The second generation Lexus LM minivan debuted today at Auto Shanghai with impressive new features and a new global audience of 60 countries, including Europe and Japan for the first time.
There are improvements in all aspects — there’s a new powertrain, a redesigned exterior, a more rigid body — but all attention has to be on the four-seat variant and its immense luxury. There’s a 48-inch video screen that forms part of the wall between the front and rear cabin, the Adaptive Variable Suspension has a mode specifically for rear-passenger comfort, and the HVAC settings are otherworldly — from the press release:
Taking this further, a dedicated rear seat Warmth-Sensing IR (Infrared) Matrix Sensor located on the upper center portion of the partition detects the temperature of occupants and the parts of the vehicle that affect ambient temperature such as the windows, trim and ceiling. The system then estimates the level of warmth or coldness the occupant is feeling in four specific areas―face, chest, thighs, and lower legs―and controls the air-conditioning and seat heaters in tandem to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle at all times.
This LM may stand as the most luxurious Lexus of all time, a feat both unexpected and in tune with the vehicle’s intended audience — imagine a luxury hotel suite on wheels, and the appeal and potential is obvious. North America may not have an appetite for luxury minivans, but the LM could make a seismic impression everywhere else in the world.
(The full press release is available on the Lexus International website for anyone looking for all the details.)
