo is only a concept, but since it obviously follows the same design ethos as the production GS and IS, albeit interpreted much more conservatively, we'd venture that it gives us a good look at what the next LS will look like in production. Although it's not as voluptuous as its smaller siblings, its extensive use of convex and concave surfaces is far more interesting to look at than its predecessor."
Anyway, why bother looking now that we have something official from Lexus?
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5684&categoryId=22
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5687&categoryId=21
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5686&categoryId=21
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5685&categoryId=21
Some of those links are showing the previous LF-S concept car, not the current one. Let's not get confused. Easy to tell them apart - just look at the side mirrors; in the old concept car, they swept up from the front.
In June this year, while in Japan, I posted this on this forum....
oac, "2007 Lexus LS" #251, 9 Jun 2005 11:42 am
And then sometime later, with help from nexuslexus, this picture sketch of the next LS was also posted, according to a car mag in Japan (CarMode):
nexuslexus, "2007 Lexus LS" #327, 17 Jun 2005 5:42 pm
Compared to the real one here:
IMHO, this new LS (prototype/production) is a grand slam hit !!! Lexus has done it again, and I can already see MB execs calling an emergency board meeting soon to discuss this new LS.... Would the 2007 S-class get more tweaks before it gets here ? I'd bet on it. Would the 2007 LS get more tweaks before it gets here ? I'd bet on it too. But that LS is close to production, and is a winner at least in my book. Put me on the buyer's list.
A little Aston Martin in the taillights.
Glad the Japanese news site showed better pictures of the profile. Looks small on Lexus Auto Show site.
The hood seems to have a protruding dome over the grill, from a side view.
Very strong from the A-pillar back. Kinda puts those fender flares on the S-Class in perspective, eh? Rear 3-quarter shot simply the best. But how it sweeps from hood/fender to A-pillar seems a little off to me.
At least the Buick days are over! Clearly better than the S and 7, if not the A8.
Great job, Lexus!!
DrFill
Let's not lose sight of the fact that most people who buy the LS want a full size back seat, and a large trunk. From the pictures, it looks like Lexus managed to design a good looking car that still has good rear seat head room, and a nice deep trunk - without cutting down too far on the glass line a la 300C, or going "bulbous" on the butt a la 7. Much better than the compromises they made on the GS on these issues.
I'm still waiting to hear designman's take on this. Do we need to post a specific request on the HELM forum?
The grill is too big, and the taillights too small and square. I liked the 03-05 A8, not feelin' the makeunder.
The LS has aggressive, sport sedan styling, in comparison to the other Full-size Germans.
I KNOW you all won't agree, but I see a 545i with a less polarizing front-end.
I KNOW the 5 is universally hated for it's new threads, but I have always liked it. Aggressive, strong profile, swept head/taillamps, nice wheel/tire package, little fender gap, sits low.
Mercedes is in some real stuff now!
DrFill
Good job, Lexus...
All we can hope for now, is that Lexus can deliver on the Hybrid promise (RX400h has been a disappointment in the fuel economy stats based on NY Times and other publications' road tests).
So it looks like the "base" SWB version will definitely have AWD and also be a Hybrid??
Am I reading this right?
Thanks
Will be nice to be apt and put IMO in the above.... Surely you cannot claim to be speaking for everyone. And you certainly haven't seen the car in person to make such claims.... Pictures often don't do justice to some cars.... Why not wait for more things to come about the LS before you pronounce it dead, eh ?
I get a kick out of the “89 all over again” bumper stickers pasted on the Kool Aid buckets.
;-)
OK, I guess I'll have to wait with bated breath. Until then, I guess I'll have to live with the hints of "good and bad" and "not the next Duesenberg".
I, for one, do not think this is the exact production car. For example, I would not be surprised to see the front grill changed, and no one has been able to tell me what the third bulb in the headlight is for. Hey, maybe it's like razor blades, and we'll soon find ourselves in a competition between manufacturers for bragging rights as to who has the most bulbs (I think Infiniti may be winning this contest as to rear lights already).
In any case, I hope you will comment on how it has evolved from the previous LF-S concept car - and whether for the better or worse (in your
no-need-to-be-humbleopinion, of course).I found the LF-S to be very interesting but this LF-Sh backs off. As I mentioned in some other corner of Edmunds, I think Japanese styling is definitely taking a lead and will define the future. The problem in my opinion is that they just can’t seem to nail it down.
