Lexus GS 2006 News

Picture this. You're driving along the motorway. The Lexus you are travelling in purrs, whisper quiet. It looks good, too, good enough to draw admiring glances. Up ahead the storm clouds gather and it is not long before the first drops of rain spot the windscreen. The wipers come on automatically. The kilometres rush by and as darkness begins to fall, the car's xenon lights flick on automatically, dipping briefly before coming to rest. There's still a long way to go, but not wanting to get a speeding ticket, you wisely decide to engage cruise control. A digital readout tells you the car's speed is locked to 110km/h and that's where it will stay, unless you are forced to brake for a slow moving vehicle. You have programmed your destination into the car's on-board satellite navigation system, so there's no need to worry about when to turn off or, for that matter, finding the street the 'satnav' will tell you. Ahead a car decides it has had enough of life in the slow lane and suddenly moves out into the lane ahead. Before you have time to react the car does it for you, slowing to match the speed of the vehicle ahead. A couple of minutes later the vehicle returns to the left hand lane and your car's speed climbs automatically back to 110km/h. It's called active cruise control and it is made possible by the in-built radar that scans the road ahead and reacts if any objects move into its path. To while away the hours you turn on the 5.1 Mark Levinson sound system. It's got 14" speakers and sounds better than the hi-fi set up in the lounge room at home. Although the “rels” live almost 800km away, you will probably make it on one tank of fuel. That's because this car is an energy-efficient hybrid and runs on a combination of petrol and electricity, storing the energy normally lost during braking. But it's not like any hybrid that you have driven before, because this car really gets up and goes, with a combined output of 254kW. The drive train consists of a 3.5-litre V6 and a 650-volt electric motor. The latter produces 147kW alone. Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a state-of-the-art continuously variable automatic transmission that doubles as a six-speed manual. The dash from 0-100km/h takes 5.9 seconds and it uses just 7.9 litres/100km. If your route takes you over dirt roads, you can switch from sport to comfort setting using the electronically modulated suspension system. In the unlikely event of an accident, the car is fitted with pre-collision lock down system along with 10 airbags. Parking is a snack too, with front and rear distance sensors and a rear view camera. It doesn't get much better than the Lexus GS450h. It's a wonder the car isn't able to park itself. But then Lexus's flagship LS 600hL can lay claim to that feat. The GS450h is priced from $124,900 and Lexus has just released an updated model.

