V10 under consideration for Lexus GS-F
Next generation sports sedan could adopt supercar engine, or hybrid powerLexus is considering adopting the V10 engine from its LF-A supercar (pictured) to create its first mid-size sports sedan. And, following customer feedback, the conservative Japanese maker may also introduce the dramatic blacked out grille of the show-car on a mid-life update.
“We are planning the next generation F model ... we do have some plans, but we cannot tell you detail right now,” the chief engineer of the new generation Lexus GS, Yoshihiko Kanamori, told Australian media at the unveiling of the GS350 in Pebble Beach on the California Coast overnight.
When asked if the V10 from the LF-A supercar would be suitable – given that it has relatively low torque output of 480Nm and the GS sedan is 150kg heavier than the sports car, Kanamori, speaking through his product planning colleague, Yohei Saiki, said: “Of course we cannot adopt the V10 as it is for the LFA. If we decided we should adopt the V10, we can modify.”
He also said petrol-electric hybrid power “should be one option”.
“Our biggest weapon is hybrid,” Kanamori said, given that Lexus was a pioneer of the technology in the luxury sedan segment.
Kanamori also confirmed that the V8 was dead, for now.
“We have no plan now [to re-introduce a V8], it depends on market conditions,” he said, adding that the next generation hybrid has better driving performance than the current V8.
When asked if the menacing, black ‘shockwave’ grille that helped the GS concept car win design awards would appear on future models, Kanamori said: “We should evolve [the design], yes.”
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