2018 Lexus LS 500h hybrid debuts

The new flagship model of Japanese carmaker Toyota, the Lexus LS500, was displayed at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show a couple of months ago. Following up on that, Lexus has now taken the covers off the green version of this luxury barge at the recently-concluded 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Named the LS 500h, the new model is built on the same “Lexus Global Architecture – Luxury” (GA-L) platform on which the standard model is based.

To keep the planet happy, the LS 500h uses Lexus’s latest Multi Stage Hybrid System which adds two electric motors to a 3.5-litre V6 Dual VVT-I petrol engine to dish out a combined output of 354 hp. The compact and lightweight battery pack in the LS 500h is 20% smaller than the one in the current LS 600h, but it features improved power density. This combination will also enable the driver to use only the electric motors to run at speeds up to 140 kph.

The powertrain may be green but it still packs a punch. A four-stage shifting device, as Lexus calls it, will provide better response to inputs made by the driver. As a result, the LS 500h will accelerate from 0-100 kph in 5.4 seconds. The transmission has also been re-tuned. It now comes with a device called Driver’s Mind Index, which will adjust gear shifts to suit the driving style of the driver, although this doesn’t sound like anything new in terms of adaptive transmissions.

The 2018 Lexus LS 500h features the “Lexus Dynamic Handling” package which offers performance-oriented tuning for the steering, braking and stability systems. The number of safety systems on board the LS 500h is huge due to the added “Lexus Safety System+” pack, which includes a pedestrian detection function with active steering.

Expect the new Lexus LS range to debut in UAE, KSA and GCC markets by the end of the year.