Lexus Announces 65-Foot Flagship Luxury Yacht

Posted by Kevin on September 7th, 2018

Lexus has added to its flagship lineup in a most unexpected way with the introduction of the LY 650, a 65-foot yacht that stands as the “first production maritime expression of Lexus design language, L-finesse”.

Powered by twin Volvo IPS 1200 engines, the yacht has been built in partnership with the Marquis-Larson Boat Group in Pulaski, Wisconsin.

The first completed Lexus LY 650 is expected to be finished in the second half of 2019 and will make its global debut late in the year. Below is the full press release.

  • 65-foot Lexus yacht joins the LS sedan, LX SUV and LC coupé as the fourth Lexus flagship
  • Lexus LY 650 is the first production maritime expression of Lexus design language, L-finesse
  • Exploration into non-automotive ventures continues beyond Lexus involvement in culinary, film, design and other select luxury lifestyle experiences

Crafting amazing automobiles is something Lexus has pursued relentlessly, as evidenced by the beautiful hand-pleated door panels in the LS 500 or the complex paint process, inspired by the morpho butterfly, that results in dazzling Structural Blue. And crafting every touch point around the Lexus brand is an opportunity Lexus continues to seize. This maritime application is another proof point in Lexus’ storied history of exploring new frontiers both inside and outside the automotive industry.

Lexus continually evaluates what constitutes a luxury experience and has, as a result, ventured into the worlds of culinary, design, film, and more as alternative opportunities to interact with the brand. Driven by Lexus International President, Yoshihiro Sawa’s vision of Lexus as a brand that, “explores new ways to deliver innovative and amazing experiences for our guests,” Lexus has partnered with some of the world’s finest purveyors of experience to further celebrate the phrase, Experience Amazing.

And now, Lexus returns to the water with its next expression of a Lexus yacht in the form of the LY 650. Bearing the most contemporary expression of Lexus design language, L-finesse, applied beyond the world of automobiles, the production LY 650 picks up where the stunning Lexus Sport Yacht Concept left off.

LEXUS TAKUMI MEET MARQUIS-LARSON CRAFTSPEOPLE

Encouraged by the robust public interest in the Lexus Sport Yacht Concept, a follow-up maritime effort was fueled 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.” Making this dream-like vision a reality, Marquis-Larson Boat Group was selected to build, sell and service the next Lexus yacht based largely on their extensive experience with bespoke boat building and their proven capability, confirmed by their work bringing the Lexus Sport Yacht Concept to life.

Based in Pulaski, WI, Marquis-Larson is the ideal partner to bring the second chapter of Lexus yacht design to fruition with their thorough blend of artisanal craftsmanship, modern technology and inspired design. Complementing Lexus’ renowned heritage of Takumi craftspeople who are supremely skilled in their roles, Marquis’ craftsmanship backbone is clearly demonstrated by their masterful boat builders, many of whom have been with the company for 30 years.

L-FINESSE SEAMLESSLY TRANSITIONS FROM AUTOMOTIVE TO MARITIME APPLICATIONS

Several of the most attractive features from the 42-foot concept have made their way onto the LY 650. In 65-foot overall length, 19-foot beam form, the newest Lexus yacht has a distinguished style found in the strong, pronounced bow, curved deck accents and accentuated aft hips. Viewed from the profile, the elegant rise and fall of the yacht’s distinctly Lexus roofline flows into rising, broad hips of the rear section.

UPCOMING MILESTONES AND CONTACT INFORMATION

The first completed Lexus LY 650 is expected to be finished in the second half of 2019 and will make its global debut late in the year. Parties interested in gathering additional information or inquiring about the purchase of a Lexus LY 650, please contact:

Matthew Vetzner
Vice President of Marketing, Marquis-Larson Boat Group
+1 920.822.3214

mvetzner@marquis-larson.com

SPECIFICATIONS (preliminary values)

  • Overall length 65’5” (19.96 m)
  • Beam (width) 18’8” (5.72 m)
  • Engines Volvo IPS 1200 (Volvo IPS 1350)
  • Fuel Capacity 1,000 gal (3,785 l)
  • Water Capacity 225 gal (852 l)
  • Hold Tank Capacity 170 gal (643 l)
  • Staterooms 3
  • Heads 3
  • Sleeps 6
Features
Popular Stories

Sorry. No data so far.

