Car Nut

Lots of new information on the Lexus in this press release.

- larger Hard Drive
- self-restoring paint
- new colours
- ECO mode
- better steering response
- new shocks
- LED running lights

I still have not seen a really good photo of the interior showing the instrument pod yet.


PRESS RELEASE

REVISED LS MODEL RANGE
• LS 600h bespoke, hybrid-exclusive styling details, improved packaging, Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain enhancements including Eco drive mode and Brembo brakes
• LS 460 driving dynamics – EURO V compliant 4.6 litre V8, revised air suspension system and enhanced Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS)
• LS 460 2WD Sports version featuring exclusive sports seats, dynamic powertrain and suspension tuning, paddle shift manual override gear change and Brembo brakes
• Updated LS model range exterior and interior design with redesigned front and rear seating
• Upgraded audio and new HDD navigation systems incorporating 10GB Sound Library facility
• Eco drive mode with bespoke air conditioning setting for improved fuel economy
Making its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt motorshow, a revised LS model range incorporates updated exterior and interior design, redesigned seating, comprehensively updated equipment and enhanced driving dynamics.
Reinforcing its unique status as the world’s only full hybrid vehicle in the premium luxury saloon segment, the Lexus LS 600h may now be instantly identified as the high performance flagship of the LS model range through bespoke exterior and interior styling cues, improved packaging, and numerous enhancements to the vehicle’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system.
A sports version of the LS 460 2WD also makes its world premier, featuring bespoke 19” forged alloy BBS wheels, dynamic powertrain and suspension tuning, powerful, 380mm Brembo brakes, a steering wheel-mounted, paddle shift manual override gear change, and sports seats with reinforced support.
UNIQUE LS 600h FULL HYBRID FEATURES
The LS 600h flagship’s unique status as the world’s only full hybrid vehicle in the premium luxury saloon segment has now been further reinforced through bespoke exterior and interior styling cues, improved packaging, and numerous enhancements to the vehicle’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system.
The LS 600h features a unique, four-bar hybrid grille with a hybrid blue logo, and a new front bumper design with enhanced air intake performance and revised fog lamp detailing. The headlamp clusters feature a tailor-made running light design, and are finished in Lexus hybrid blue to instantly identify the LS 600h as the full hybrid flagship of the LS model range.
In profile, the LS 600h may be identified through hybrid badging to the door bottom moulding and, to the rear, features a unique lower bumper design incorporating vertical fins to smooth the airflow and improve high speed driving stability. Both the Lexus logo and the rear lamp cluster are finished in hybrid blue to reinforce the LS 600h’s full hybrid credentials.
The revised, full hybrid LS 600h will be available in a choice of eleven exterior colours including three newly adopted colours; 
Red Morello, Sand Ecru and Deep Emerald, as well as two newly developed colours; Midnight Blue and a hybrid-exclusive 
Shadow Sapphire.
The interior is further enhanced through the adoption of an innovative new driver’s instrument binnacle incorporating a full colour, TFT LCD display. The display features a bespoke, three-ring analogue dial with a central speedometer, a tachometer and coolant gauge to the left and a fuel gauge and hybrid system indicator to the right. The centre of the speedometer functions as a customisable monitor which may be tailored to display vehicle information, turn-by-turn navigation instruction and Lexus Hybrid Drive system status.
Five interior colour schemes are available, including three exclusive to the full hybrid LS 600h; Black with Ivory, Black with Mellow White, and a new Venaro Grey.
Combining the 394 DIN hp/290 kW power of a 5.0 litre V8 with an electric motor output of 224 DIN hp/165 kW, the LS 600h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system generates a peak combined output rating of 445 DIN hp/327 kW. The Lexus flagship will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds, and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. Conversely, the full hybrid returns a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.3l/100km, and CO2 emissions of 218g/km.
The further development of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system’s 5.0 litre V8 sees its enhanced environmental performance now fully compliant with EURO V exhaust emission standards. In addition, the hybrid system battery modules have been split into two, 6- and 14-module sections in order to reduce the overall size of the battery pack and increase vehicle luggage capacity.
Linked to an indicator within the speedometer, a new ECO mode provides a modified, non-linear throttle action and air conditioning control to support fuel efficient driving. The relationship between pedal movement and system output is automatically controlled to reduce throttle response to aggressive accelerator pedal inputs, thus improving fuel economy and promoting smoother driving. The A/compact load on the engine is also reduced more dramatically under acceleration, further improving fuel efficiency.
Enhancing the Lexus full hybrid flagship’s dynamic abilities, the LS 600h is now equipped with large, 380mm ventilated front discs brakes, the 6-piston callipers, rotors and pads of which have been jointly developed by Brembo SpA. Featuring high mu pads to reduce abnormal noise and vibration, the new brakes provide excellent feel and the fade-free, high speed stopping power appropriate to the all-wheel drive, high performance dynamic credentials of the Lexus full hybrid flagship.
UNIQUE LS 460 FEATURES
The LS 460 features a new grille of a more powerful, five bar design. Redesigned headlamp clusters feature more expressive styling of the running lamps and side reflectors, and the running lamp itself now comprises eight white LEDs for enhanced illumination and a more powerful road presence.