A very beautiful color, and the design is very elegant overall, sexy, and is.
Lexuses always have high resale, regardless of how much better the next generation is. They know a Lexus is reliable and prestigious luxury that'll go to 200K and beyond.
I would expect the lights to possibly change to a more conventional two beam design for the standard production vehicle. Did anybody notice the blue hallows around the 3 front projector lamps? Maybe these will stay for the LS600h top of the line variant.
I would also expect the grille to change as it does not appear to have enough open space to allow for a large enough volume of air to move through the radiator. I would not expect twin radiators at the two lower vents as their proximity to the front wheels seems to prohibit such a design. I would guess that the current grille actually is covering the production version of the grille.
I would be interested to hear from our Japanese friend who was attending the pre-show reveal to give us his impressions of seeing the car in person.
MB has got to be gathering the crew that designed the CLS and contemplating a crash effort to refresh the new S. The LF-Sh is beautiful. Everyone can comment about how it looks like this or that, but we all must admit Lexus has stepped up their game worldwide and finally positioned themselves to challenge automotives elite encumbants.
First the gogous LF-Sh:
the ugly bangled butt BMW 7 series:
WHERE THE HELL IS THE RESEMBLENCE!!, Is this a nice car for lexus to copy??, you can see the trunk is so different, the taillight formation is also hugely different! open ur eyes ppl. this lexus will kill ur bimmer!
and the already dated MB "NEW" S class:
and here the 5 series for those sick ppl that can compare it with the upcoming LS:
This is what the LF-Sh resembles
THE GS
THE IS:
i hope u saw what all those cars share!! not the design, but all of them have red taillight!!!
thats what i wanted to say, and by the way if u said lexus copied BM, MB or any other car u will not change anything, becoz lexus dominates.
concering the interior, we really hope not to see the same mistake MB did with the S class "the BMERIZED interior" lexus is known for making the best interior and believe me, u gona see the best one
p.s: out of curiosity, where is lexus rear window mounted antenna? i couldnt fine one? all cars with navigation have it, u can see BM, MB, but this concept doesnt have it, does this means they hide it some where, or they dont need it becoz of a new system? or simply this is a concept and we will have the antenna in the production model? who knows?
thats all from me, Love
Lexusi...
Wow, it seems this forum has literally I posted my last message about two days ago and I am not all that surprise that there would be more good discussion about the LS as time progresses; especially after the fact that Toyota has once again done a speculator job on both the exterior and interior design of the vehicle where someone have already express their strong intension to purchase one of those and drive it back home! Having said that, I am now, as promised, offer my initial findings and impression of the vehicle while I attended the pre-screening 2 days ago and you will be surprised that some of the info I am going to present would really surprise you all.
-The first thing I am going to discuss was on whether both the concept’s exterior and would closely resemble the production version? And from my discussion with a number of my old colleagues who still works in Toyota during the auto show; I am very pleased to report that the production version would have at least a 90% resemblance from the concept vehicle that many of you are now commenting about. Obviously; some of you might want Toyota to perform some exterior adjustments on the concept before they roll out to the marketplace by next summer. However I find the vehicle was good enough shape to sell in the market where any major changes on it’s exterior would simply destroy the overall elegance and spottiness of the vehicle itself. And I already expressed such concern with my colleagues; they too agree that it would be best to make only minimum changes on the concept exterior before it begin to roll out from the assembly line (sorry that I am begin to run out of time)
Surprise #1: the nice beautiful full aluminum grille that many of you are looking at would only be found on the LS600h production model. Other models such as the LS500 and the LS460 would not have this nice looking grill, but instead would have the normal grill that’s much like the traditional ones you saw in many Lexus vehicles.
Okay since I am about to head off for another meeting, I will continue my discussion tomorrow or the day after, depending on my schuldule. If you do have any questions, please do post them in the forum and I will see if I am able to answer them. The next topic will focus on the pricing, the release date and hopefully if I have time available, to discuss how do my overall impression of the vehicle.
