Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Tuners, Sedans/Saloons, Lexus

Lexus is gearing up for a big showing at SEMA. In addition to bringing four tuned IS Fs, including one from our friends at 0-60 magazine and another from Fox Marketing/Artisan Performance, long-time Toyota collaborator, Five Axis, will be debuting a heavily reworked GS 460 in Vegas.

Also on hand will be IS Fs from Import Tuner/Tein and MotorworldHype, along with an ICON-designed LX 570 sporting serious off-road upgrades, an IS 350 kitted out with F-Sport accessories and a prototype body kit, plus the 2009 IS F with a handful of upgrades and a new interior color. Hit the jump for all the details.

Continue reading SEMA Preview: Lexus GS 460 by Five Axis

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Filed under: Car Buying, Lexus, Toyota

The US auto industry has hit a serious slump in 2008, with overall sales estimated drop by two million vehicles compared to 2007. Even the mighty Toyota has seen sales slip by 7.8%, which is better than the industry average, but a far cry from annual increases of 10%. And times may not improve in 2009 either, as the credit crunch and mortgage crisis have conspired to kick the auto industry in the pants. Toyota sales boss Jim Lentz says the mortgage crisis is the main culprit of tough sledding for the Japanese automaker. Florida and California, which account for 30% of overall Toyota Sales, have been especially hard hit by decreased home values. Lexus sales have been hit hard, too, as one third of all of purchasers in the Sunshine State use home equity to buy their luxury vehicles. It doesn’t take an accounting degree to know that houses are typically assets and cars are almost always liabilities. That large amounts of people who were using home equity to purchase cars is disturbing, and it’s likely a trend that isn’t unique to Toyota.

Toyota does see light at the end of the tunnel, as the Japanese automaker expects the US population to grow by 32 million in the next decade. Toyota also expects the rate of affluent customers to rise, which means more people with more money will want to buy a new car or truck. For the near term, since housing has gone nowhere but down and lenders are having trouble coming up with money, we’re guessing the car market will be taking a hit for quite a while.

[Source: Detroit News]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Lexus, Canada

At last year’s Targa Newfoundland, driver Mark Lachapelle brought his Lexus GS 450h — yeah, that’s a hybrid — home 18th overall, and sixth in his division. This year he’ll return to the 2,200-kilometer race which runs over six days through the central and eastern part of the island.

The 339 hp Lexus is the only one of last year’s hybrid contestants to return, and is kitted for duty with just a safety cage, performance exhaust and upgraded shock absorbers. Slotted into the modern division, this year’s race will pit the Japanese hybrid against big bore Americana: among other competitors, Ralph Gilles and Karen Wagner are scheduled to drive a Dodge Challenger SRT in the same class.

Targa Newfoundland runs from September 13-20, and if you want to keep up with the action in a timely manner, check out Autonet.ca. For you French speakers, go to the French version of Autonet.ca, or PassionPerformance.ca.

[Source: Lexus]

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Filed under: Convertibles, Paris Motor Show, Lexus

It’s been rumored for months, but now it’s confirmed: Lexus will unveil the IS 250 convertible in Paris this October. The Lexus IS 250 C will be the third derivative of the IS range and will go into production early next year. IS 250 and 350 variants are planned, but in order to capitalize on the gotta-have-it crowd’s penchant for The New - and the demise of the SC 430 - Lexus will likely roll out the 350 variant further down the line. Expect an IS F version to follow sometime in late 2009 or early 2010.

Make the jump for the press release.

Continue reading Confirmed: Lexus to bring IS 250 C convertible to Paris

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Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Lexus

Although we’ve heard the rumors before, and it still seems like a no-brainer, Lexus has remained mum on the introduction of an IS coupe. With its assault on everything held dear to the Bimmer and Merc people, it’s simply a matter of time before Lexus takes aim at the 3-series and C-classes that have remained largely unchallenged in the sports coupe market.

The most recent news rumor comes via Nihon Car, who procured the above scan from the Japanese mag Car-Top. Granted, the photochopped image above is simply wishful thinking (that rear window looks a bit awkward), but a hardtop convertible version of the IS would be right at home in Lexus dealerships and in the garages of BMW and Mercedes refugees. But until we start seeing spy shots, we’ll be taking that grain of salt, thank you very much.

