Lexus turns to Horizon to build next luxury motor yacht
Lexus has asked Horizon Yachts to help it shape its latest entry into the motor yacht worldLexus, the luxury car brand built by Toyota, is about to have another crack at making a boat, but this time it is pairing up with Taiwanese luxury motor yacht specialists Horizon.
The announcement was made tonight at a special event called by Horizon Yacht, the yacht-maker that also announced it was looking to launch a 130-foot-plus model.
The new Lexus motor yacht was teased in a presentation that also announced that Horizon recently had commissioned a new 1000-tonne boat lift, capable of lifting a yacht of up to around 60 metres in length.
The single image shows a four-level superyacht, which will become the largest member of the brand's FD "fast displacement" series of motor yachts.
Horizon Yacht chief executive John Lu said the yacht on the screen would be a new model that would push beyond the brand’s current limit already set by another boat it intends to build, the four-level, 38.0-metre FD130 concept.
Lu said Horizon was yet to commit to building the FD130.
The FD Series uses a plumb bow to create more room forward than a traditionally fine bow can allow, creating space above for a full-beam forward master stateroom, and more room below decks for a spacious VIP suite.
The design of the FD130 will see it displace around 160 tonnes light. By the time fuel and water are added, the motor yacht will likely be pushing 180 tonnes.
The Lexus LY 650, the first motor yacht to wear the luxury brand's mark, was launched in 2019 and built in the US. At the time of its launch, Lexus teased that the LY 650 was the first in what would grow to be a family of Lexus-badged motor yachts.
Toyota, the parent company of Lexus and one of the world’s biggest car-makers, has a separate marine division and has produced a range of smaller cruisers under the Ponam brand ranging from 26 to 45 feet.
At the time of the LY 650’s launch, the company said it was critical that Lexus forged a partnership with a known quantity in the field of luxury ocean cruisers so that the Lexus LY650 could live up to the hallmarks expected from the brand.
Lexus is expected to announce more details of its new superyacht later this month.
Specifications*
Model: Horizon FD130
Length: 38.0m
Beam: 8.0m
Draft: 1.7m
Engines: 2x1800hp CAT C32A
Genset: 2x Onan 65kW (50Hz/60Hz)
Weight: 160,000kg
Fuel: 30,280L
Water: 2270L
Passengers: 18
*Preliminary specifications
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