See you all soon
T. Kiyonaga
The new S-Class will sell just fine as will the new LS, both cars have a huge following...so I just don't get the hysteria here. The S-Class is going to be bought all over the world, you know something Lexus is trying make happen. If anyone has to worry it will be Audi, BMW and Jaguar. They're the ones with nothing new to combat the two brand new and best selling cars in this segment, but even still they will still sell cars also.
With that said, the new car is a huge improvement of the lame duck design of the 2001-2006 model. The new LS is just upsized IS250/350 and doesn't really make it a standout imo. Sure it looks better than the old car, how hard could it have been to surpass that car's looks. There is no detailing or anything just long slabs of blank sheetmetal, just like on the IS. Kinda like a supersize boy racer, hardly the "classic" luxury look you rave about on the current LS. It kinda like the GS, sleek but has no real character, again imo. It definitely ain't no "knockout" like an A8 or the previous S, at least in pictures.
M
Even if your opinion is a far cry from the general consensus (LS fans and non-fans, alike), much can be said for previous (especially current) generations of MB - "blank sheetmetal," along with lackluster prestige (as opposed to Lexus).
Knockout. A8. What a joke. Somebody's a fan of "Transporter 2."
But, then again - to each his/her own.
L
Yeah sure in the past they did, which is where Lexus got their deisgn for the current LS. Mercedes doesn't currently sell any 1980's or early 1990's designs today unlike someone else. I don't see anything even close to such bareness that the IS and LS have in Mercedes' current designs. Sure all big cars are going to have some expanses of metal, but it doesn't have to be blank and characterless.
Yeah I think the A8 is a knockout in terms of exterior/interior design this segment, you don't...opinions may vary.
M
Really shows the State of the Union (except for the A8, the uncrowned style leader in this segment).
Merc, the paradigm is definitely shifting to the East (Far, Far). It hurts to admit it, but going to Worldwide numbers shows desperate times call for desperate measures.
I am not throwing dirt on the current S-class, even with it's modest volume and disappointing reputation for quality (J.D.Power on the S-Class: "No Comment")
Judging from the recent post, the New S doesn't stand for Super, sad to say. And the BMW-borrowed dash doesn't provide any silver linings. The fender flares are bordering on hideous. And who approved a sinking beltline? FGS, raise the beltline, drop the flares, add a boneline, and you've got a tasteful upgrade with a Maybach knock-off "boot".
I haven't been trolling the S-Class forum, so I don't know if it will be a $90k and up car, of if it will continue to TRY to field a competitive $75k car, but I know you will hold Lexus' lower price point against Lexus.
As I said before, the paradigm is shifting, now.
The LS, IMO, will start at $65k, and rise right through the low to mid $90's, and the S will definitely be a direct competitor. Excuses at this time next year will be few and far between.
I wouldn't care to be a Mercedes Exec late next year when sales are flat, and the LS enjoys a 30% YTD increase.
Maybe I'll check out that forum, but hopefully you can sell me on the virtues of the New S at some point. I definitely need to be shown the light because that is one dark room right now, my friend!
I think I've been fair, and have criticized Lexus LS styling (and IS' new Product mix, to the point of forum banishment :confuse: ). But if Lexus hasn't made the Perfect Storm, it is darn close, like Hurrican Rita to Houston close.
I know this town was breathing heavy then!! :surprise:
But we're partyin' like it's 1989 tonite!! Go 'Stros!!
DrFill
Not behind the 7, but the facelift was pretty painful.
I dig it, but not so much.
CHANGES FROM LF-Sh to 2007 LS:
1: Wheels. Obviously not chrome or 20". 18" standard, 19 optional. This will increase fender gap, and reduce the road-hugging, sporty look the concept has.
2: Headlights. Shouldn't be to dissimilar to the IS. No Q45 multi-beams, but no '98 LS Quad Muppet eyes either.
3: Taillights. Will be toned down and not as slick.
4: Grille. Again more conservative. This may help. The grille I'm not fond of.
5: The exhaust. Obviously it will not come through the bumper. I'd expect a more aggressive release than what we have seen the last decade, which is no exhaust pipe at all, covered by the bumper. A return to 1989 would be most welcome here.
Dubs don't hurt this ride! Base 17's will. I still am shocked when I see a $56k LS with 16" wheel covers!
DrFill