Comments
Joaquin Ruhi
[​IMG]

Interesting to compare the original design rendering for the LY 650 (shown above, as first published by Bertel Schmitt of Daily Kanban) with the actual production yacht (shown below):

[​IMG]

I would've hoped to see more current Lexus car styling cues show up on the production yacht, be it some spindle grille-like sculpturing on the bow or on the rear in the central "box" flanked by the entry steps on either side. On the other hand, the contour of the rearmost edge of the side windows could be construed as a vestigial arrowhead such as those found on a number of recent Lexus sedans.

[​IMG]

At least the Lexus "Circle L" logo makes a notable appearance on the floor of the interior:

[​IMG]

Other than what was lost in translation from rendering to prototype, the biggest surprise and disappointment is the loss of the multiple Lexus engines used on Toyota's previous Ponam and Epic boats in favor of twin Volvo (?!) IPS 1200 or optional IPS 1350 engines. Why??? Perhaps too many Lexus engines would've been required to power a yacht of this size and weight, to the detriment of packaging, space efficiency and power-to-weight ratio?
Joaquin Ruhi
Joaquin Ruhi
...the biggest surprise and disappointment is the loss of the multiple Lexus engines used on Toyota's previous Ponam and Epic boats in favor of twin Volvo (?!) IPS 1200 or optional IPS 1350 engines. Why??? Perhaps too many Lexus engines would've been required to power a yacht of this size and weight, to the detriment of packaging, space efficiency and power-to-weight ratio?
That seems to be the case.

A visit to the Volvo Penta Marine website's IPS 1200 overview and specifications pages reveal that each engine is a 12.8-liter inline 6-cylinder diesel producing 900 hp. The overview describes it as using "a twin-entry turbo, and supercharger", while the specs (plus a Product Leaflet) speak in terms of a "dual stage turbo with twin charge air coolers". Each engine produces 3300 Nm (2434 lb/ft) of torque between roughly 900 and 1500 rpm. and fuel consumption is rated at nearly 170 liters per hour (45 U.S. gallons per hour) at the 2300 rpm redline. Oh, and each engine weighs 2300 kg (5060 lbs).

The optional IPS 1350 is essentially the IPS 1200 tuned to produce an extra 100 hp. More details and specs appear on their overview, Specifications and Product Leaflet pages.
M
View attachment 2970

“The main goal is not the number of boats,” said Tomoyama, but the enhancement of the brand.
And it looks like it’s working so far. Just looking at Motor Trend’s Instagram account. The Lexus LY 650 post received 15,000 likes. The only other recent posts that have received that received around 15,000 likes are the Tesla Roadster, BMW M8, and next generation Corvette.
S
it looks great, stunning even.... no wonder it has received great reception.
I
This project can bring some attention to the brand, but the way it 's been evolving is depressing me.

I am going to draw some parallels among several projects that Toyota is developing right now.

First of all, I think what Lexus fans love in the brand is the state of art in-house genuine solutions the company employs into making things.

1. Toyota is a member of the Japanese consortium that is going to commercialize the first Japanese regional Jet (Mitsubishi Regional Jet) . This is a highly risky and difficult project.

2. Neither Toyota, nor Hino have any idea how to build an 8-class truck. Hino just released a prototype that wants to put into production.

Toyota have been developing the Mirai technology based on Hino competitors trucks and it seems they want to expand their business into hauling trucks.


3. Not long ago, Toyota sponsored the first hydrogen powered autonomous boat.

4. Toyota, until recently had been putting all their attention to hydrogen technology.

5. Toyota wants to raise the status of Lexus by bringing the brand name to glamorous world of yachts.

6. Toyota assigns:
-an expert US company to design and build the Lexus yacht.
-a competitor from China to bring their powertrain technology! Therefore, apart from financing, there's nothing else to relate Toyota/Lexus with the project!

