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!

  • Redapple2 As stated above, gm now is not the GM of old. They say it themselves without realizing it. New logo: GM > gm. As much as I dislike my benefactor (gm spent ~ $200,000 on my BS and MS) I try to be fair, a smart business makes timely decisions based on the reality of the current (and future estimates) situation. The move is a good one.
  • Dave M. After an 19-month wait, I finally got my Lariat hybrid in January. It's everything I expected and more for my $35k. The interior is more than adequate for my needs, and I greatly enjoy all the safety features present, which I didn't have on my "old" car (2013 Outback). It's solidly built, and I'm averaging 45-50 mpgs on my 30 mile daily commute (35-75 mph); I took my first road trip last weekend and averaged 35 mpgs at 75-80 mph. Wishes? Memory seats, ventilated seats, and Homelink. Overall I'm very pleased and impressed. It's my first American branded car in my 45 years of buying new cars. Usually I'm a J-VIN kind of guy....
  • Shipwright off topic.I wonder if the truck in the picture has a skid plate to protect the battery because, judging by the scuff mark in the rock immediately behind the truck, it may dented.
  • EBFlex This doesn’t bode well for the real Mustang. When you start slapping meaningless sticker packages it usually means it’s not going to be around long.
  • Rochester I recently test drove the Maverick and can confirm your pros & cons list. Spot on.
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