Lexus LY650 flags car-maker’s move into the luxury ocean cruiser market

Lexus has promised the 65-foot Lexus LY650 sport cruiser, revealed late last year in its virtual form, is more than just a “flash in the pan”, with plans already in place to expand its range of powerboats, including smaller and larger models and different variations.

Related stories:

The Lexus LY650, only the second car-badged boat from the brand since the 2017 launch of the one-off Sport Yacht concept, is a 65-foot Flybridge cruiser built by Wisconsin-based Marquis Yachts, and, in standard form, is powered by twin Volvo Penta D3 IPS 1050 inboard engines with a Class B certification for ocean cruising.

The Lexus LY650 is expected to cost between $US3.7-$4.7 million ($A5.4-6.9 million) when it makes its global debut at the 2019 Miami Boat Show in a fortnight.

But there is more to come, as Marquis Yachts realigns its business and product line-up in association with Lexus.

A full complement of Lexus yachts is already under development, which will take over as the premium models in the Marquis range. Marquis’ existing yachts will become a mid-level tier, slotting in between the high-end Lexus-badged boats and the entry-level Carver range.

“This is the first in the line-up,” Marquis Yachts design and engineering vice-president Josh Delforge told boatsales at the media launch of the Lexus LY650 in Florida this week.

“It is not intended to be a flash in the pan. There will be more models, bigger and smaller. This is just the beginning,” he said.

Delforge confirmed the company was already advanced on building a coupe-bodied LY650, replacing the flybridge with a large opening sunroof, and that it has four hulls under construction – each with an owner already allocated.

“The Lexus range will replace our 63- and 72-foot models, which are getting a bit old now, and we are developing a newer line of Marquis boats that will be completely different to this,” Delforge said.

“We don't want to cannibalise this by having a similar model in the Marquis range. This is our new premium offering.”

Toyota, the parent company of Lexus and the world’s biggest car-maker, has its own marine division and has produced a range of smaller cruisers under the Ponam brand ranging from 26 to 45 feet.

However, the company’s global boss, Akio Toyoda, said it was critical that Lexus forged a partnership with a known quantity in the field of luxury ocean cruisers in order for the Lexus LY650 to live up to the hallmarks expected from the brand.

“When we decided we are going to build a Lexus boat, of course we didn’t have any expertise or know-how in boat building [at this level],” Toyoda said.

“So we therefore decided to build a concept boat [the 2017 Sport Yacht], and look for a boat-maker that could create such a boat for us.

“We wanted to find a partner that could offer us a mutually beneficial relationship – a win-win relationship so to speak. And, after a search, we found Marquis Yachts, and the result is fantastic.”

While the LY650 is currently cruising on the canals between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Rotan ahead of the Miami show, it almost didn’t make it here.

The boat was shipped to Florida in three pieces a month ago for final assembly and testing at a nearby marina. But the recent Hurricane Dorian that decimated the Bahamas forced the marina to shut down and recover boats that needed refuge from the storm.

Luckily, the hurricane headed north and didn’t hit the Florida coast before it fizzled out, and the Lexus LY650 was only completed a week ago.