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| The Lexus LS is officially classified as a full-size luxury sedan and indeed is known as the mainstay of the Lexus fleet. It's considered the flagship product of Lexus and ever since its first year in 1990 it has held that position. Through four generations of excellent craftsmanship and competitive market presence, it has remained the flagship product of Lexus and nowadays if people want to purchase the Lexus LS they can do so at any major Lexus or independent car dealership; it's become a car that has implanted itself into popular culture. In fact, one amazing statistic released recently has shown unequivocally that every single Lexus LS design ever released into the US market has become the best-selling model of its class; certainly a testament as to how popular this particular Lexus vehicle line has become. Lexus LS 400 In January of 1989, the North American International Auto Show was introduced to two models of Lexus vehicles, one of them being the Lexus LS 400. This was designed to be in direct competition with other flagship products from domestic manufacturers like Lincoln and Cadillac and foreign vehicles like BMW and Mercedes - and that is perhaps why Toyota put so much into this; much more than they did for other first generation designs. It had a cabin capable of seating five people comfortably and also had a very luxurious interior that had optional upgrades on all available interior functions at that particular time. The LS400 quickly became known for it's extremely quiet and smooth ride. Lest we forget, this has been one of the most (if not THE most) reliable luxury car ever made. The market was certainly receptive to the LS 400 and it peaked at selling 42,000 units in a single year and with a price of $35,000 (below market average for a car of this kind) and a very competitive set of features, the Lexus LS 400 shot to the top of the sales column for luxury cars in the United States. In 1993, the LS 400 was revamped as per requests from customers and dealers for additional features to be added to the car. Things like larger rotors for brakes and air conditioning units that were CFC-free were added during this time and the price of the vehicle shot up to $50,000. This unit remained in construction and in popular demand in the marketplace until its eventual mothballing in 1994. Lexus LS 400 Revisited By 1995, the need for a new flagship car was clearly evident and therefore Toyota made some major changes to the Lexus LS 400 and re-introduced it into the marketplace as the second generation of Lexus LS vehicles. One of the most notable changes between the first and second generation LS 400 was the increasing of the wheel-base - which allowed for more rear-seat legroom; such a move had been hinted at in the minor changes made to the first generation vehicle in 1993, but had not been implemented fully until the introduction of the second generation vehicle in 1995. The introduction of an upgraded 4.0 litre V8 engine also ended up giving the second generation vehicle more power and the use of new materials and a more efficient design served to make it lighter and therefore more fuel efficient than the first generation LS 400. The Lexus LS 400 continued the success of the first generation model and in 1998 when they decided to upgrade the second generation model by introducing a new 290 HP engine and make minor changes to the front and rear fascia, sales continued to flow along smoothly primarily because of the fact that the $52,000 price of the unit still gave it a massive price advantage over flagship cars from other manufacturers. This advantage continued until the turn of the century when production was halted on the second generation of Lexus LS vehicles. Lexus LS 430 The third generation of Lexus LS vehicles saw the increase in engine power from a 4.0 liter engine to a 4.3 liter engine and therefore a subsequent change in coding to the LS 430. In addition to the changes in engine displacement, the other big change was to the actual design of the car. Across the board in car manufacturing, a move had been made to more aerodynamic designs (and not that the LS 400 wasn't the most quiet vehicle already, the aerodynamic design made for even less wind noise - if that's even possible); designs that also happened to look better than the rigidly rectangular design a car tended to have before the move was made. The LS 430 was completely re-designed from a style look on the outside and had a number of convenience features such as an LCD screen on the dashboard on the inside. In the first year that the LS 430 was sold within the United States, it topped 30,000 in sales and once again placed number one in the prestige class of vehicles. This success was primarily due once again to the lower price that the LS 430 was sold at and even the ultra-luxury version of the vehicle was cheaper than the typical prestige vehicles being offered by European and American companies. The car did so well in fact that Lexus felt comfortable refitting it with a couple of changes in 2004; changes such as stylistic upgrades as well as functional upgrades to the lights and wheels. The LS 430 remained the face of the Lexus brand until 2005, when it was replaced by the LS460. Lexus LS 460, Lexus 460L and Lexus LS 600H The current face of the organization for Lexus is the Lexus LS 460 but at the same time it is also becoming the Lexus 600h. The Lexus LS 460 was introduced, like all other LS models, at the North American International Auto Show. This happened in 2006 and the model officially went into production in 2007. The upgrade to the 4.6 litre engine also allowed a gigantic upgrade in engine power and the 380 HP that this car is able to produce is something that many customers have commented on in a positive light. The LS460L is the LWB (long wheel base) version and has extra features - such as rear seat massage and ottoman. However, the LS460L only seats four as opposed to five in the SWB (short wheel base) model. Another positive point of comment is the Lexus LS 600h; one of the first hybrid cars to ever be constructed and certainly the first hybrid prestige car to be offered to the public. Many famous celebrities within the United States drive this car and have had very few complaints about it. The hybridization of the engine and its success have prompted Toyota to put more research and development money into this vein of research and many expect that the future of car design at Toyota will hover around alternative forms of propulsion; something that Toyota and in particular Lexus is poised to be a world leader in. |
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