uae

Heard rumors about the SZ ?
A New front and rear bumper,
New side sills.
New black chrome front grille.
Brembo braking system.
New set of BBS alloy wheels.




Source:
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/breaking-...-in-the-works/

Alternative Links:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/23/r...-sz/2#comments

http://lexusfan.com/2009/06/24/lexus-ls-460-sz.html

http://www.product-reviews.net/2009/...mance-version/




-----------------------------------------


Maybe it would bring some of its dynamics up to the standards set by the Euro competition. Because it would be stock powertrain wise, it would not be an F-Sport product,with the right powertrain and body modification/alteration, this elegant,reliable,plush sleeping giant will be awaken.I hope they put the V10 engine from LF-A n make it a beast but then again i doubt it ....i guess we'll just have to wait and see.... I doubt an increase in power & substantial handling tweaks though, as Lexus would go with the F badge to build up that brand.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well there have been quite a few rumors about a sport version of the ls460 coming with brembo brakes and bbs wheels. maybe this is the one

talwang

iTrader: (4)

so this is the LS460 SZ?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

not very impressed with the grille

tommyd3

They quote a price of $94,425 (JDM). Does anyone know what JDM is? Dont think they will sell many for a base price of $94,425 US unless they add a 500+ HP engine. Upgraded wheels dont add up to an almost $30,000 price increase over the base LS. Certainly would be interesting if they upgrade the suspension for handling !!!

Gojirra99

Black chrome grille = automatic disqualification for me ...

& why the APSSS isn't even mentioned ???

encore888

JDM = Japanese domestic market. The pricing for Japan does not translate directly into US pricing, Lexus Japan pricing is higher.

As for that rendering, complete with California license plate, I think that's just a photochop, plus with the 2010 LS model I think the grille edges will be tweaked.

Gojirra99

Pricing doesn't work that way, currency exchange rates fluctuates all the time, so you get a different USD equivalent depend on how high the USD is compared to the yen.So that $94,425 price doesn't indicate the pricing of such a model in the U.S.

I suspect cars in the U.S. are probably the cheapest in the world right now due to weak USD (though it has risen the past few days)

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yeah i guess it's really hard to get apsss on the ls, sigh

Stoks

It doesn't work that way. If the US dollar is weak, cars are more expensive here, not cheaper.

Gojirra99

No, you got it wrong or misunderstood what I am saying.
Car prices (MSRP) in the U.S. stay roughly the same throughout a model's life time, it will not increase dramatically even if the USD falls dramatically since the car market in the U.S. cannot take the big fluctuations. If they increase prices of cars as dramatically as falling currency valuations, it will kill their market here.
Many exporters/importers use currency hedging instruments to protect themselves from wild currency fluctuations instead.

When the USD is weak, prices of the same model in Japan will appear higher in USD.

Say the LS debut at $65k base price in the U.S. 3 years ago when the USD was high, the price will stay at roughly $65k today even when the USD is much lower today, but the equivalent Japanese model will look much more expensive now because of the weak USD.

The $94435 price quoted above is only meaningful relative to the prices of the other LS model variations in Japan, it does not mean they can/will charge the same when they bring the LS SV model to the U.S.

When the USD falls, all the LS models in Japan will suddenly look more expensive relative to the same model in the U.S. too compared to the times when the USD was stronger.

Johnny

There are no fast rules for pricing in any market. The US is Lexus's biggest market. There are a number of factors that enter the setting of price points - competition, regulations, excise, demographics, packaging, volumes, etc. - these all affect the sticker price. Why for instance are we deprived of LKA, passenger memory seats, 150 mph top speeds? Why are LS460 priced at $325K in Thailand? The answers are only know to the marketing people in individual markets. But the fact that Lexus sets its lowest prices in the US is an indicator of its vast importance in the scheme of things.

LexFather

Are those LEDs at the bottom of the headlight?

Gojirra99

The point is, the U.S. prices won't look so low relative to Japan/rest of the world when the USD was much higher. Obviously, they felt the need to keep US prices at a steady level regardless of currency fluctuations because it's the most important car market.

Example, when the Canadian/USD exchange rate was at ~0.62 when I bought my SC430 in October 2002, the Canadian price then was actually thousands of dollars cheaper than the same model in the U.S. at that time. But when the exchange rate became at par, it's no longer the case anymore ...

Johnny

I'm in complete agreement with you Andrew, and in fact my post was just looking at it from another angle complementing yours.

Sicklex, there are five LEDs per corner, the three obvious ones and two below that produces a low spread. Those three "small" projectors probably don't cover enough territory. But the end result gives enough lower coverage that probably nullifies the fogs - although fogs are more visible with a warmer beam under those conditions, as we all know. That's why I've resisted changing them over to HIDs. I guess I could still go for a low temp bulb.