Lexus Ls

Lexus Ls – The Lexus LS (Japanese: レクサス・LS, Hepburn: Rekusasu LS) is a full-size luxury sedan (F segment in Europe) that serves as the flagship model of Lexus, Toyota’s luxury division. For the first four generations, all LS models came with V8 engines and were mostly rear-wheel drive. In the fourth generation, Lexus offered four-wheel drive, hybrid and SUV models. The fifth generation switched to a V6 engine with no V8 option and only one length was offered.

As the first model developed by Lexus, the LS 400 was launched in January 1989 and the second generation in November 1994. The 400 and LS 430 were badged as the Toyota Celsior (Japanese: トヨタ・セルシオ, Hepburn: Toyota Seroshio), sold in Japan until the Lexus brand was introduced there in 2006. In 2006, the fourth-generation (for the LS model) 460 introduced the first production eight-speed automatic transmission and automatic parking system. In 2007, V8 hybrid powertrains were introduced on the LS 600h/LS 600h L sedans.

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Development of the LS began in 1983 under the name Project F1, codename for a secret flagship sedan. At the time, Toyota’s two flagship models were the Crown and Ketchup, both of which were aimed exclusively at the Japanese market and had little global appeal to compete with international luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar. The production sedan underwent a lengthy five-year design process at a cost of more than US$1 billion and was launched with a new V8 engine and numerous luxury features. Lexus LS was designed from the beginning for export markets and Lexus division was created for international marketing and service of this car. The original LS 400 model debuted with high sales and was largely responsible for the successful launch of the Lexus brand.

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Since production began, every generation of the Lexus LS has been produced in the Japanese city of Tahara, Aichi. The name “LS” stands for “Luxury Sedan”.

In August 1983, Toyota president Eiji Toyoda launched Project F1 (the “flagship” and “number 1” car, alternatively called the “Circle-F” project) as part of a secret effort to produce a luxury sedan in Launched world class. International market of markets

The F1 development effort had no specific time or budget constraints, and the resulting car did not use existing Toyota platforms or components.

Instead, chief engineer Ichiro Suzuki sought to develop an entirely new design, with the goal of outdoing American and European flagship sedans in specific target areas, including aerodynamics, cabin quietness, overall top speed and fuel economy.

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During development, 60 designers were divided into 24 teams with 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians and more than 200 support agents.

The teams covered 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) of testing in locations ranging from the winter roads of Europe to the deserts of Arizona, Australia and Saudi Arabia, crossing the highways and wilderness of America.

In May 1985, designers began work on the F1 project. In late 1985, designers presented the first exterior study models to F1 management, featuring a sports car-like design with a low hood and narrow front fascia.

In 1986, the sedan adopted a three-box design with an upright stance, a more prominent grille, and two-tone bodywork.

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Extensive modeling and wind tunnel testing resulted in a low drag coefficient for a typical production car at the time (Cd 0.29).

For the cabin, material selection tests evaluated 24 different wood species and several types of leather over two years before selecting specific final combinations.

And more than $1 billion in development costs, the final design of the Lexus LS 400 (chassis code UCF10) was frozen in May 1987, and design patents were filed on February 20, 1987, and May 13, 1987.

In January 1989, the LS 400 was introduced as a 1990 model at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.

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Production began on May 15, 1989, and the first shipments left Japanese ports in late June 1989. The first cars were available in August 1989, and sales in the United States officially began on September 1, 1989, followed by limited exports to Japan. Australia, Canada and the United States. Kingdom since 1990.

Sales in some lesser markets did not begin until late 1991, nearly three years after the car’s introduction, as Lexus decided to focus on the North American and domestic markets. In order to maintain favorable quality standards, production was limited to about 50,000 cars per year. 40,000 of them were for the United States, 8,000 for Japan, and only about 2,000 for the rest of the world.

