Lexus Committed to Turbocharged Engines

krew

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krew
16-01-04-lexus-rc-turbo-200t-400x200.jpg


Turbocharged engines are necessary to compete with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi.
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mikeavelli

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Its just easier to market "turbo" compared to "hybrid" even if a hybrid offers the same if not better results. Ironically the name "hybrid" is a dirty word with tons of people. People think "turbo" they think fast, technology, Porsche 911 Turbo etc....

Case in point, my old GS 450h was the most understood Lexus I ever owned. It was clearly obvious over my time owning it that people still had no idea had hybrids worked and were oblivious Lexus offered them. I can't imagine how tough of a hill climb it is for Lexus to sell that car, thus why its now special order only. Back then it was 339hp getting 23 MPG average which was pretty impressive, today it has the same hp rating but gets over 30MPG!
249857d1339706721-1sicklex-official-build-thread-img_8881.jpg


Obviously cost is another reason they don't sell well. Not sure how Lincoln worked the numbers but their hybrid offering is the same price as the gas model so that helps make the choice easier.

Many of us know Brian, he is as good as it gets in the business and he's right. Currently the word "turbo" is attractive to consumers. All the issues the Germans had didn't sway public opinion.

Again though, my concern being deep in car culture, will Lexus let us tune these new engines. The Germans keep them open source and it is hugely, HUGELY appealing to enthusiasts. Imagine being able to tune your Lexus with some software updating that remaps the ECU and boom, 50-100 more hp. Unfortunately I doubt it :(

I posted a picture of the car because it looked like any GS except for the small h badge ( I replaced the grill with an aftermarket one) and people would be stunned to know its a hybrid. I really miss the car, the blend of power and MPG was really nice to have. It was really rare especially a modified one.

Turbo has lost a bit of coolness since it is now so mainstream. Even the base Porsche's are now all Turbo's.
 
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Wicus Kriel

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2.0 litre 4-cylinder turbo - good start - not for performance-oriented buyers though
3.0 litre 6-cylinder turbo - would make the weight of the RC 3x0 much more manageable
4.0 litre 8-cylinder turbo - would compare well with MB AMG and likely outperform BMW M

Turbo-charged engines are generally favoured by performance-oriented buyers staying high above sea level. In the same breath, the era of the large naturally aspirated engine may be coming to an end within the next 3-5 years and these (then legacy) engines may very well become much sought after.

We don't have the RC (or any) F model in South Africa (a move that I believe is not doing Lexus' reputation well over here). Because of the power : weight ratio, the RC 350 isn't an option, especially at 1750m above sea level. In this light, an RC300t would be perfect!
 

De Faulk

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So that means the second step RC F will get a turbo in order to reach the famous "600 hp" ?
 

AGL

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Its just easier to market "turbo" compared to "hybrid" even if a hybrid offers the same if not better results. Ironically the name "hybrid" is a dirty word with tons of people. People think "turbo" they think fast, technology, Porsche 911 Turbo etc....

Case in point, my old GS 450h was the most understood Lexus I ever owned. It was clearly obvious over my time owning it that people still had no idea had hybrids worked and were oblivious Lexus offered them. I can't imagine how tough of a hill climb it is for Lexus to sell that car, thus why its now special order only. Back then it was 339hp getting 23 MPG average which was pretty impressive, today it has the same hp rating but gets over 30MPG!
249857d1339706721-1sicklex-official-build-thread-img_8881.jpg


Obviously cost is another reason they don't sell well. Not sure how Lincoln worked the numbers but their hybrid offering is the same price as the gas model so that helps make the choice easier.

Many of us know Brian, he is as good as it gets in the business and he's right. Currently the word "turbo" is attractive to consumers. All the issues the Germans had didn't sway public opinion.

Again though, my concern being deep in car culture, will Lexus let us tune these new engines. The Germans keep them open source and it is hugely, HUGELY appealing to enthusiasts. Imagine being able to tune your Lexus with some software updating that remaps the ECU and boom, 50-100 more hp. Unfortunately I doubt it :(

I posted a picture of the car because it looked like any GS except for the small h badge ( I replaced the grill with an aftermarket one) and people would be stunned to know its a hybrid. I really miss the car, the blend of power and MPG was really nice to have. It was really rare especially a modified one.

Turbo has lost a bit of coolness since it is now so mainstream. Even the base Porsche's are now all Turbo's.
Funny. When I think Turbo, I think excess, wastage. Total turn off.

