2024 Lexus LS sticks with internal combustion while BMW i7, Mercedes EQS and Audi e-tron GT electric cars charge ahead on pure-electric power – Car News

While the German ‘Big Three’ have embraced the EV age with large luxury four-doors like the Audi e-tron GT, BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS, the Lexus LS continues with (primarily) internal combustion power for the 2024 model year.

Although a pure-electric LS is rumoured to arrive in the second half of this decade, overnight reports suggest, in the short term, only incremental tech and comfort-focused upgrades are being applied to the fifth-generation version of the Japanese premium brand’s flagship.

According to motor1.com a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster has been added to help freshen up the car’s information suite, with camera-based drive recorders also installed front and rear.

Additional app compatibility, at least in the Japanese domestic market, means MY24 LS owners will be able to lock and unlock the doors and start their car via smartphone. And the LS500h’s ‘Advanced Park’ system now features a remote, app-driven function.

At the same time, the electrified LS500h has picked up an external power supply attachment to provide electric back up in emergencies.

The suspension has also come in for some attention with ‘Comfort’ mode revised to better suppress vibrations, particularly at the rear. And the exhaust system’s flexible rubber hangers have been repositioned to further improve refinement.

In terms of safety, the LS’s ‘Advanced Drive’ system (active cruise, lane-trace assist, automated lane change/overtaking) now features support for traffic jams at speeds up to 40 km/h, with the ‘Lexus Safety System +’ retuned in its pedestrian, bicycle and parked vehicle detection functionality.