The new 4.0-litre 1UZ-FE 32-valve V8 LS 400 is capable of 245 PS (180 kW; 242 PS) and 350 N⋅m (258 lb⋅ft) of torque.

It is mated to a new four-speed automatic transmission with electronically controlled ECT-i shifting, super-current torque converter and rear differential.

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The LS 400 sprinted from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and had a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

Compared to its rivals, namely the BMW 735i (E32) and the Mercedes-Benz 420 SE (W126), the LS 400 had a quieter cabin, at 58 dB at 100 km/h (62 mph). higher maximum speed; Less drag coefficient and limited weight. and avoided the American tax on diesels.

In European tests, noise levels at 200 km/h (124 mph) were measured at 74 dB, equivalent to a BMW 735i at 150 km/h (93 mph).

The LS 400 was one of the first luxury sedans to feature an automatic tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with SRS airbags, power adjustable shoulder belts, and an electrochromic rearview mirror.

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The five-passenger cabin had California wood and leather trim, power seats, and touch controls. A backlit electroluminescent gauge cluster provides a holographic visual effect along with indicator lights on the dashboard.

The memory system stored the positions of the driver’s seat, side mirrors, steering wheel and seat belt. Available luxury options included a premium Nakamichi audio system and built-in hands-free cell phone.

In Japan, the launch of Lexus was complicated by Toyota’s existing four domestic dealer networks at the time of introduction.

And a right-hand drive version badged as the Toyota Selcior was introduced shortly after the LS 400 was introduced in the US on October 9, 1989, available only at Toyopet stores.

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Models were available as a base ‘A’ model, a ‘B’ model with upgraded suspension or a fully equipped ‘C’ version.

The Crown and Crown Majesta, which appeared later in 1991, were only available at Toyota dealerships that offered Toyota’s Japanese-only luxury models such as the Ctury.

Ownership costs for Japanese drivers are high due to Japanese government road tax laws and annual road tax obligations. Having a Celcior is also considered a lot in Japan, as two-way city streets are usually zoned at 40 km/h (25 mph) or less.

Selcior introduced two world firsts: high-performance twin-tube shock absorbers and an air suspension with an improved version of Toyota’s semi-active electronically modulated suspension called Piezo TEMS.

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Ahead of its time: Mercedes-Benz first introduced a similar electronically controlled air suspension system in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220) (Airmatic) in 1999.

As a flagship luxury sedan in the full-size segment, the relatively low starting MSRP was actually targeted at $25,000 in the early stages of development. However, Y’s depreciation against the dollar led to an increase to $35,000. Lexus division general manager Dave Illingworth admitted in an interview with Automotive News that many product planners are concerned about the price hike and its potential impact. Have success in sales. Part of the concern was that the Lexus nameplate lacked the heritage and brand recognition of its German rivals such as Mercedes-Benz. Likewise, luxury cars that compete in a class just below the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class average in the $25,000 range. However, when the LS400 was launched, sales figures were so positive that the car was almost universally praised for its high standards and specification levels.

Toyota, a subsidiary of Lexus, had already built a strong reputation for reliability and quality among economy cars. The Cressida sedan proved to the US market that Toyota was capable of making competitive larger luxury flagships with similar reliability.

In December 1989, shortly after the launch of the LS 400, Lexus issued a voluntary recall of 8,000 vehicles sold up to that point, following two customer complaints regarding faulty wiring and overheating brake lights. All vehicles were serviced within 20 days and the incident helped Lexus’ reputation for customer service.

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By 1990, sales of the LS 400 in the United States outsold rival models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Jaguar.

The LS 400 is on Consumer Reports’ 2007 list of recommended vehicles that regularly last 200,000 miles (320,000 km) or more with proper maintenance.

Launched in September 1992 as a 1993 model, the updated LS 400 (designed through 1991) was introduced with more than 50 changes, mostly in response to customer and dealer requests.

The car received disc brakes, larger wheels and tires, and adjustments were made to the suspension and power steering to improve handling.