Tokyo Motor Show 2015: The Full-size Lexus LS-FC Is A Helluva Boat For A Flagship

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

Lexus took the wraps off its LS Concept in Tokyo on Tuesday to showcase the automaker’s big plans for its flagship sedan.

The car — which is about as long as a 1995 Cadillac DeVille Concours — boasts a hydrogen power plant to drive all of its wheels, an “advanced human interface” to recognize hand gestures, and a spindle grille the size of Rhode Island.

The concept shows the direction Lexus designers may take for its future full-size sedan, including floating L-shaped lights in front and back.

According to the automaker, many of the car’s styling cues could make it into the production version of the LS, which is slated to arrive sooner rather than later to catch up with competitors such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, who’ve all introduced new versions of their full-size sedans within the last four years.

“Lexus wants to surprise and evoke emotion with its distinctive design and forward-thinking technology. For us, it is more than just a car, and we should exceed conventional imagination. The LF-FC expresses our progressive luxury and high-tech vision of a not so distant future,” Tokuo Fukuichi, Lexus International President, said in a statement.

In its concept, Lexus’ sedan exhibits more coupe-like proportions than the automaker has shown. The gently sloping windshield and long hood aren’t reciprocated in the rear quarter (which borrows a lot from the IS, I say).

Although the hydrogen powertrain and massive tail lights may not make it into a future sedan, it’s likely that interior details and the Lexus LS-FC’s overall shape could survive into the production model.







Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Nov 02, 2015

    Herringbone wood trim, like an old Victorian house! Other than that, I'd leave the rest. Too close to the Mirai.

  • WildcatMatt WildcatMatt on Nov 13, 2015

    There's a 1959 Invicta calling, it wants its grille back. DO NOT ANGER THE '59 BUICK!

  • Namesakeone If I were the parent of a teenage daughter, I would want her in an H1 Hummer. It would be big enough to protect her in a crash, too big for her to afford the fuel (and thus keep her home), big enough to intimidate her in a parallel-parking situation (and thus keep her home), and the transmission tunnel would prevent backseat sex.If I were the parent of a teenage son, I would want him to have, for his first wheeled transportation...a ride-on lawnmower. For obvious reasons.
  • ToolGuy If I were a teen under the tutelage of one of the B&B, I think it would make perfect sense to jump straight into one of those "forever cars"... see then I could drive it forever and not have to worry about ever replacing it. This plan seems flawless, doesn't it?
  • Rover Sig A short cab pickup truck, F150 or C/K-1500 or Ram, preferably a 6 cyl. These have no room for more than one or two passengers (USAA stats show biggest factor in teenage accidents is a vehicle full of kids) and no back seat (common sense tells you what back seats are used for). In a full-size pickup truck, the inevitable teenage accident is more survivable. Second choice would be an old full-size car, but these have all but disappeared from the used car lots. The "cute small car" is a death trap.
  • W Conrad Sure every technology has some environmental impact, but those stuck in fossil fuel land are just not seeing the future of EV's makes sense. Rather than making EV's even better, these automakers are sticking with what they know. It will mean their end.
  • Add Lightness A simple to fix, strong, 3 pedal car that has been tenderized on every corner.
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