Lexus multimedia (touchscreen, Remote Touch, Lexus Interface)
Touchscreens from 1997, a mouse-like console controller from 2009 and touchscreens again from 2021.
- Maker
- Years
- Versions
- Cars
- Input
Lexus’s late-1990s touchscreens were sold as Lexus Navigator; by the mid-2000s Lexus called its touchscreen Electro Multi Vision, the Toyota name. In 2009 the screen moved higher and out of reach, operated with Remote Touch, a console controller used like a computer mouse. That controller became a slide joystick in 2012 and a touchpad in 2014. The Lexus Interface system of 2021 returned to large touchscreens with a voice assistant and dropped Remote Touch altogether.
Versions
| Version | Years | Display | Input | Operating system | First car | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexus Navigator / Electro Multi Vision touchscreen | 1997 | 7–8-inch, 800 × 480 | Touchscreen, voice | Not recorded | LS (XF20) (earliest in the archive) | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Remote Touch (1st generation) | 2009 | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | 2, 7, 8 |
| Remote Touch Interface (2nd generation) | 2012 | 12.3-inch | Voice | Not recorded | LS (XF40) (earliest in the archive) | 9, 10 |
| Remote Touch Interface touchpad | 2014 | 12.3-inch | Touchpad, voice | Linux | LS (XF50) (earliest in the archive) | 11, 12, 13, 19 |
| Lexus Interface (Lexus Link Connect / Link Pro in Europe) | 2021 | 12.3-inch | Touchscreen, voice | Automotive Grade Linux | LS (XF50) (earliest in the archive) | 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 |
The table scrolls sideways.
Cars fitted
Photos
Version notes
Lexus Navigator / Electro Multi Vision touchscreen
- Factory navigation became a U.S. option on the LS 400 with the September 1997 revision (1998 model year). Lexus UK fitted its touch-screen Lexus Navigator as standard on the revised LS400 in 1998.
- One touchscreen ran navigation, audio, air conditioning and the trip computer, with conventional switches kept for the most-used functions.
- LS 430 (2000): 7-inch LCD with an infra-red touch panel, maps on DVD instead of CD.
- LS 460 (2006): 8-inch VGA (800 x 480) Electro Multi Vision screen, backed by voice control and 28 centre-console buttons; the European LS 600h gained 40 GB hard-disk navigation for the 2010 model year (announced September 2009).
Remote Touch (1st generation)
- Shown at the November 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show and launched in the third-generation RX (2010 model year RX 350 and RX 450h).
- Console controller that moves an on-screen cursor like a computer mouse, with haptic feedback and a cursor that snaps to on-screen buttons.
- Let Lexus mount the display high on the dashboard, closer to the driver's eye line, instead of placing a touchscreen within reach; the on-screen menus were carried over from the touchscreen systems.
Remote Touch Interface (2nd generation)
- Introduced with the 2012 RX update: a slide-type haptic joystick that still works like a mouse, with 'enter' made by pressing the controller.
- In the 2012 LS facelift it drove a 12.3-inch, 24:9 multimedia display that could show two kinds of information side by side.
Remote Touch Interface touchpad
- First used in the NX (2014): a touchpad with palm rest on the centre console for climate, audio and navigation, designed to be usable by the front passenger as well.
- LS (2017): enlarged, frameless touchpad with smartphone-style pinch, scroll, drag and double-tap gestures and handwriting input, paired with a 12.3-inch screen.
- Operating system: Linux (AVN unit fitted to the NX, LS and ES from 2017).
Lexus Interface (Lexus Link Connect / Link Pro in Europe)
- Debuted in the second-generation NX (revealed June 2021, 2022 model year) with a standard 9.8-inch or optional 14-inch touchscreen.
- Built around the 'Hey Lexus' voice assistant, which Lexus intended as the main way to use the system; cloud-based navigation and over-the-air updates.
- Sold in Europe as Lexus Link Connect (9.8-inch) and Lexus Link Pro (14-inch).
- Reached the LS for the 2023 model year with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, replacing the Remote Touch Interface.
Sources
- 1.Lexus LS
- 2.Remote Touch
- 3.Revised Lexus LS400 UK launch press pack (September 1998)
- 4.Lexus LS430 – Redefining Automotive Perfection (26 September 2000)
- 5.Lexus LS 460 UK launch press pack (December 2006)
- 6.Lexus Reveals the 2010 LS 600h (16 September 2009)
- 7.Lexus Reveals The New RX 450h (19 November 2008)
- 8.Introducing the Lexus RX 450h (3 March 2009)
- 9.Lexus Introduces the New RX 450h (6 March 2012)
- 10.Lexus LS (2012 facelift) media launch press pack (November 2012)
- 11.Lexus NX: First Pictures And Further Details Of Lexus's New Compact Crossover (11 April 2014)
- 12.The New Lexus NX 300h: Technology To Keep You In Touch, In Tune And In Control (5 September 2014)
- 13.Fifth-generation Lexus LS UK launch press pack (2017)
- 14.The All-New 2022 Lexus NX: Designed, Engineered with the Future of Luxury in Mind (11 June 2021)
- 15.New Multimedia System to Debut in the All-new Lexus NX (29 July 2021)
- 16.Intuitive Technology Added to 2023 Lexus LS 500, 500h with Lexus Interface Integration (15 November 2022)
- 17.Smarter, better-connected luxury for the 2023 Lexus LS (25 November 2022)
- 18.The Next Era in Multimedia: Lexus Interface Sets a New Standard
- 19.Tencent Keen Security Lab: Experimental Security Assessment on Lexus Cars
Related
Photo credits
Photo credits (8)
- Lexus LS (XF40), centre display, 1 of 2“2010 Lexus LS 460 Navigation System” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Maryland Pride · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Lexus LS (XF30), cockpit“Lexus LS 430 Ultra Luxury cabin” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Altair78, after G. Cologiani · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Lexus LS (XF40), cockpit“Lexus LS 2013 launch Cannes (8777897325)” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns from Latvia · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Lexus LS (XF50), cockpit“LS 500h "EXECUTIVE" (with "Crimson & Black" interior and options)” (opens in a new tab) · © Toyota Motor Corporation · Editorial use (opens in a new tab) · Lexus Global Newsroom
- Lexus LS (XF50), centre display“The center console of Lexus LS500"F SPORT" (DBA-VXFA50-AEUQT(F))” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Lexus LS (XF20), instrument cluster“The Lexus LS 400 instrument panel” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Jon Evans · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Lexus LS (XF30), instrument cluster“Lexus LS430 Instrument Panel” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Chris Yarzab · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · Flickr
- Lexus LS (XF40), centre display, 2 of 2“Center Display - 2013 Lexus LS 460 (9864205516)” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Michael Sheehan · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons