Ahoy, Lexus! The Japanese luxury automaker sets a course for adventure—or at least brand expansion—with the Lexus Sport Yacht concept. The first ever Lexus-brand watercraft is a 42-footer that seats eight, and it made its in-water debut at Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, with Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda smashing the figurative bottle of champagne across the bow.
The yacht’s design was penned at the Lexus Design Centre in Japan, and a keen eye can see clear elements of the brand’s automotive design language—and also the design language of a large water mammal, maybe a porpoise.
The yacht was engineered by the Toyota Marine Department (who knew it had one?) and was built by Wisconsin’s Marquis-Carver Yacht Group. Construction is of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, which Lexus claims saves 2200 pounds compared with using more traditional fiberglass. A pair of 5.0-liter Lexus V-8s—visible through a clear cover—send a total of 885 horsepower to twin stern drives.
The open-decked yacht features a power-adjustable central captain’s chair that faces a huge color touchscreen. It’s flanked by two fold-out jump seats, and there’s additional seating along the sides. The air-conditioned forward compartment includes two sofas; a sink, stove, and refrigerator; a head with a shower; and an infotainment system with 4G LTE Wi-Fi.
Although it appears ready for production, the Lexus Sport Yacht is destined to remain a one-off. While other luxury automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Bugatti have maritime offerings, Lexus seems content to be a landlubber for now.
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