When I hear hybrid, I think... what kind of hybrid system? Is it a plug-in hybrid, extended range hybrid, conventional hybrid, electrical motor assist and gets me all kinds of curious.
 

corradoMR2

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Case in point, my old GS 450h was the most understood Lexus I ever owned. It was clearly obvious over my time owning it that people still had no idea had hybrids worked and were oblivious Lexus offered them.
249857d1339706721-1sicklex-official-build-thread-img_8881.jpg

Oooohhhh, how I LOVE your old GSh. To this day, I still prefer the 3GS' styling over the 4GS. :D
 

Madi

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Its just easier to market "turbo" compared to "hybrid" even if a hybrid offers the same if not better results. Ironically the name "hybrid" is a dirty word with tons of people. People think "turbo" they think fast, technology, Porsche 911 Turbo etc....

Case in point, my old GS 450h was the most understood Lexus I ever owned. It was clearly obvious over my time owning it that people still had no idea had hybrids worked and were oblivious Lexus offered them. I can't imagine how tough of a hill climb it is for Lexus to sell that car, thus why its now special order only. Back then it was 339hp getting 23 MPG average which was pretty impressive, today it has the same hp rating but gets over 30MPG!
249857d1339706721-1sicklex-official-build-thread-img_8881.jpg


Obviously cost is another reason they don't sell well. Not sure how Lincoln worked the numbers but their hybrid offering is the same price as the gas model so that helps make the choice easier.

Many of us know Brian, he is as good as it gets in the business and he's right. Currently the word "turbo" is attractive to consumers. All the issues the Germans had didn't sway public opinion.

Again though, my concern being deep in car culture, will Lexus let us tune these new engines. The Germans keep them open source and it is hugely, HUGELY appealing to enthusiasts. Imagine being able to tune your Lexus with some software updating that remaps the ECU and boom, 50-100 more hp. Unfortunately I doubt it :(

I posted a picture of the car because it looked like any GS except for the small h badge ( I replaced the grill with an aftermarket one) and people would be stunned to know its a hybrid. I really miss the car, the blend of power and MPG was really nice to have. It was really rare especially a modified one.

Turbo has lost a bit of coolness since it is now so mainstream. Even the base Porsche's are now all Turbo's.
In UAE the new RX450h and the new RX350 have the same price ..

Is't that the case in USA ??
 

Tinhinnh

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Case in point, my old GS 450h was the most understood Lexus I ever owned. It was clearly obvious over my time owning it that people still had no idea had hybrids worked and were oblivious Lexus offered them.
249857d1339706721-1sicklex-official-build-thread-img_8881.jpg

Oooohhhh, how I LOVE your old GSh. To this day, I still prefer the 3GS' styling over the 4GS. :D
The "High Performance Sedan" (2GS) was my favorite.
 

Osu

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It's like being back in the 80's again where everything was labeled with "turbo". It's not anything new, the tech. has always been available but slap on some new emission laws and there you go: Recycling of tech. 1.0! Pair that with the lobbyism activity by the journalists. One (Leben, or whatever his name was?) was even slamming the RFC for NOT having a turbocharged engine, I repeat, NOT having one (in comparison to the germans) as if it ever was a bad engine choice. Look back, say a few years, and it definitely sounded differently from every "lobbyist". That just bugs me out!!

And germans leading the way? Perhaps in the past. But many have caught up to them. It is only in the mind of some people.

Lexus needs to be clear and true to themselves. Hybrid for performance or to "play catch up".
 

maiaramdan

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maybe the best solution for Lexus now is Turbo Hybrids
this is the way to go
yes we will do Turboss but no , we will do it with our own way Hybrid
 

meth.ix

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The RC F was praised for having a great sound because it was naturally aspirated. If we give it a turbocharger, it will ruin its rep, so why not use a supercharger? Superchargers sound much better right. But I don't know anything about the cost, and the word turbo will definitely attract customers better, some people who don't actually know what they mean by turbo might even think the car has NOS or something!
 

spwolf

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the strange thing is that i thought before that in Arab-Gulf region . the prices of the Hybrids will be more expensive to save it's non Hybrid siblings

Prices are set by marketing division on that market, they are not just cost related.

As to the hybrids, worldwide, GS450h had 20% of all GS sales, which was big number considering the price (it was expensive everywhere). In western europe, 95% are hybrids anyway.
 

maiaramdan

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Prices are set by marketing division on that market, they are not just cost related.

As to the hybrids, worldwide, GS450h had 20% of all GS sales, which was big number considering the price (it was expensive everywhere). In western europe, 95% are hybrids anyway.
yes i know that the marketing guys are the people put the prices
what i wanna say that the oil becomes part of these oil rich states heritage , and the big engine sells more than the small one