What have been changed!?

If I were Toyota:

- I would have had expanded the co-operation with Mitsubishi, assigning them building a boat using their SLAS technology expertise for helicopter landing.

- Lexus designers would have had designed and built the interior.
-Toyota would have had employed the MIRAI tech fit into spec. They would have had space for car garage and hydrogen gas pumps to refill FCEVs!

Mitsubishi has a really cool vessel with even helicopter landing capability!

I believe the vessel (on the link below) could have been modified for the purpose of building a mega - yacht worthy of Lexus brand status.
https://www.mhi.com/products/ship/3d_sea_bottom_resource_exploration_vessel.html

Elon sells cars with supercar acceleration, because BEV tech is expensive. Tesla customers are rich people with space for charging their EVs and they own many cars. Dependability is not a problem, neither charging times.

If space, price and hydrogen availability are problems for employing FCEV tech, why Toyota didn't jump into Mega-yacht category?
S
^^If it's just about the brand image, why should they spend unnecessary resources in making a unnecessarily complex boat? It will be a white elephant project not dissimilar to Honda Jet.

The MRJ is a trainwreck at this point. Mitsubishi is the opposite of Toyota in corporate culture. They spend lavishly, have a bloated workforce, and operates based on an outdated Zaibatsu model from the 1920s. MHI is only alive because the Japanese government needs to keep it afloat for national security. Toyota should keep away from the company as much as possible.
maiaramdan
Nice, I love it
Actually it's amazingly awesome
I
ssun30
^^If it's just about the brand image, why should they spend unnecessary resources in making a unnecessarily complex boat? It will be a white elephant project not dissimilar to Honda Jet.

The MRJ is a trainwreck at this point. Mitsubishi is the opposite of Toyota in corporate culture. They spend lavishly, have a bloated workforce, and operates based on an outdated Zaibatsu model from the 1920s. MHI is only alive because the Japanese government needs to keep it afloat for national security. Toyota should keep away from the company as much as possible.
That's what I wanted to say.

Mitsubishi shipbuilding is a major player in marine sector. This is an established business, where Mitsubishi is successful

I can't understand how Toyota joins Mitsubishi on building an aircraft without any previous experience, instead of making a deal with Mitsubishi about building a ship based on an existing Mitsubishi boat product!
I
https://boatingindustry.com/news/2018/07/24/marquis-larson-will-introduce-new-marquis-line-in-2019/

“With our experience building ultra modern, ultra high quality boats for both Lexus and VanDutch, I feel we are in a unique position to offer a new Marquis brand that will become a significant player in this growing market,”

According to Rob Parmentier, President & CEO of the Marquis-Larson Boat Group, Marquis Yachts will discontinue its current line of semi-custom cruising boats and transition to an entirely new line for 2019.

The new Marquis is expected to debut at the 2019 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (based in Florida) at an invitation only unveiling prior to the show.

The Show opens on Wednesday November 6, 2019.

I guess Lexus will have to ditch the absolutely gorgeous INTERSECT cultural theme from the boutique's space series, that have defined the signature of the brand.

Although, I find the interior and exterior styling of the LY650 simple and cool, it is not luxurious.

I apologize for my bitter criticism, but I believe Lexus can do a lot better than that, by a mile!
Joaquin Ruhi
isanatori
The new Marquis is expected to debut at the 2019 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (based in Florida) at an invitation only unveiling prior to the show.

The Show opens on Wednesday November 6, 2019.
I wonder if the Lexus LY 650 will make an appearance there as well. Or if it'll be at the Miami Boat Show that will take place from Thursday 14 through Monday 18 February 2019. Both are local to me. I'd love to check it out if it makes an appearance.
S
isanatori
Ok. Forget Mitsubishi. I an not good at writing down my thoughts in a clear way. I apologize for the inconvenience and confusion.

Toyota could had bought a megayacht large enough to apply their MIRAI technology, carry an FCEV car, capable of refueling the FCEV, and helicopter landing. Then begin tests, before commercialization. But the final product should be a true Lexus.

