Hot news about the next Lexus LS

Dear 001,

Check out what I just read in the new Road and Track...

Lexus still has plenty of surprises up its sleeve, one of which is the LS 600h. Based on the LS 430, Lexus' popular luxury sedan, this super luxo hybrid will feature the company's future 4.6-liter V-8 coupled with an electric motor. Rumors say the car will produce about 500 bhp (400 from the engine and 100 from the motor), making it one of the most powerful full-size luxury sedans in the marketplace.

Lexus plans to upgrade both its sporty and environmentally sensitive image at the same time. Therefore, the big-bhp LS makes sense. It will have the performance of others in the category, going head-to-head with cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG. But the Lexus has the added environmentalist cachet of being a hybrid.

Have a great Fourth!

Lenny

Homer008 - 7/8/2005 1:46:55 PM

+1 Boost

Autospies you goofed again.

LS600h isn't based on LS430 rather a new LS460.

Homer008 - 7/8/2005 1:46:55 PM

+1 Boost

Autospies you goofed again.

LS600h isn't based on LS430 rather a new LS460.

MercBasher - 7/8/2005 2:34:16 PM

+1 Boost

Has any dealer started an official and audit-able wait list for the LS600h. If its really in the $85,000 range then I want one. However I don't expect every "friend" of the dealer jumping ahead of me on the waitlist at the very last minute if it turns into a hot model - which happened to me at a Texan Lexus dealership when the convertible SC430 debuted.

I want to know, when I am paying a sizeable deposit, that I have a firm place on wait list. Are there any Lexus dealers willing to take my deposit money on this condition?

One of the few areas where my experience with Mercedes Benz is better than with Lexus is in the managing of waitlists. I guess the manufacturers don't control everything that the dealers do so maybe I can't blame Lexus directly. The MB dealers that I've dealt with (in Texas and Florida) seem to be more accustomed to handling really in-demand models and thus may be more likely to be fair to those who get on waitlists early.