2024 Lexus LM 500h Australian Version

Lexus has introduced a new level of opulence, comfort and hybrid performance to the luxury mover segment with the arrival in Australia of the new generation LM.

The LM range - available exclusively with hybrid powertrains as Lexus accelerates towards its mission of electrified-only powertrains in Australia by 2030 - comes in two configurations.

Lexus will launch with the seven-seat LM 350h Sports Luxury, perfect for families and executive transport, offering a level of refined craftsmanship and comfort unlike any other seven-seat luxury vehicle.

The LM 350h Sports Luxury will be joined in early 2024 by the flagship LM 500h Ultra Luxury four-seater, the ultimate expression of Takumi Japanese craftsmanship and omotenashi hospitality with rear-seat comfort comparable to executive jet travel.

The seven-seat LM 350h Sports Luxury arrives in local showrooms priced from $160,888 plus on-road costs in front-wheel-drive guise, while the all-wheel-drive grade with a second electric motor on the rear axle available from $165,888.

The LM 350h is powered by 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine with a high-output electric motor for a combined output of 184kW.

The four-seat LM 500h Ultra Luxury provides turbocharged hybrid performance with a peak output of 273kW. It is priced from $220,888 plus on-road costs and offers an incredible range of luxurious features, leaving nothing to option.

Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas said the newest edition to the luxury lifestyle brand's L-series flagship models evokes all the qualities that customers appreciate in a Lexus.

The LM is identified by its distinctive exterior design, including a new take on the Lexus Spindle body concept, with a frameless colour-matched grille blending into the vehicle's body and matching the sharply styled LED headlights.

Nineteen-inch multi-spoke aluminium wheels provide a dynamic and expressive profile, while the LM's rear is framed by an LED tail-light strip running across the width of the tailgate, before turning upwards at the outer edges.

Moving inside to the cosseting and luxurious LM cabin, driver and front seat passenger are treated to semi-aniline leather-accented seats with heating and ventilation function, a 14-inch multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, a 12.3-inch multi-information display, colour head-up display and Takumi-inspired 'Yabane' woodgrain ornamentation.
The interior highlight of the LM is its second row, with both the LM 350h and LM 500h equipped with supple L-aniline leather-accented captain's chairs featuring ottomans, full recline and massage function, heating and ventilation with heated armrests and ottoman, all of which are controlled through individual removable smartphone-like controllers.

An extended overhead console, also finished in Yabane woodgrain, houses a 14-inch rear-seat entertainment system on LM 350h grades, perfect for entertaining second- and third-row occupants.

Meanwhile, LM 500h variants sport a partition separating the first and second row, providing a cabin exclusively for the two rear occupants. The partition includes a world-first 48-inch widescreen display which can be used for watching movies or taking conference calls, and may be configured as a single display or split for use between each rear occupant.

The widescreen display is paired with a supreme 23-speaker Mark Levinson® Reference 3D surround sound system, with LM 350h grades gaining a 21-speaker version of the same hi-fidelity system.

The hybrid-only powertrain line-up starts with the 2.5-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with a permanent magnet synchronous motor on the front axle, producing a combined output of 184kW with low fuel consumption of 5.5 litres per 100km on the NEDC combined cycle. AWD grades add a second electric motor on the rear axle to facilitate e-Four all-wheel drive.

The flagship LM 500h offers swift performance, combining a 202kW/460Nm 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, hybrid front transaxle and rear electric motor to produce a combined 273kW with the DIRECT4 all-wheel-drive system.

LM in Australia is offered with the choice of four stylish exterior colours - Sonic Quartz, Titanium, Graphite Black, and the newly introduced Scarlet Crimson - all available with either Black or Solis White upholstery.

Source