Ten years.The average life expectancy of a Hybrid car. The average number of years it would take to break even in fuel savings after investing in a premium diesel engine.And the average number of years that some industry experts expect the current crop of petrol engines with manual transmissions to last before emissions standards render them useless.A sobering statistic, yes, but for years manufacturers have been working around the problem of emissions, pollutants, and waste to produce not only a cleaner, eco-friendly car, but one that does not compromise on performance, luxury or price.Though you would not know that this was the future of motoring from the empty green stands at this year’s show.The place to show off the future tech is, as always, the motor show stand, and this year saw an absence of previous shows’ futuristic displays of alternative fuels.However, there were some exciting models that are not simply concept, but close to, or in, production.Saab brought out its BioPower models, which are specifically designed to run up to 90 per cent ethanol - though the car can run on petrol if an ethanol pump cannot be found.Saab claims the use of ethanol as an environmentally friendly renewable fuel source with low emissions. And the green goodness produced by the crops such as sugar cane from which ethanol is produced can statistically counteract the resulting emissions from both the manufacturing process and the cars that use the fuel.Ethanol’s premium over petrol at the bowser is also supposedly negligible.While BioPower production cars were on display, the show is stolen by the Aero X concept that floored the floor at Geneva.Running a 2.8-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 engine and with a jet-fighter inspired design and cutaway cockpit (even the wheels look like propellors), the 100 per cent ethanol green machine claims no carbon emmissions while producing a supposed 4.9 second 0-100km/h sprint time (it is yet to be taken to a drag strip for official performance testing). Ethanol and performance?Theoretically, no problem…But the biggest selling production alternative is still the petrol-electric hybrid.Honda’s Civic Hybrid and Toyota’s Prius models have the market almost exclusively to themselves, but the luxury genre has entered the greenhouse with Lexus.Toyota has lent its technology to sister company Lexus this year with the GS450h, and more recently, the big RX400h SUV which sits atop the Lexus stand.This uses the combination of front and rear electric motors with a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine to power the car.When accelerating, the systems work together to give the car a combined 200kW, and capturing the energy usually wasted during deceleration and braking to recharge the electric motor. So no cords or power points necessary.There is a catch - the estimated life of the battery in this type of hybrid is estimated at ten years.As no hybrid has been around that long (the Prius first hit the market in 1997), and Toyota has never replaced a hybrid’s battery as yet, we will have to wait until 2007to see whether we have power, Y2K, or the start of expensive battery replacements.And it will be in 2007that we slap eyes on Lexus’ (and the worlds’) first hybrid V8; the AWD LS600hL limo version of the petrol LS460 seen at this year’s show.Not to be outdone, BMW is scheduling a hydrogen duel-fuel V8 for 2008, which combines the company’s stalwart 4.4-litre petrol engine with liquid hydrogen fuel cells.It is being kept under wraps for the moment, and the fact that hydrogen would cost over $4 a litre here does not make for a clean start in Oz.But while some of this cool tech was never going to make it to Sydney, the anticipated concept-come-production-car, the Peugeot 307CC Hybride diesel, was due to be revealed – and wasn’t. Reliable technology? Hmmm.The 307CC Hybride is a cool concept. The combination of a diesel engine with an electric motor in the cool convertible produces a teeny fuel consumption figure of just 3.7L/100km.Unfortunately, like so many of the fantastic fuel alternative ideas and ideals, the tech is too expensive at present to make a production car viable, and its release is scheduled for 2010.Not to mention the fact that it missed the plane to Sydney from the Paris show, and we had to settle for the new 207 and a half-naked woman on the stand instead (yes, we are mentioning her again – but that particular model was a literal show-stopper).One thing is for sure: environmental concerns are weighing heavy on all car maker's strategic decisions for new models. But at this stage most are still not revealing their long term plans to deal with emissions and fuel efficiency.Who knows what kind of alternative fuels and cars will be on the market in ten years time? And will the old Prius be running, or running out of battery?Either way, it won’t be long before we are all driving with a smug, earth-saving smile of some sort on our faces.Hopefully, the future of green motoring will be cars like the Aero X…

One of the headline acts will be the French star of recent independent crash tests - the Citroen C6 - which has been acclaimed as the safest car yet tested by the New Car Assessment program.The C6, set to go on sale in Australia by the middle of the year, is the fi rst car to earn the maximum four stars from Euro NCAP for its pedestrian safety rating, as well as a maximum fi ve stars for occupant protection.It's also won an award as the world's most beautiful large sedan.The C6 is offering two V6 engines - a 2.7-litre 150kW turbo diesel or a three-litre 155kW petrol engine; both drive the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.Alfa Romeo's 156 range brought the Italian brand back to the fore in Australia with fl air and passion. It's replacement, the 159, continues in that tradition. It will offer more modern drivetrains - and even a V6 with Australian roots - when it hits the market mid year.Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre, the new car will come in both front and all-wheel drive versions, with the Q4 permanent four-wheel drive system using three diffs to split drive.The Alfa Romeo 159 is the first of a whole family of new Alfas due over the next two years, including the Brera.Lexus will be the fi rst car maker to offer a luxury hybrid model, with its GS petrol-electric hybrid offering plenty of performance with the thirst and emissions of a two-litre.The Toyota-owned luxury brand also has a hybrid version of the RX SUV but the company's stand in Adelaide will feature the RX350 - which sees the looks get a nip and tuck, with a new more-powerful and more fuel-effi cient engine beneath its sculpted snout.When Volkswagen went back to the factoryowned subsidiary, they announced high hopes of surpassing 20,000 units by now. They haven't got there yet but with more than 15,000 sales last year the German car maker is on the right track.The prestige segment will see the Passat return with a vengeance this year, with direct-injection two-litre petrol and turbo-diesel engines, or a V6 petrol engine, on offer in either sedan or wagon body style.The sales have had a boost from the new Golf and the newly-introduced (and keenly-priced) Jetta, giving the German car maker plenty of ammunition to work with.Peugeot will give Adelaide show-goers a look at its new 407 Coupe, a sleek, powerful and attractive 2+2 that will be offered in petrol and diesel models on sale in Australia as the show opens.The coupe will be offered with a three-litre 155kW/290Nm V6 petrol engine with either a sixspeed manual gearbox or new six-speed automatic transmission for $65,990 and $68,190 respectively.The sleek Pug will also be offered with a 2.7-litre V6 HDi twin-turbo diesel offering 150Kw and 440Nm with a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard. It will be priced at $72,500.Porsche chose to introduce the Australian motoring media to the Cayman S in the countryside surrounding Adelaide and its fi tting the German brand returns to the motor show this year with the same model.The Cayman S is more than a Boxster with a roof, sharing inlet systems and some other nice bits with the 911.The bulk of the DNA traces back to the midengined Boxster, which gives the two-seater Cayman the same basic powerplant - although slightly larger - plus the superb road manners and balance that has made the convertible a popular option among Porsche buyers.Chrysler has returned to the Australian market with plenty of enthusiasm and some interesting product, the latest and most powerful example of that statement being the 300C sedan.Soon to be followed by diesel and wagon variants, the V8 300C has serious visual impact and packs plenty of equipment to take on the big locally-built luxury sedans.The Chrysler has the added attraction of displacement on demand, which drops fourcylinders from use to save fuel when light throttle loads are required.

