If reports are to be believed, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the Indian subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation will bring in luxury brand Lexus in the month of August this year. There have been several reports regarding the same in the past, although none of them turned out to be true.
The report further suggests that for the time being, the luxury brand will be bringing its hybrid cars to India to start with. According to the company, they already have a successful hybrid of theirs selling in the market, in the form of the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Government currently gives incentives to people by offering a discount of Rs. 1.3 lakhs for hybrid cars and this factor will help reduce the price of the car to an extent. Lexus would bring in models such as the RX compact SUV, apart from the GS 450h and LS600h sedans.
Lexus RX 450h:
The RX 450h is a compact SUV from the luxury subsidiary of Toyota and is powered by a 3.5 litre V6 engine coupled to an electric motor that produces a peak power output of 308 hp while the maximum toque stands at 362 Nm. This engine sends power to the front wheels with the help of a ECVT automatic transmission. Naught to 100 takes this vehicle 7.7 seconds while the top speed stands at 180 kmph. Coming to the dimensions, the RS 450h measures 4890 mm in length, 1895 mm in width, 1720 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2789 mm. Safety features include a 10 airbag setup, dynamic radar cruise control, pre collision system with pedestrian detection, intuitive parking assist, rear parking camera, lane keep assist and vehicle stability control.
Lexus GS 450h:
The GS 450h is a sedan from Lexus and is powered by a 3.5 litre V6 engine coupled to an electric motor that produces a peak power output of 338 hp and a maximum torque of 420 Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels by an ECVT gearbox. The car sprints from 0-100 in 5.6 seconds while the top speed stands at 220 kmph. Dimension wise, the GS 450h measures 4880 mm in length, 1839 mm in width, 1455 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2850 mm. On the safety front, the sedan gets features such as pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise control, lane keep assist and lane departure alert with steering assist.
Lexus LS 600h:
The LS 600h is a sedan from the Japanese manufacturer and is powered by a 5.0 litre V8 engine coupled to an electric motor that produces a peak power output of 438 hp while the peak torque stands at 522 Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels with the help of a ECVT automatic transmission. The car goes from 0-100 in 5.5 seconds while the top speed stands at 210 kmph. Speaking about the dimensions, the LS 600h measures 5207 mm in length, 1875 mm in width, 1480 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 3091 mm. 0-100 takes 5.5 seconds while the top speed stands at 210 kmph. Safety features on the LS 600h include driver attention monitor, lane keep assist, pre-collision system with dynamic radar cruise control, etc.
The Lexus models will compete with other luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Jaguar-Land Rover but might come with a significantly higher price tag as they are imported as a CBU while its rivals are assembled locally. Toyota had made plans to bring in the luxury brand earlier as well but had to put it off since there was a slump in the automobile sector. We expect to see the luxury brand come to Indian shores soon with their hybrid offerings.
What are your views on Lexus coming to India? Do you think they will make it here this time? Let us know your views through the comments section below.