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Lexus planning a hydrogen fuel-cell LS by 2017

Toyota's Fuel Cell System will certainly migrate to other vehicles in the carmaker's lineup, but Australian car site Motoring reports that one of the models at the head of the queue is the Lexus LS. According to its sources, the executive barge powered by hydrogen will be released by 2017 and take the top spot in the range, rolling in above the LS Hybrid. We're told that Toyota engineers will find a way to slide two hydrogen tanks into its bodywork with the same general setup as on the Mirai – one under the rear seats and another under the rear parcel shelf. The 150-kW fuel cell stack will be placed under the front seats. Motoring says the resulting sedan and its 220-kW electric motor would come in "at around 2,100 kg," which is 4,620 pounds; that's a ginormous 539 pounds less than the listed curb weight of the current LS Hybrid, and 387 pounds more than the standard LS. Assuming all goes as planned, it would have a range of roughly 238 miles, a few dozens less than the Mirai's range of about 300 miles. It would look slightly different, too, the front end getting larger intakes to cool the power unit. It wouldn't surprise us if Lexus does have a hydrogen LS planned – it would be a statement car, and the company likes making statements, even if few heed them; it has stuck with its LS 600h for the past seven years, yet of the 7,539 LS models sold through the end of November this year, only 61 of them were hybrids. The timing would be intriguing, however; by the time the LS hybrid came out, Lexus had already worked over its filet-and-potatoes models. And if the hydrogen version is going to come in above the $120,440 hybrid, well, that will be a statement indeed.

Lexus F performance SUV could be in the works

Amid the wave of SUVs and crossovers that has crashed down on the industry, several high-performance sporting SUVs have washed up and started to fill a separate growing niche. It's an idea that Lexus is contemplating, according to a new report, with a possible F-branded utility vehicle focusing on either on- or off-road specialties. At the Rolex 24 in Daytona, Florida, Motor1 learned that incorporating a crossover or SUV into Lexus' F performance division has been under "active discussion." That doesn't necessarily mean a hotted-up utility vehicle, however. According to the report, F could translate to a different type of performance on the SUV, specifically for off-road capabilities. Using the F badge in this way would be a huge departure from what it has meant during the brand's 10-year history. Lexus currently offers the sport-focused RC F and the GS F, with an LC F expected soon. Should Lexus decide to lean further into the sport performance methodology with its utility vehicles, the newly released UX and the NX would likely be the top candidates. That said, Lexus does have two highly competent off-road vehicles in the Lexus GX and LX. Plus, Toyota, Lexus' parent brand, has been producing some of the best off-road vehicles on the market for years. As of now, this is just talk, but the way SUV and crossover sales have been going, we'd expect an F-branded Lexus SUV in the near future. Which kind of enthusiast it's for remains to be seen. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Next Lexus LX 600 and LX 750h specs reportedly leaked

Specs for the next Lexus LX appear to have been leaked to a Japanese blog. The flagship luxury SUV will reportedly come in two flavors, and offer greater differentiation from its Land Cruiser cousin than ever before. One of those variants is, for the first time, a hybrid version. The Japanese site Creative Trend reported on the 300-series Land Cruiser specs before most, and aside from some small discrepancies in horsepower and torque numbers, was surprisingly accurate. They even called the existence of a GR Sport performance trim level. Now, they've turned their focus to the LX. As translated by Lexus Enthusiast, the entry spec will be called the LX 600, and will likely feature the Land Cruiser's 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. That should be good for an identical 415 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. Creative Trend adds that in the Middle East, the entry model will be called LX 500d, implying it'll be equipped with the Land Cruiser's turbodiesel 3.3-liter V6 generating 309 horses and 516 lb-ft.  The flagship model, however, is said to be the LX 750h, which adds a hybrid-electric system to the 3.5-liter petrol V6. Together, they'd make a potent 480 horsepower and 642 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain is not available on the Land Cruiser. In addition, the LX will have a more luxurious and high-tech interior, with a rumored version of the new Lexus Interface that appeared on the new Lexus NX. However, whereas the NX sports a 14-inch version of the screen, the LX will reportedly receive a 17-inch version. Incidentally, it seems the LX may have already been seen in the NX's reveal video, albeit under a white cloth. Additionally, we have it on good authority from friends in Japanese media that both the Land Cruiser and Lexus LX will, in Japan, feature a fingerprint recognition system on the engine start button. The off-roaders routinely top the stolen vehicles list in Japan, with about 5 out of every 100 registered vehicles stolen every year and rates increasing. Most of them end up being shipped overseas where Land Cruisers and Lexus LXes are seen as tough status symbols. Lastly, the report says Lexus Japan will start accepting pre-orders in September, with the LX itself debuting in December. While we are sadly not privy to the new Land Cruiser, it's likely the Lexus LX will arrive stateside. Whether these specs carry over remains to be seen. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.