More than 25,000 admirers, tyre kickers and buyers packed the Convention Centre at South Bank on the second day of the show last Saturday, smashing all previous records.The 8000 increase on the previous single-day best crowd was helped by the official season launch of the V8 Supercar championship which featured all the stars and cars of the Holden versus Ford series in nearby Little Stanley St.While most come to dream there are those who use the opportunity to compare notes between rival brands at close range and under the one roof.With fuel prices remaining high, the cost of running a vehicle remains a key buying consideration among many buyers.For those wanting to stretch their dollar further at the pump there are fresh injections of turbo diesel variants in the passenger car line-up including Volkswagen's Polo oil burner for $22,990.Lexus provided the Queensland public with its first look at the GS450H saloon, a luxury petrol/electric hybrid which is scheduled to do business in local showrooms from May.BMW, which is showing off a new range of V8 engines in the 5, 6 and 7-series at the show, says it will have a hydrogen-powered 7-series on Australian roads in two years but there is a need for government intervention to possibly sort through filling station infrastructure.While the future is firmly set on alternative power sources, there remains an unwavering passion for hot blooded exotic sports machines.In performance alley at the show there is the stunning Pagani Zonda Roadster, priced at $1.3 million or the equivalent of four median-priced Brisbane homes.While Holden is flooring the fans with the hot rod Efigy, it also previewed its next four-wheel-drive wagon, the Capitva.VW took the covers off the new Passat sedan and wagon while Fiat had a range of Puntos which will signal the Italian maker's return to the passenger car ranks in Australia this year. The show continues until Sunday.

The LF-A high performance concept car will be accompanied by the the world?s first luxury hybrid sedan and the next generation of the best selling local Lexus ever.Leading the performance charge is the LF-A concept car, a two-seater supercar powered by a 373 kW-plus V10 engine. for an estimated top speed of more than 320 km/h.This performance is complemented by Lexus levels of luxury, comfort and equipment, and the styling is a clear indication of where Lexus is heading in the next few years.Lexus is leading the high performance hybrid charge with its GS450h, which combines a 218 kW direct-injection 3.5-litreV6 with a 148 kW electric motor for breakthrough levels of hybrid car performance.Due to go on sale in the first half of the year, the world?s first luxury hybrid is designed to deliver the performance of a 4.5 litre engine with the economy of a 2.0 litre engine, and extremely low emissions.Also making its Australian debut at Melbourne will be the next generation of the most successful local Lexus model ever, the soon-to be-released RX350 luxury SUV.The RX350 expands on the virtues of the RX330, three-time winner of Australia?s Best Luxury SUV award among other national and international accolades.With a new dual VVTi 3.5-litre V6, the RX350 offers improved power and torque over the RX330 and is due to go on sale in March.Melbourne International Motor Show runs from Thursday 9 February to Sunday 19 February at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, and is organised and promoted by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce through its dealer division the Australian Automobile Dealers Association (Vic).