To the rear, an increased bumper width incorporating a restyled diffuser and more perceptibly trapezoidal exhausts reinforces the Lexus flagship’s broad, powerful stance. And a wider, deeper license plate surround is flanked by re-styled, clear lens tail lamp clusters.
Accompanied by a new 18” alloy wheel design, the revised LS 460 will be available in a choice of ten exterior colours including three newly adopted colours; Morello Red, Sand Ecru and Deep Emerald, as well as one newly developed colour; 
Midnight Blue.
The LS 460’s 4.6 litre V8 is the most technologically advanced internal combustion engine ever developed by Lexus engineers. It develops 380 DIN hp/280 kW at 6,400 rpm, and maximum torque of 493 Nm at 4,100 rpm. Driving the rear wheels through a unique, 8-speed automatic transmission, it will accelerate the Lexus from 0 to 100km/h in only 5.7 seconds. The LS 460 will travel from a standstill to 400m in 14.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 250km/h (electronically limited).
Despite these impressive performance figures, the 4.6 litre unit returns an excellent 11.1l/100km in the combined cycle, and CO2 emissions of 261g/km.
This outstanding powerplant has now been further developed with an enhanced environmental performance to fully comply with EURO V exhaust emission standards.
A new ECO Drive Mode incorporates an Eco Driving Indicator Light and an Eco Drive Range Indicator Display to help LS 460 owners drive in the most environmentally friendly, fuel efficient manner. Both Eco driving aids are activated by the ECO drive Mode switch. The Eco Drive Range Indicator Display appears as a bar graph within the driver’s instrument display screen, flashing when the Zone of Eco Driving has been exceeded. Also housed in the driver’s instrument binnacle, the Eco Driving Indicator Light is simultaneously turned off to highlight non-fuel efficient driving.
The optional air suspension system has also been revised to improve the dynamic performance of the LS 460. The roll posture control logic of the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) control has been enhanced to improve steering response on turn-in. New shock absorbers with an improved response even in the low damping range have been adopted. A rotary valve port has been introduced between the main and sub-valves to improve oil flow and enhance damping response. In addition, the port diameter has been optimised and the variable width from the low to the high step has been equalised to improve control response.
LS 460 2WD SPORTS VERSION
Available in specific countries, a Sports Version of the LS 460 2WD can be identified through bespoke, 19” forged aluminium BBS wheels.
On board, the Sports Version benefits from the significant design and equipment upgrades of the revised LS model range, with the addition of purpose-made sports seats. The seats provide both enhanced holding performance and comfort through increased thigh, hip and shoulder support, while changes in posture have been suppressed by minimising forward slipping of the pelvis under braking.
The 8-speed automatic transmission has been equipped with Sports steering wheel-mounted manual override paddle shift control, operable in both ‘D’ and ‘M’ shift modes, and a more powerful, responsive driving performance has been achieved through the specific tuning of the Sports version’s Power Mode characteristics.
When driving in ‘M’ mode, Gear Step Hold Control holds the selected gear to fully exploit the engine’s maximum rpm. A highly responsive upshift control logic increases the speed of gear changes to just 0.3 seconds, and a blipping downshift control logic has also been adopted to reduce gear changing times to only 0.2 seconds.
In addition, the drive power characteristics generated by the Driving Response and Acceleration Management System (DRAMS) have been exclusively tuned for the Sports version. Bespoke throttle mapping provides direct, linear engine power and torque, while revised gear control holds a lower gear during sports driving for improved acceleration out of corners, and enhances kick-down performance for improved overtaking acceleration.
The LS 460 2WD Sports Version also features several suspension system revisions to enhance the Lexus saloon’s dynamic 
performance and offer increased driving pleasure and involvement. Both front and rear stabiliser bar performance has been improved, the former adopting a 2mm thicker material, the latter an increase in bar diameter to 21mm. Air suspension revisions include an increase in the spring constant of both front and rear pneumatic springs, and an increase in the spring constant of the front shock absorber rebound spring allied to reduced clearance, further suppressing roll tendencies and enhancing cornering stability.
Providing the fade-free stopping power appropriate to the Sports Version’s enhanced dynamic credentials, the vehicle is equipped with large, 380mm drilled and ventilated front discs brakes, the 6-piston callipers, rotors and pads of which have been jointly developed by Brembo SpA.
LS MODEL RANGE UPGRADES
Exterior Design
Though model-specific detailing of elements such as the front grille, headlamps, rear bumper and exhausts now clearly differentiate the LS 600h from the LS 460, several new exterior design features are common to the entire LS model range.
Within an overall length increase of 30mm, the revised LS range features a new front bumper design incorporating a larger, three-part engine bay air intake detailed to reinforce the visual strength of the L-finesse arrowhead motif represented in both the headlamps and grille.
In profile, the revised LS range now features a one-piece rocker moulding, and new door mirrors incorporate a chrome-highlighted, twin LED lamp turn signal as well as puddle lamp entry and egress illumination.
A new, highly elastic “Self-restoring Coat” has also been developed to help maintain the Lexus flagship’s superb paint finish over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Interior DesignThe dashboard centre console has been re-designed. The upper air vents have been visually separated from the centre console instrumentation. This gives a stronger horizontal emphasis, reinforcing the spaciousness of the LS model range’s high quality interior.
The EMV multi-display touch screen surround now features larger switches, and a revised audio switch layout for improved visibility and operability. The use of real aluminium for the Audio switch **** further enhances the premium texture and quality of the design. The backlighting of the screen itself has been changed to LED, improving both the brightness and performance of the display.
Both front seats now incorporate a new, inflator-operated, active headrest design. Activated by a signal from the airbag ECU during rear end collisions, the inflator slides a piston into the headrest, unlocks the mechanism and projects the headrest forwards and upwards to support the occupant’s head, minimising the risk of whiplash injury.
The driver’s seat also features a new, return/away function. Linked to the steering wheel auto return/way function and activated when the drive unfastens the seatbelt and switches the engine off, this system automatically slides the seat back by up to 50mm for maximum ease of entry and egress, returning the seat to the driving position once the car is started.
Rear Seat Relaxation Package
The Lexus Rear Seat Relaxation Package is available for the first time in conjunction with a 5-seat configuration. Operated via a remote controller, the 40:20:40 split premium seat incorporates a power upper seatback reclining mechanism, a fully retractable leg and foot rest, and a lower back vibrator. It also provides massage pressure by inflating and deflating eight pneumatic chambers built into the seat back, lumbar and shoulder areas at varying intensities.
The rear seats themselves have been redesigned. The horizontal suspension position of the seat has been moved forwards 45mm to improve hip-area fit, and the shape of the seat surface outer sides has been plumped by up to 10mm to enhance side support.
New rear seat headrests offer improved support. The thickness of the urethane pad has been increased by 5mm, and the angle of the headrest sides may be adjusted to a maximum of 30 degrees.
Housing seat controls, earphone jacks and the remote control for the relaxation system, the centre armrest has been redesigned with a lid sliding range of 80mm.
Power and Rear Relaxation Package seats feature integral SRS side airbags, and the seat behind the front passenger in 40:20:40 split Rear Seat Relaxation Package configurations incorporates an SRS seat cushion airbag to further restrain the occupant below the hips in the event of a collision.
Models equipped with the Rear Seat Relaxation Package also now offer an extra front seat position 40mm forward of its standard foremost sliding range. Operated in conjunction with the rear seat retractable leg and foot rest function, the front passenger seat can be moved to the full front or return position via either a control switch in the rear centre armrest or a switch on the seat shoulder. When the front seat is in the extra forward position, the headrest is automatically retracted to improve rear seat occupant visibility.
A reduction in the size of the rear air conditioning unit has increased boot capacity by approximately 35 litres. In models not equipped with a spare tyre, removing the upper luggage floor mat gives a further increase in capacity of some 60 litres.
Equipment
Fitted as standard to all LS models, a new Lexus Navigation System benefits from a powerful, 40GB HDD capacity, making it one of the fastest, most accurate systems on the market. It covers the whole of Europe, and includes the traffic information infrastructure of each country. The new system features upgraded voice recognition, with four additional languages including Russian, and a new menu that can be operated in 14 languages including Cyrillic characters.
The LS 460 may be fitted with a choice of Lexus premium sound systems and a 19-speaker Mark Levinson® Premium Surround Sound System for the reproduction of perfect 7.1-channel surround sound on selected CDs and DVDs.
All systems are DAB ready, and also now offer both USB and audio jack plug connectivity for the fully controlled use of portable music players such as iPods, and Bluetooth® mobile phone connectivity with an audio streaming function. In addition, benefiting from the navigation system’s HDD hard drive, the audio systems also feature a ‘Sound Library’ facility, using Compact Disc Data Base technology to transfer and store music files up to a 10GB, 2000 song capacity.
The revised LS model range features a new, automatic high beam system. A camera sensor located on the rear view mirror detects oncoming traffic, street lamps and vehicles travelling ahead, and automatically switches the high beams on and off according to driving conditions.
Across the LS model range, the air conditioning system has also been adapted to run as efficiently as possible when ECO Drive Mode has been selected. When the outside air temperature is 20 degrees or higher, the interior air recirculation mode is automatically selected to reduce power consumption. Blower airflow when set to ‘High’ is reduced and the operation of the supplemental electrical heating system (PTcompact heater) stopped, both measures further minimising system power consumption. And fuel consumption has been reduced by cancelling system requests for engine speed increase when the vehicle is at idle.
The optional Rear Seat Entertainment system is now available for LS models equipped with the VIP 5 seat configuration. Both high resolution 9” VGA monitor and DVD player are housed in a bespoke unit built into the rear of the centre console. Operated by a revised, user-friendly remote control unit, the DVD player has been enhanced with improved sound quality and additional media compatibility via an adjacent VTR terminal and ACcompact connector. The system now supports 5.1 channel output, DVD and R/RW media, WMA data playback and Region 5 (Russia) formatted DVDs.

