Lexus LY680: What we know so far

However, while the new Lexus LY 680 will look very similar to the Lexus LY 650 it replaces, there will be significant differences between the models.

Only four of the previous Lexus LY 650 motor yachts were sold, with Lexus acting on customer feedback to introduce running changes for the updated model.

Lexus has floated big expectations that the new model will be more popular than the version it replaces, with plans to put at least 20 into production.

What do we know so far about the new model? Lexus was answering questions at the official launch of the new-look LY 680 at the Horizon Open House, the annual event when the Taiwan-based luxury boat brand Horizon opens its factory doors to customers.

Here is what we discovered.

The Lexus LY 680 will be built at the same Taiwan-based factory that turns out the Horizon Yachts range of highly customised luxury motor yachts.

The previous model, the Lexus LY 650, was built in the US. However, it was expensive for its size, with production ending with only four sales globally including one in the US.

Lexus has already started the process of shipping the LY 650 moulds to Taiwan. Once there, the moulds will be modified with a couple of significant changes before Horizon ramps up the LY 680’s production.

Customers who bought the original Lexus LY 650 all said they wanted a larger upper deck space.

The original boat featured a compact flybridge deck extending part-way over the cockpit space below it. There was space for a forward helm with a large sunbed beside it, and an L-shaped aft seating area with a table.

The redesigned Lexus LY 680 keeps the helm and forward sunbed in the same positions. However, the aft section becomes a large U-shaped lounge that extends aft as far as the transom, while overhead, the hardtop that covers the space adds two side supports. The design also appears to have a more open design that exposes the floor around the lounge.

On the deck below, everything remains the same, although there are now two aft pillars to support the flybridge.

The original Lexus LY 650 included a short swim deck integrated into the transom, and accessed via steps leading down from the aft cockpit. It was adequate, but again owners wanted more space.

The new Lexus LY 680 will feature a swim deck that looks twice as big as the one it replaces. When it launches, instead of limiting its use to sitting a pair of deck chairs side by side, owners will be able to easily use it as a dining space with a table.

The most obvious feature on show at Horizon’s Open House launch of the new Lexus LY 680 were the Volvo Penta pod drives, carried over from the original model.

That means a full Volvo Penta drivetrain and all its add-on features, such as the latest Virtual Glasshouse displays at the helm through to joystick steering – now possible at any speed.

Lexus prides itself on the low emissions of its road-going vehicles, so there’s a good chance we will see the new-look motor yacht adopting Volvo Penta’s hybrid drive system that combines a diesel engine with an electric motor.

The electric motor can either assist the conventional engine to get the Lexus LY 680 up onto the plane or let it run silently and emissions-free through the marina.

Love the Lexus logo built into the floor of the LY 650? It will be built into the new model. A Lexus spokesman at the Horizon Open House told boatsales the plan was to keep everything looking like the model launched in 2019, and based on the 2017 Lexus Sport Yacht Concept.

The Lexus LY680 will keep its three-stateroom layout below, sleeping up to six people in comfort, as well as the light and airy saloon featuring a forward helm station.

Lexus expects to have its first LY 680 off the production line either by the end of 2025 or early in 2026.

However, potential buyers here will need a bit more patience. The new model will initially go on sale in Japan before opening the order books for other markets, including the US and Australia.