Uploaded January 2017 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
A few years ago, the Toyota Marine Department invited TMC President Akio Toyoda to spend several days on the water driving the new Ponam range of premium yachts soon to be launched in Japan.
As Chief Branding Officer of Lexus International ,Toyoda was inspired by the power of the turbodiesel powertrains, the handling and stability of the advanced hull designs; and the capacity of a stylish premium performance yacht to complement the Lexus lifestyle. So how could a premium performance yacht expand the Lexus brand into new areas of lifestyle and recreation?
A brief for an open sport yacht for recreational day-touring with six to eight guests, powered by twin high performance Lexus V8s and with advanced styling and handling was given to the Lexus Design Centre in Toyota City, Japan.
On January 12, 2017, Lexus revealed the result – a running proof-of-concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht – at Di Lido Island on Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach FL.
“This concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht allowed us to explore how Lexus design language could be applied to a maritime idea,” said Yoshihiro Sawa, executive vice president of Lexus International. “For the Lexus Design Centre this project has been very exciting. The effort is valuable to us as it stirs our creative energies and pushes our imagination to design and lifestyle possibilities outside of the automotive realm we know well.”
The Marquis-Carver Yacht Group of Pulaski, Wisconsin, USA produced this bespoke, one-off project – chosen for their in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities and skill in large hand laid composite structures.
The Lexus Sport Yacht concept has an upper deck and outer hull which are seamlessly bonded around the inner structure, each piece a single massive hand-laid composite of two-part polyurethane epoxy resin reinforced with hand-laid woven carbon fibre cloth. It uses technology from the structure of race cars and supercars such as the Lexus LFA as well as high-performance aircrafts, competition skis and cycling plus world-class racing sailboats.
The underwater hull design is stepped to reduce resistance or drag and improve handling balance at high speeds and is powered by twin 5.0-litre V8 gasoline engines based on the 2UR-GSE high-performance engine of the Lexus RC F coupe, the GS F sport sedan and the new LC 500 grand tourer. Each engine produces over 440 horsepower / 446 DIN hp / 328 kW, driving the yacht at speeds up to 49 miles per hour (43 knots) through a pair of hydraulically controlled inboard/outboard stern-drives. A bow-thruster with joystick control aids in docking.
The captain controls and monitors on-board systems from a colour touchscreen panel at the helm; screens show GPS navigation, digital charts, surface radar, underwater sonar, lighting and entertainment systems.
The forward passenger cabin is inviting in luxurious Lexus leather with wood and glass details. A standing height, sofa seating for six with a table, and air conditioning create a comfortable environment for intimate entertaining.
An integrated audio-video entertainment system is fully networked, with 4G Wi-Fi & WAN. Sound reproduction is by Revolution Acoustics surface-mounted drivers using the ceiling panel as a transducer, powered by a Mark Levinson® Reference digital amplifier.
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Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Lexus_EU
A few years ago, the Toyota Marine Department invited TMC President Akio Toyoda to spend several days on the water driving the new Ponam range of premium yachts soon to be launched in Japan.
As Chief Branding Officer of Lexus International ,Toyoda was inspired by the power of the turbodiesel powertrains, the handling and stability of the advanced hull designs; and the capacity of a stylish premium performance yacht to complement the Lexus lifestyle. So how could a premium performance yacht expand the Lexus brand into new areas of lifestyle and recreation?
A brief for an open sport yacht for recreational day-touring with six to eight guests, powered by twin high performance Lexus V8s and with advanced styling and handling was given to the Lexus Design Centre in Toyota City, Japan.
On January 12, 2017, Lexus revealed the result – a running proof-of-concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht – at Di Lido Island on Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach FL.
“This concept for a Lexus Sport Yacht allowed us to explore how Lexus design language could be applied to a maritime idea,” said Yoshihiro Sawa, executive vice president of Lexus International. “For the Lexus Design Centre this project has been very exciting. The effort is valuable to us as it stirs our creative energies and pushes our imagination to design and lifestyle possibilities outside of the automotive realm we know well.”
The Marquis-Carver Yacht Group of Pulaski, Wisconsin, USA produced this bespoke, one-off project – chosen for their in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities and skill in large hand laid composite structures.
The Lexus Sport Yacht concept has an upper deck and outer hull which are seamlessly bonded around the inner structure, each piece a single massive hand-laid composite of two-part polyurethane epoxy resin reinforced with hand-laid woven carbon fibre cloth. It uses technology from the structure of race cars and supercars such as the Lexus LFA as well as high-performance aircrafts, competition skis and cycling plus world-class racing sailboats.
The underwater hull design is stepped to reduce resistance or drag and improve handling balance at high speeds and is powered by twin 5.0-litre V8 gasoline engines based on the 2UR-GSE high-performance engine of the Lexus RC F coupe, the GS F sport sedan and the new LC 500 grand tourer. Each engine produces over 440 horsepower / 446 DIN hp / 328 kW, driving the yacht at speeds up to 49 miles per hour (43 knots) through a pair of hydraulically controlled inboard/outboard stern-drives. A bow-thruster with joystick control aids in docking.
The captain controls and monitors on-board systems from a colour touchscreen panel at the helm; screens show GPS navigation, digital charts, surface radar, underwater sonar, lighting and entertainment systems.
The forward passenger cabin is inviting in luxurious Lexus leather with wood and glass details. A standing height, sofa seating for six with a table, and air conditioning create a comfortable environment for intimate entertaining.
An integrated audio-video entertainment system is fully networked, with 4G Wi-Fi & WAN. Sound reproduction is by Revolution Acoustics surface-mounted drivers using the ceiling panel as a transducer, powered by a Mark Levinson® Reference digital amplifier.
Subscribe to the Lexus Europe channel and ensure you are updated with our latest news, models, events and campaigns.
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Lexus_EU
