Japanese luxury car brand Lexus seems to be taking note of what its German rivals are able to do successfully, that is selling models with appearance packages for what would otherwise be boring luxury sedans.

So now Lexus has taken the LS460 sedan, which is an incredible luxury sedan, but lacks visual character, and added a bit of aesthetic gravitas.

Called the LS460 Touring Edition, this limited edition model will feature a sporty body kit, sport seats, and a wood and leather steering wheel. Plus you also get a new grille and 19-inch wheels for some extra curb appeal. So if you’ve wanted your LS to stand apart from all the other LS’s at the country club parking lot, this new version would appeal to you.

“The Touring Edition adds excitement to our flagship sedan,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager. “The package on this car enhances styling and comfort, allowing us to attract younger buyers to the LS line-up.”

This new model will be available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions, with prices starting at $73,000.

GALLERY: Lexus LS460 Touring Edition

To launch Toyota’s luxury brand in America, Lexus‘ brilliant marketing team made a now infamous commercial with an LS400, a dyno and a fine collection of champagne glasses. Over two decades later, an avid Lexus enthusiast tried to reenact the ad with his own LS460. Unfortunately his video had some very different results with the champagne glasses tumbling freely and shattering on the ground.

Now most companies wouldn’t even have been aware of such a stunt by one of their customers, but Lexus is on top of what’s going on online, especially if it might adversely affect the brand. So the automaker responded by pulling in their own 2011 Lexus LS460 (as well as a 1990 Lexus LS400), stacked up the champagne glasses, fired up the amateur video camera and proved to the world it can be done… it just has to be done right.

The key for it to work correctly is to ensure that the glasses are leveled when placed on the hood. Both vehicles were revved at a standstill to over 4000 rpm, and both vehicles were left unscathed as the glasses didn’t budge. Kudos to Lexus for engaging its customers in a casual fashion – proving it wasn’t some big dollar production.

Make sure to check out the video after the jump:

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Hot on the heels of their Tokyo Auto Salon showing, Wald International has released a Black Bison Edition styling package for one of Japan’s top luxury sedans, the LS series from Lexus. To show off their new kit, Wald chose to use an LS600h as their demo vehicle, but promises that the Black Bison Edition is compatible with the LS460 and even the LS long wheelbase model.

Similar to all their other Black Bison Edition vehicles, the Lexus LS600h sports a full body kit which includes a new front bumper, blacked out grille, new fenders, side skirts, roof and trunk spoiler, and rear bumper equipped with a new diffuser. Playing tribute to Lexus’ IS-F is a stacked quad-tipped exhaust system with a design similar to the factory IS-F’s unit.

Wald chose to outfit their Lexus LS600h with a set of their own Mahor wheels, which are available in a variety of widths in a 22-inch and 24-inch variety. No pricing has been announced for the Black Bison Edition Lexus LS package.

GALLERY: Wald International Lexus LS600h Black Bison Edition

According to a recent report in Japan’s Best Car magazine, Lexus is planning a sport version of its flagship LS sedan. The LS460 SZ, as it is to be called, will get a stylish new aero kit with a new front and rear bumper, new side skirts and a dark black chrome grille.

The SZ badge, rather than an “F” badge indicates that this is not a high performance model, so don’t look for any big power upgrades. Still, drivers are sure to appreciate an upgraded Brembo braking system and a new set of BBS wheels.

According to 4WheelsNews the price works out to $94,425, but Lexus hasn’t officially admitted the LS460 SZ is coming.

[Source: 4WheelsNews]

Mercedes tuner Lorinser has just announced that it is now tuning Lexus vehicles and the first of the Japanese Mercs to get a German makeover is the flagship LS sedan.

While Lorinser offers more cutting-edge designs for Mercedes vehicles (compared to more traditional tuners like Brabus), it has gone the conservative route with this Lexus. The package includes a new aero kit that features a front bumper with integrated fog lights, as well as side skirts and a rear bumper. The new rear bumper also features integrated exhaust pipes, much like the ones found on the IS-F sports sedan. The final piece is a subtle trunk lid spoiler.

Lorinser will also offer wheels for Lexus vehicles, such as the light alloy RS9 models shown above.

Currently no performance upgrades are available for the LS and while that is certainly a pssibility in the future, Lorinser is really more about aesthetic modifications than power-adders.

With the popularity of Lexus vehicles its not surprising that Lorinser has chosen to abandon its “just-Mercedes” policy, especially during these economic hard-times when the company’s botton-line is sure to be hurting. Still, if any Mercedes tuner is to get into the Japanese luxury segment, the Lorinser brand (focused more on style than performance) makes the most sense.

GALLERY: Lorinser Lexus LS460