Mike_TX

Take the word "bespoke" from this writer's repertoire of terms and he'd be reduced almost to sign language.

.
.

OligarhNah

well, finally they've started to think about Russia as a serious market ))) Thanks God it's No1 in Europe already )) I like these mods! )

Mister Two

Thanks to the S-Class for this innovation. Any pics of the said LCD display?

EDIT:
nvm found it:
http://lexusenthusiast.com/2009/08/2...s-sz-revealed/

Al-Taweel

This sound really impressive!! I would love to see real life pictures of the 2010 LS460L( all i found was for the LS600HL)

Mister Two

Well this is the non-real-life pic of it. Imagine it in real life.

http://lexusenthusiast.com/2009/08/2...s-sz-revealed/

Vladi

LS 600h / 600hL UK PRESS RELEASE

The LS 600h, the full hybrid Lexus flagship, gains a range of technological and styling improvements for the 2010 model year, changes that have been unveiled for the first time at the Frankfurt motor show.

With redesigned seating, updated equipment, a new ECO driving mode and new brakes, the LS 600h and the long wheelbase LS 600h L achieve advances in comfort and driving dynamics.

Lexus Hybrid Drive system
The full hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive system that powers the LS 600h has a new ECO mode, which modifies the throttle action and performance of the air conditioning system to support fuel-efficient driving.

The relationship between movement of the accelerator pedal and system output is automatically controlled, reducing response to aggressive inputs to improve fuel economy and promote smoother driving. The load on the engine is also reduced under acceleration, which also helps improve fuel efficiency.

When the outside temperature is 20°C or higher, the air conditioning system automatically selects its air recirculation mode to reduce power consumption. The blower airflow is reduced when set to "high" and operation of the supplementary electrical heating system (the PTcompact heater) is stopped, further cutting the amount of power used. Also, the system will not signal for an increase in engine speed to boost power when the vehicle is at idle.

Repackaging of the full hybrid system's battery into two sections of six and 14 modules has reduced its overall size and freed up more luggage space in the boot.

Further development of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system has been revised to meet Euro V exhaust emissions standards, but with no change to the car's performance: the combination of the 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine and 165kW electric motor produces a maximum 439bhp and 520Nm of torque, giving nought to 62mph acceleration in 6.3 seconds. CO2 emissions are 219g/km and combined cycle fuel economy remains 30.4mpg (figures provisional prior to UK homologation).

