The Lexus LS-460, due to ship later this year, will have more technology features than any other vehicle offered for sale in the North American Market, according to Telematics Research Group (TRG). The car includes a factory-installed 30 GB hard disk drive partitioned for music and navigation. TRG president and principal analyst Phil Magney said the only other car to offer a factory-installed hard disk drive is the Mercedes S-class, but its drive is only for navigation.
The new Lexus also has three cameras for lane departure warning and park assist, plus a touch-screen and voice-activated navigation system; Bluetooth phone control; monitored telematics; live traffic reports and a 19-speaker audio system that reads MP3 and other compressed audio formats (i.e., MP3).
"Based on our criteria of 30 technology features in the areas of telematics, infotainment, and driver assist technologies, the LS-460 scores the highest of all vehicles," Magney said. The 2006 BMW 7-series and the 2007 Mercedes S-class are a close second, followed by the Lexus LX-470. “In all, 13 vehicles make up the top five list of vehicles having the most technologies. In terms of brands only five OEMs hold positions here--BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus and Acura.” Eight of the vehicles are priced more than $50,000, three are priced from $40,000 to $50,000, and two are priced between $30,000 and $40,000. Two of the 13 vehicles are SUVs while the rest are near-luxury or luxury sedans.