aypues

Looking forward to see what they come up with. Disappointed they aren't making it to compete more with the S-Class though. That's like the only true luxury ride left besides the LS. These other ones are sport/luxury which is what I specifically DONT want in a big luxury yacht.

bostonsnow

There's always the new Genesis.....the new model that is taking over from the previous Equus.
maybe Genesis/Hyundai are smart, they realize there is a void now in the luxury yacht class.

The separate move of Genesis away from Hyundai is savvy too

aypues

I love that...the "luxury yacht class". I'm stealing it!
You may be right...they are seeing a void in the traditional market now where the G90 can get some sales and compete with the LS/S-Class.

SW17LS

I've driven the new 7, absent the sport packages I wouldn't call it sporty at all. Has a very nice well damped, floaty comfortable ride.

dlbuckls10

We can only speculate about the next generation LS because Lexus is keeping it top secret. We can only assume.

jainla

Yeah turns out not so much. From our friends at Lexus Enthusiast:










It looks huge to me; which tells me that it's going to be similar in size to the current car. Note the A8 and BMW they're testing it with; as well as the current car. No S class in sight; which means they are chasing the handling champions at the top of the heap.

Not really a fan of the Mulsanne-style C pillar (I'm guessing something is hiding under the camo) but all in all looks similar to but yet more GS like than the current car.

I'll be curious to see if they drop the SWB car; it sells well here and allows them to enter the segment at a slightly lower price, but everybody else has dropped it so we'll see. I'd guess a January Detroit reveal and mid-17 on sale date for an early '18 model.

Bear in mind most of these cars probably aren't fabulously profitable for their manufacturers; but it's more of a halo car for the brand and an opportunity to introduce and perfect new tech before it goes mass market. BMW and MB make much much more in the aggregate on the 3 series and E class because of the enormous volumes they sell in. I don't know how / if Audi makes money on the A8; I think the Bentley Continental sells in similar numbers at a much higher price point.

At the end of the day Lexus' bread and butter in the US is their SUV lineup; and MB, Audi and BMW are following. Even Jaguar has an SUV; which portends further splintering at the $100k level of car.

Historically the new LS comes in about $10k more than the current car, so I would guess an $80k start for a SWB (if they sell it) and maybe 85-90 for LWB. Which puts them at about $100k+ after typical options but still under the competition; which i think they will retain because value has always been part of the brand ethos. I would guess $150k+ for the FC model which will become the new flagship (I'm still hoping for the return of the 600h but less confident). And then an LS-F which looks increasingly likely.

Still it's nice to see Lexus keeping the flame alive. I'm very curious to see what's under all that plastic wrap.