Lexus GS 450h - Frankfurt reveal

The revised 2010 Lexus GS 450h launched at Frankfurt

Lexus has updated the GS450h for 2010 with styling tweaks, new technology and a new pre-crash safety system.

We seem to have missed this one somewhere along the line. We can’t remember seeing it on the floor at Frankfurt, and it’s not in any of the thousands of photos we’ve got from Frankfurt. So it’s a good job Lexus sent us an email this morning with details to nudge us awake.

We covered the Lexus LF-Ch quite a bit – it was the Lexus big card for Frankfurt – and we managed to catch up with the 2010 LS600h yesterday. But Lexus has also had a fiddle with the GS 450h to produce a 2010 model.

Much like the LS 600h the GS 450h gets few exterior tweaks to freshen it up, including a new grill, new rear lights and a fresh set of 18″ alloys on the SE-L version. The interior benefits from new leather and wood and – hold your breath – a new starter button.

To be fair, Lexus are also throwing in a few electronic goodies to the hybrid GS, including a 40gb hard-drive SatNav with European coverage, Bluetooth connectivity and a new DAB radio. They’re also making big play of a new pre-crash safety system which adds pre-crash brake technology to the existing pre-crash seatbelt and brake-assist functions.

Both front seats are fitted with new, inflator-operated active headrests, activated by a signal from the ECU in the event of a rear-end impact. The inflator slides a piston into the headrest, unlocks the mechanism and projects the headrest forwards and upwards to support the occupant’s head and reduce the risk of whiplash injury.

The tweaked GS 450h is due to go on sale in the UK early in 2010, but Lexus hasn’t decided how much we have to pay for the revised GS hybrid yet.

We’ll let you know prices when we get them.