Lexus announces production of the Lexus Sport Yacht
Lexus surprised the world this week after announcing their plans to produce a yacht, following the popularity of the Lexus Sport Yacht concept. Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota’s Executive Vice President, made the announcement as he accepted the award for Japan’s Boat of the Year, which was won by the concept. The Boat of the Year Awards took place at the Japan International Boat Show and was selected by a committee of 30 Japanese marine journalists. Sales of the Lexus yacht are expected to take place in the second half of 2019 after the last round of pre-production tests are complete.
“We’ve decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new larger yacht that builds on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more comfort and living space,” Tomoyama said.
The yacht measures in at 19-meters long, 7.2-meters longer than the concept, and will house a luxury room below an entertaining deck that can hold 15 guests. The hull, superstructure and inner structure of the concept were crafted from hand-laid carbon-fibre, and the production version is expected to retain a majority of this high-tech design.
It will also feature some impressive technology borrowed straight from Lexus’ cars, like their new mobility services platform that will provide smartphone integration, security, maintenance services and remote diagnostic capabilities.
The Lexus Sport Yacht concept was designed by the Toyota Marine Division to explore luxury and active lifestyles. A running model of the concept was built by Lexus’ partner Marquis-Larson. The production yacht will also be produced through this partnership.
Specifications and pricing of the production yacht have not been released, however, the Sport Yacht was powered by two marine versions of Lexus’ hardcore 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, which is also used in their high-performance RC F, GS F and LC 500 models.
