The Toyota Alphard has been a surprising hit in the Philippines, particularly at high-end casinos.

It may be a minivan, but it offers a level of panache, refinement and interior space that would put even the biggest luxury sedans to shame. And for those who want an Alphard that truly cossets, there’s the Lexus LM.

Toyota’s luxury brand will debut the next-generation LM at the 2023 Auto Shanghai on April 18 to 27, 2023. It will be unveiled before the launch of the all-new Alphard in Japan sometime May 2023.

Although Lexus has not yet released the final details of the all-new LM, it has provided a teaser photo of the luxury minivan showing its D-pillar. It highlights the chrome trim and downward-sweeping quarter window for a “floating roof” effect.

This is reminiscent of design features in renderings of the upcoming Alphard, including the large taillights. There are also possible leaks of the Alphard’s new front end.

Hybrid version ahead?

The current-generation, Philippine-market Lexus LM uses the same engine as its Alphard sibling.

Under the hood is a 3.5-liter, twin-cam, 24-valve V6 gasoline engine pumping out 300 PS and 300 Nm of torque.

In other markets, the LM is available with a 2.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. This hybrid LM 300h has a combined output of 200 PS and 206 Nm of torque.

However, reports said the next Alphard may use the Dynamic Force petrol-electric hybrid powertrain has already seen action in the Toyota Crown SportCross, producing 340 PS and 542 Nm of torque.

Given that the LM is the Alphard’s fancier sibling, it could get this punchy hybrid powerplant, too.

What do you want to see in the next-generation Lexus LM?

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