2022 Lexus LS 500h AWD debuts with Toyota's Advanced Drive autonomous driving tech
Three days ago, Toyota debuted its Advanced Drive autonomous driving tech in Japan, and the first vehicles to receive it are the 2022 Lexus LS and Toyota Mirai FCEV. Our report stated Advanced Drive is arriving in all U.S.-bound Lexus LS models – particularly the LS 500h hybrid – very soon, but we weren't expecting it to come this soon.
In an official press release, the 2022 Lexus LS 500h hybrid AWD will get the all-new Lexus Teammate ADAS technology. However, Lexus Teammate will also come with Toyota's Advanced Drive and Advanced Park, effectively making the LS hybrid the first Lexus vehicle in America to come standard with features similar to Tesla Autopilot and Cadillac Super Cruise.
"We are very proud of Lexus Teammate, which is the culmination of five years of close collaboration between our technical centers in Japan and the US," said Derek Caveney, executive engineer at Toyota Motor North America's Integrated Vehicle Systems team. "We conducted simultaneous development and rigorous testing in both markets with the goal of achieving industry-leading advanced driver assistance functionality."
We already mentioned Lexus Teammate and Park Assist in an earlier report on the 2021 Lexus LS. Park Assist takes over the steering, braking, and acceleration when parking the vehicle. But with the infusion of Toyota's Advanced Park, the system utilizes 360-degree sensing and ultrasonic sensors to offer a bird's eye view of the vehicle's immediate surroundings.
Meanwhile, Advanced Drive is Toyota's Level 2 autonomous driving system. It supports the partial hands-free, eyes-on-the-road operation by controlling the acceleration, braking, and steering. Advanced Drive also enables lane changing, lane following, overtaking, and slow traffic operation with minimal driver intervention.
Lexus Teammate with Advanced Drive and Advanced Park is standard in the 2022 Lexus LS 500h hybrid AWD. We have no word on whether the base rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model will get Lexus Teammate, but Lexus did say the AWD hybrid is arriving at dealerships this fall. Pricing and other details remain forthcoming.
We do know the 2022 Lexus LS 500h AWD will carry on with its 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and two electric motors, pumping out a combined output of 354 horsepower. It has a nifty four-speed automatic gearbox combined with a CVT, probably the only vehicle in the industry to have so. According to Lexus, the RWD LS 500h accelerates to 60 mph in 5.1-seconds, not too shabby for a full-size luxury sedan.