Lexus teases new LS flagship

Lexus has released a teaser image of its fifth-generation LS limousine, confirming it will make its global premiere at the Detroit motor show in January and that it will borrow heavily from the company's futuristic LF-FC fuel cell concept revealed at last year's Tokyo show.

In fact, it's clear to see from this semi-transparent shot that the design of the Japanese luxury brand's new flagship sedan will be toned down only slightly from the coupe-like LF-FC, which featured the same muscular front-end and haunches but different lower side air intakes.

The new LS is now also confirmed to not only wear a massive 'spindle' grille similar to that on the upcoming LC sports flagship, but also an extended version of the big coupe's new global premium rear-wheel drive platform dubbed GA-L.

Lexus says that will spell "a more dynamic experience on the road" and a spacious cabin crammed with "luxurious appointments and visionary technology [that] will provide drivers with the luxury experience they expect from a global flagship sedan".

Technical details remain thin on the ground, but it should also mean Toyota Motor Corporation's answer to the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class, new BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 – which will also be renewed next year -- shares its V8 petrol and V6 hybrid powertrains with the LC500 and LC 500h respectively.

So expect a circa-350kW 5.0-litre V8 matched with a 10-speed auto, and a 264kW Multi-Stage petrol-electric system incorporating a 220kW 3.5-litre Atkinson-cycle V6 and electric motor driving through a four-speed auto.

Of course, Lexus is keen to point out the heritage of its LS line, which made the established European luxury brands stand up and take notice in 1989, when the original LS 400 debuted at that year's Detroit show and helped Lexus become a mainstream luxury brand in the US, where it's represented by 236 dealers.

Almost three decades later, the new LS – which will be sold in 90 countries globally, including Australia from later next year -- promises to again keep the Germans honest with impeccable build quality, quietness, luxury, technology and value.