Lexus LF-Gh Hybrid Concept

Lexus LF-Gh Hybrid Concept

A few years ago Lexus announced that it would be the first mainstream automaker to launch a production model fitted with LED headlights, in this case, the LS 600h.

Around the same time, Audi announced that it would be launching LED headlights on its R8 and that its lights would include LED elements for both the low and high beams, while the Lexus only used LEDs for the low beam.

However, what Audi didn’t say was that its LED headlights wouldn’t be launched for more than year.

Now, after pioneering their use in a mainstream model, Lexus is about to launch its first model with all-LED headlights.

That model will be the 2013 Lexus GS 450h hybrid sedan, which comes onto the market next year.

The design will be inspired by the units seen on the LF-Gh concept car, and could be revealed as early as next month’s 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

The advantage of using LEDs is their ultra-high 6,000 Kelvin temperature rating, which is roughly the same color as ordinary daylight. By comparison, xenon lights only manage a 4,100 K rating and the yellowish hue of halogen lamps only rate at 3,200 K.

Other benefits of LEDs are their longer lifespan, smaller overall size and lower power usage. The lights also provide developers with greater freedom for their designs as the diodes can be placed in unconventional arrangements and patterns.

For full details on the 2013 Lexus GS 350, click here, and to see a teaser image of the upcoming GS 450h, click here.