Following interest from the public Lexus have announced the production of their 65-foot luxury yacht LY 650

10 September 2018

Lexus yacht LY 650 render

Lexus has announced production their luxury yacht: the LY 650.

This yacht follows the concept of their twin-V8 powered sport yacht which was unveiled in 2017 in partnership with Toyota Marine Division.

In March this year Lexus announced that their yacht was no longer going to be simply a concept, but a reality, and that production was due to start soon.

The 65 foot yacht will be built in partnership with Marquis-Larson and will feature the company’s ‘L-finesse’ design. With a 19-foot long beam, the LY 650 will feature a striking, pronounced bow and curved deck.

Lexus yacht LY 650 render

The company has decided to produce the craft following the public interest in their twin-V8 powered sport yacht, fuelled by Executive Vice President; Shigeki Tomoyama’s desire to “present a dream-like vision of the luxury lifestyle; one where the Lexus Yacht expands the potential of Lexus mobility to the ocean.”

The first completed Lexus LY 650 is expected to be finished in the second half of 2019 and will be debuted globally late in the year.

 

13 March 2018

Toyota have announced that they will be producing a larger version of their twin V8-powered sport yacht concept.

The yacht concept was created by Lexus Design, engineered by Toyota’s Marine Division and built in partnership with the Marquis-Larson Boat Group. It was showcased in Miami in January 2017, but there were no plans to produce it for the worldwide market.

Accepting the award for the Lexus Sport Yacht Concept, Shigeki Tomoyama, TMC Executive Vice President with responsibility for the marine division, announced the plans and said: “Based on our amazing experiences in engineering, building, testing and showing the Lexus Sport Yacht concept last year, we’ve decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new, larger yacht. This will build on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more comfort and living space.

“We plan to start sales in the USA in the latter half of 2019, with sales in Japan following from the spring of 2020.”

The new yacht will be built in partnership with Marquis-Larson.Planned as a larger, 65-foot sport flybridge cruiser. It will feature luxury cabins below deck that will sleep up to eight people and space to entertain up to 15 guests.
The vessel will boast high-tech multimedia system, Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), smartphone integration, remote diagnostics, and other services. Design wise, it will be finished with hand-crafted wood and leather detailing.

 

Specifications

Overall length (m)       12.7

Beam/width (m)          3.8

Passenger capacity    8

Total power (hp/kW)   885/660

Top speed (mph/kts)   49/43

 

17 January 2017

The new motor yacht from Lexus being tested

Being put through its paces. Credit: John Linn

Following in the footsteps of Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz, Lexus is the latest car manufacturer to get into the yacht business.

The Japanese luxury car manufacturer has unveiled its twin V8-powered sport yacht concept.

However, before you get too excited, the yacht is just a concept and there are no plans to put it into production.

Instead, it has been designed as part of plans to see how Lexus, which is a division of Toyota, might expand in the future into new areas of lifestyle and recreation.

See more pictures of the Lexus yacht concept below

The inspiration for the project came from the Toyota Marine Department, which has been preparing a new range of Ponam yachts that are soon to launch in Japan.

The Ponam line has in the past included 26 and 28-foot fibreglass sport-fishing boats, and 31, 35, 37 and 45-foot luxury cabin-cruisers.

The new motor yacht from Lexus

The Lexus concept. Credit: John Linn

It was while testing the new Ponam yacht that a decision was made to see how Lexus could branch out into the marine market.

A brief was given to two separate teams at the Lexus Design Centre in Japan to create an open sport yacht for recreational day sailing, accommodating six to eight people, powered by twin high-performance Lexus V8 engines, with advanced handling and styling.

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Their concepts were submitted for evaluation in summer 2015.

“This allowed us to explore how Lexus design language could be applied to a maritime idea,” explained Lexus International vice president, Yoshihiro Sawa.

“For the Lexus Design Centre this project has been very exciting. The effort is valuable to us as it stirs our creative energies and pushes our imagination to design and lifestyle possibilities outside of the automotive realm we know so well,” he added.

The selected proposal was refined throughout 2015, with the Marine Department engineering the construction and on-board marine systems.

Marquis-Carver Yacht Group, based in Wisconsin, USA, was selected to build the concept.

Features of the new Lexus sport yacht include an upper deck and outer hull which are seamlessly bonded around an inner structure.

Each piece is a single, massive structure made from hand-laid Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP).

CFRP is a materials technology used in the construction of race cars and road-going supercars such as the Lexus LFA, as well as for high-performance aircraft, competition skis and bicycles and world-class racing yachts.

The sport yacht’s CFRP construction saves almost a tonne compared to the weight of a similar yacht made from Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP).

The underwater hull has a stepped design to reduce drag and improve handling balance at high speeds.

The concept is powered by twin 5.0-litre V8 petrol engines, based on the high-performance unit featured in the Lexus RC F coupe, GS F sport saloon and the new LC 500 luxury coupe.

Lexus motor yacht at sea

Aft view. Credit: John Linn

Each engine produces more than 440bhp/328kW, driving the yacht at speeds up to 43 knots through a pair of hydraulically controlled inboard/outboard stern drives.

A bow-thruster with joystick control aids with docking.

The captain monitors and controls on-board systems from a touchscreen panel.

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Screens show GPS navigation, digital charts, surface radar, underwater sonar, lighting and entertainment systems.

The captain’s seat is power-adjustable with armrests that fold out to become jump seats on either side.

The standing-height forward passenger cabin is finished in luxurious Lexus leather with wood and glass details.

Sofa seating for six, a table and air conditioning create a comfortable environment for entertaining.

In the galley there is a two-burner stove, sink and under-counter refrigerator.

The facilities in the head include a shower.

Videoworks of Italy has created a fully networked, integrated audio and video entertainment system, with 4G, WiFi and WAN.

Sound reproduction is by Revolution Acoustics surface-mounted drivers using the ceiling panel as a transducer, powered by a Mark Levinson Reference digital amplifier.

Outline technical specifications

Overall length: 12.7m

Beam: 3.86m

Payload: Eight people

Total power: 885bhp/660kW

Top speed: 43 knots