Toyota should be recognized as capable of building zero emission mega-yachts.
How about just doing a luxury Yacht that people can purchase and use in North America? FCEV yacht to me would just a waste of resources and press thing, nobody would buy it... where would you service it?

You have to be able to use that Yacht and service it.
Ian Schmidt
isanatori
Although, I find the interior and exterior styling of the LY650 simple and cool, it is not luxurious
I disagree. Minimalism is very in right now, and the boat's roofline and interior treatments and finishes do remind me of my LS500. I'm actually glad they didn't try to force Lexus styling cues where they wouldn't work.

If I ever become unexpectedly rich I want one with... let's see, 1800 HP / 415 = exactly 4 V35As :-)
I
Joaquin Ruhi
I wonder if the Lexus LY 650 will make an appearance there as well. Or if it'll be at the Miami Boat Show that will take place from Thursday 14 through Monday 18 February 2019. Both are local to me. I'd love to check it out if it makes an appearance.
As I understand it, it is going to be it
I
Joaquin Ruhi
I wonder if the Lexus LY 650 will make an appearance there as well. Or if it'll be at the Miami Boat Show that will take place from Thursday 14 through Monday 18 February 2019. Both are local to me. I'd love to check it out if it makes an appearance.
If it is convenient for the construction company, then I don't see why not! The earlier, the better. :thumbsup:
I
spwolf
How about just doing a luxury Yacht that people can purchase and use in North America? FCEV yacht to me would just a waste of resources and press thing, nobody would buy it... where would you service it?

You have to be able to use that Yacht and service it.
Do you mean a yacht a bit more pricier than LS500h? I didn't thought about that. It makes sense considering Toy


An FCEV mega yacht would have been out of such scope as it would have been x times pricier than even the most expensive Lexus, definitely.


icey. But I don't think servicing will be an issue. Lexus LFA servicing is not convenient either.
Though, I think I assumed wrong
, when money is not an issue, There are fully electric propulsion vessels (serial hybrids). The gear is already there. Toyota will have to add the FC stacks and tanks. Probably will need a design with side
Ian Schmidt
isanatori
Still though, the spindle grille is distinctively missing, don't you think?
Where would you put it that it'd work, though? I don't see any surface on that boat that would work with a spindle, and that's what I meant above about not forcing details that don't fit.
krew
  • krew
    krew
  • September 11, 2018
krew

Instant Success: Lexus Sells First LY 650 Luxury Yacht
[​IMG]

Announced just four days after reveal.
View the original article post
S
isanatori
Do you mean a yacht a bit more pricier than LS500h? I didn't thought about that. It makes sense considering Toyota could had brought the Ponam series from Japanese market. It seems it is more preferable assigning the job to an already established yacht manufacturer.

Still though, the spindle grille is distinctively missing, don't you think?
Ponam is Toyota, not Lexus... it is not luxurious, also they dont have any way to service those in the USA.

To sell anything you have to be able to use it and service it - fuel it at any port and have service availble for any issues in all of the major ports. Or else, how can buyer use it?
I
Ian Schmidt
I don't see any surface on that boat that would work with a spindle, and that's what I meant above about not forcing details that don't fit.
You are right. The spindle grille would look out of place on that yacht.

I loosely meant having the prerequisite of Lexus presenting a true flagship, like it did with LS400, which put the Lexus brand immediately at the top of the heavy weight category.

I believe a design resembling a car hood, like the Tankoa Bolide concept, would be awesome with the spindle grille and the INTERSECT design theme.

There would be just needed additional space for hydrogen refueling pumps, side floats to accommodate hydrogen gas tanks and some slender hulls to carry a few Lexus cars and a boat.

Okay, I have to curb my excitement and remain level-headed. :blush:
James
Okay I know nothing about Yachts but how much is this baby gonna cost??
S
James
Okay I know nothing about Yachts but how much is this baby gonna cost??
probably between 1m and 10m, depending on equipment... in general, Yachts are very customizable.

S