New brakes
The LS 600h is newly equipped with larger, 380mm ventilated front disc brakes with six-piston callipers, rotors and pads developed jointly with specialist manufacturer Brembo. The pads are designed for quieter performance with less vibration and give fade-free high-speed stopping power.

Exterior styling
The revised model is distinguished visually by a new four-bar grille and front bumper with redesigned air intakes and foglamps. The headlamps have a new running light design and are finished in Lexus hybrid blue, giving the car a distinctive appearance befitting its flagship status.

In profile, the car has a new one-piece rocker moulding and new door mirrors that incorporate twin LED turn signals and puddle lamps, with chrome highlights.

Further new details include a lower bumper design with vertical fins to smooth the airflow from beneath the car. The range of exterior colours has been increased, with Mesa Red, Vanilla Mist, Richmond Green and Atlantic Blue newly available, together with the hybrid-exclusive Crystal Sapphire. The paint has a new Self-restoring Coat treatment that helps maintain a superb finish over the vehicle's lifetime.

Interior features
In the cabin the instrument binnacle has been revised to include a new full colour, TFT LCD display. A new meter design features a three-ring analogue dial with a central speedometer, a tachometer and coolant temperature gauge to the left, and a fuel gauge and hybrid system indicator to the right. A display

in the centre of the speedometer can be customised to display vehicle information, turn-by-turn navigation instructions and hybrid system status.

The upper air vents have been set apart from the instrumentation on the centre console, giving the dashboard a strong horizontal emphasis. The EMV multi-display touch screen has large switches and rearranged layout for the audio controls. The audio switch is now made of aluminium, adding to the premium feel and quality of the design.

The range of interior colour and trim combinations includes a new light grey semi-aniline leather upholstery.

New seating features
Both front seats are equipped with new, inflator operated active headrests. Activated by a signal from the airbag ECU in the event of a rear impact, the inflator slides a piston into the headrest, unlocking a mechanism that projects the headrest forwards and upwards, reducing the risk of whiplash injury.

The driver's seat also has a new return/away function. Linked to a similar function that moves the steering wheel, this automatically slides the seat back by up to 50mm when the driver unbuckles the seatbelt and turns the engine off. The seat returns to its selected driving position once the car is started again.

For the new model year the LS 600h is available with the Lexus Rear Seat Relaxation Pack for the first time in conjunction with a five-seat configuration.

The premium seat arrangement has a 40:20:40 design with an upper seatback reclining mechanism, fully retractable leg and footrest and lower back massage function, all operated using a remote controller. It also offers different levels of massage using an array of eight pneumatic chambers built into the seatback, and lumbar and shoulder areas.

The horizontal suspension position of the rear seat has been moved forwards 45mm to improve fit around the hips and the shape of the seat surface over the outer edges has been plumped up by around 10mm for better support.

The centre armrest has been redesigned too, fitted with a sliding lid and housing controls for the seats, earphone jack points and the remote control for the relaxation system. The seats have integral side airbags and the seat behind the front passenger in the Rear Seat Relaxation Pack has a seat cushion airbag to give the occupant extra restraint below the hips in the event of a collision.

Models fitted with the Rear Seat Relaxation Pack also offer an extra 40mm in the forward sliding range of the front passenger seat. Operated in conjunction with the retractable leg and foot rest, this allows the seat to be moved to its full front or return position using a switch in the rear centre armrest, or on the shoulder of the seat itself. When the front set is moved to its furthest forward position, its headrest is automatically retracted to give a clearer view from the rear.

Reducing the size of the rear air conditioning unit has increased boot capacity by approximately 35 litres.

New Lexus Navigation System
In common with its sister Lexus models, the LS 600h is adopting a new hard disc drive (HDD) navigation system with the 40GB capacity, giving Europe-wide coverage with traffic information data capture in each country.

The 19-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound System fitted as standard in the LS 600h gives 7.1-channel surround sound on selected CDs and DVDs. It is now DAB ready (DAB audio will be available as a centre-fitted accessory) and provides USB and audio jack plug connection for fully controlled use of portable music players, and Bluetooth with an audio streaming function.

It also provides a new "sound library" function, using the navigation system's HDD to transfer and store music files from CD up to 10GB capacity – the equivalent of about 2,000 music tracks.

Automatic high beam system
The revised LS 600h features a new, automatic high beam system. A camera sensor in the rear view mirror detects oncoming traffic, street lamps and vehicles travelling ahead and automatically switches the headlamp high beam on and off according to driving conditions.