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Lexus rolling out LC 500h with new hybrid system in Geneva

When Lexus revealed the new LC 500 at the Detroit Auto Show last month, we knew it wouldn't be the only powertrain variant on offer. Now the Japanese automaker is teasing another version that will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Toyota's luxury division hasn't given up much in the way of details as to what will power the new LC 500h, except to label the powertrain as the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System. The technology is slated to deliver "enhanced driving pleasure, more performance, and greater efficiency" over the current Lexus Hybrid Drive system. Whatever the specifications, expect the system to proliferate into additional Lexus hybrids to come. Otherwise we can expect the LC 500h to closely mirror the conventional LC 500. The sleek coupe design closely followed that of the LF-LC concept from 2012, and took top honors in the EyesOn Design Awards this year as the most beautiful new production car, and with the best interior as well. Alongside the hybrid coupe at the Geneva Motor Show, Lexus will also showcase the LF-FC concept that previewed the next LS sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show this past November with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Related Video: Lexus at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show - World Premiere of the LC 500h luxury coupe with next-generation Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System - European Premiere of the LF-FC concept Lexus will unveil the hybrid version of its all-new LC luxury coupe at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The LC 500h is equipped with Lexus' next generation hybrid powertrain, the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System, providing enhanced driving pleasure, more performance, and greater efficiency. The LC was first revealed at the 2016 North America International Auto Show. Its styling, performance and craftsmanship position the vehicle as Lexus' flagship coupe. The LC also utilizes Lexus' new architecture that promises enhanced dynamic capability. Inspired by the acclaimed LF-LC concept that debuted in 2012, the LC represents a shift in Lexus' engineering processes and design ideologies, and marks the beginning of a new phase for the Lexus brand. Its outstanding visual appeal has been unanimously praised following the Detroit reveal, and recognized by professionals who granted LC EyesOn Design awards for Production Car and Best Designed Interior at the 2016 NAIAS. Lexus will also display the LF-FC concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.

2020 Lexus LS 500h Drivers' Notes Review | Be it blue or red, it's excellent

This is not your grandmother's gold Lexus LS. It's not your other grandmother's hybrid, either. The 2020 Lexus LS 500h represents the biggest step forward in terms of driving dynamics, style and pure luxury for a model line that has largely been known for dependability and craftsmanship. It should satisfy those elements too, but now, there's a lot more to tickle the right side of the brain.  We got a chance to sample two different LS 500h versions: one blue, one red; one with a $12,250 Luxury back seat package, one without; one in Oregon and one in Michigan. The blue car hit the register with a sticker of $107,355, including enhanced accident avoidance tech, an adaptive air suspension, 20-inch wheels, a massive head-up display, a 23-speaker Mark Levinson system, and a few trim upgrades. The red car was similarly equipped apart from optional 19's and swapping a $3,730 Interior Upgrade package that basically has the same front seat and trim upgrades as the $12,250 Luxury package, but leaves the back seat be. Both provided far more equipment for the money than the German competitors would.  lexus-ls500h-red-1 View 4 Photos Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I already miss the Matador Red LS 500h we had in Michigan. I had it for a full week and genuinely enjoyed it. It's a hybrid, and a really good one, providing efficiency when you want it and plenty of power when you need it. I found all the modes genuinely useful. Normal is well balanced. I used Eco when I was stuck in traffic to safe fuel. The Comfort mode helped keep my carsickness-prone wife happy when we ran around town together. Sport is very satisfying, but not so hardcore to make it a niche use case. Sport+ is the best way to enjoy the lovely song of the 3.5-liter V6, but still wasn't so extreme to relegate it to the briefest moments of passionate driving. Once I got used to the placement of the mode selector — on the right of the instrument cluster housing, which helps keep your eyes forward — I made good use of it. The LS hybrid has that trick transmission — a magical union of CVT and four-speed automatic — as part of the Multi-Stage Hybrid System that won our Tech of the Year award as tested in the Lexus LC 500h back in 2018. It's a sweet complement to the soulful V6 underhood, and provides a nice experience when left to its own devices or when using the paddle shifters to switch among 10 effective gear ratios. It works quickly, smoothly, and efficiently all at once.

Here We Go Again: Lexus attacks EVs in new ad [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We got a comment from founding member of Plug In America Paul Scott on this ad. It's available below. The last time Lexus attacked plug-in battery vehicles in an ad, it had to apologize. The company is remaining on message, though, and has revisited a hybrid-vehicle advertising campaign that implies that driving a battery-electric vehicle is a big waste of time, because of all the charging you need to do. With the new spot, Lexus once again raised hackles of plug-in vehicle advocates because, once again, the accuracy is questioned. "The ad's message was that a consumer could [drive] a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." – Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain Lexus is running print ads (click to enlarge) in publications like Wired poking fun at EVs, the International Business Times says. Lexus highlights range anxiety in the spot, comparing the amount of time it takes to fully recharge an EV – and the idea that air conditioning and using the radio can shorten an EV's range – to the fun of just driving a Lexus. "The [print] ad was merely intended to paint a picture of life with a hybrid, which is basically no different from life with a traditional gas-powered vehicle, versus life with an EV, which can have challenges or at least uncertainties," Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain told AutoblogGreen. "In other words, at its core, the ad's message was that a consumer could participate in driving a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." The campaign picks up where Lexus's previous anti-EV campaign left off this spring. A website promoting Lexus's hybrids (and parent company Toyota's H2 vehicles) claimed that there was a hydrogen refueling infrastructure set up in 20 US states (not anywhere close to true). Plug-in advocates were also quick to note that higher-powered EV recharging systems can allow a plug-in to be recharged in far less than the four hours the Lexus site claimed. Of course, Toyota has a lot more skin in the game when it comes to hybrids and, starting next year, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles than it does for plug-ins. Through August, the company sold just 842 RAV4 EVs and about 11,500 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids in the US. That compares to almost 19,000 Nissan Leaf EVs and a Tesla Model S count that's likely close to that figure as well (Tesla breaks out neither monthly sales numbers nor US-only sales for the Model S).