[Source: Nihon Car and Bike]

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A brief introduction to Toyota Altezza. Altezza was introduced to compete against the BMW 3 Series and the Nissan Skyline/Infiniti G. The first-generation Altezza (codename XE10) was launched in Japan in October 1998, while the Lexus IS 200 made its debut in Europe in 1999 and the IS 300 in North America in 2001.
All car […]

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I would acknowledge this car as rich liberal’s guilt free car. The new luxury hybrid LS600hL is powered by a 5-liter V8 engine that gives out 389 horse power enough to push this 5220 pound masterpiece. The car reaches 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and…

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Lexus U.K. director, Steve Settle, has confirmed that LF-A (Lexus’ first supercar) is set to go hybrid. In an interview with MotorTrader, he was quoted:

This car will not be an adaptation of anything that already exists – it will be something…

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Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Podcasts, Coupes, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Hatchbacks

After a far-too-long hiatus, we’re back with podcast #62, in which we recap the New York Auto Show. A large contingent of Autobloggers attended the show, and we’re hot to talk about what we saw. The first target we take aim at is Subaru, which trotted out its newly restyled Impreza, WRX and Tribeca. Caspar Milquetoast, your cars have arrived. Ford actually did something bold by translating the Fairlane concept in to the Flex production vehicle. Opinions are split on whether it’s exciting, or just some kind of bastard offspring from a MINI/Scion xB tryst. Let’s just call it a modern interpretation of the Country Squire, without the woodgrain vinyl appliqué. Also over at the Ford stand was special-edition Mustang #6,463: the Shelby GT500KR. Whoopdedooyeeha! Sure, it’s badass, what more needs to be said? GM had three well-turned-out microcars that we were all calling the Triplets. The Groove, Beat and Trax are variations on a theme, and they definitely generated buzz. We’re glad to see the General doing small cars, as well as some of the new developments over at the HUMMER area.

Speaking of buzz, the Hyundai Genesis concept takes aim at high end luxury/performance sedans from German and Japanese manufacturers. As is their wont, Hyundai will be pricing it around 30 grand to start, and offering V8 power sent to the rear wheels, all wrapped in a handsome (if derivative) skin. Speaking of handsome skin, Infiniti dropped the G37 on us, and it’s not only a significant upgrade from the outgoing G35 coupe, it stands apart from the G35 sedan, as well. While ogling the G37’s tight lines, we bumped into the EX concept that was exceptionally well done. We wrap up by briefly touching on the de-cuted Liberty, the Lexus LX570, which no longer looks like a Land Cruiser with a different grille, and finally, our visit to Mercedes on our way back to the windowless confines of the media room.

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Lexus has become one of the major players in the automobile industry in US luxury car market and is now planning to grab a market share at the German luxury marques using its hybrid advantage.

Being one of the pioneers in the hybrid technology and…

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The owner of Lexus LS460 out there, you can now change the looks of your LS460 with TOMS bodypart.
The new bodyparts will make your monster more eye-catching. The bodyparts comprises of the following parts :

Body kit
Exhaust Kit
Sports air filter
Hyper compressor kit
New brakes
New dampers and springs
Body reinforcements and a more efficient Limited Slip Differential.

For the pricing, […]

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Without a doubt, most of today’s new cars come loaded with sophisticated technologies that were the stuff of sci-fi a few decades ago. Technological equipments that were once provided only for high end luxury cars such as navigational systems are now available even in relatively more modest entry-level vehicles. With this abundance of desirable high […]

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Toyota has figured a stunning FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept and has plans to unveil this concept at North American international auto show. The design is really a marvel and I am sure the enthusiasts will find it appealing. This 2-door sports coupe…

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lexus, Toyota

Click the image above view our high-resolution gallery of the Lexus LF-A

“Lexus recycles” is a headline you’d be more likely to see on our sister-site Autoblog Green, but we’re not talking about production materials or old cars…we’re talking concept cars here. Having shown the LF-A concept car here in Detroit two years ago at the 2005 NAIAS, Toyota’s premium brand reworked it and brought it back to share the stage with the pre-production IS-F performance sedan at their Detroit press conference.

The LF-A is a front-engined supercar with a 500-horsepower V10. The 2007 version has some revised styling; the front end, in particular, is more curvaceous and enticing than the 2005 show car on which it’s based.

Will Toyota give it the green light for production? Nothing’s confirmed, but the signs are pointing in the right direction. Lexus revealed that they’ve been conducting engineering analyses on the car. Test mules have been spotted undergoing road testing, and at the press conference, Lexus executives suggested it could be the next F model to join their new performance line-up alongside the IS-F.

Does the world need another supercar? No, not really. Do we want one? Oh yes, yes we do.

Follow the jump for the official press release and our own high-resolution gallery here.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Lexus LF-A, take two

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Lexus

click the image above view our high-resolution gallery of the Lexus IS-F

The boys over at Lexus were dialing F for Fast as they took the wraps off their new performance division with the presentation of two high-performance show cars. The LF-A supercar was a revised and updated version of the one they showed here two years ago - more on that later - but center stage belonged to the highly anticipated IS-F super-sedan.

Just a few hours before the press conference, a few factory images were leaked (which followed an internet ad that went online a tad early), and we’re happy to report that the car is as impressive and aggressive in the flesh as it is in the photos - despite the poor lighting on stage that would make even the cast of Sesame Street look shady. The gaping air intakes up front, the side skirts cutting out from the side vents behind the front wheels and the rear bumper with trick quad tailpipes would look at home on the DTM circuit. Inside are special sports buckets in either black or contrasti-licious white and black leather, plus silver fiber-weave trim, drilled aluminum pedals and shift indicator lights on the dash that let you know this is a place of business as much as other Lexus models are luxury enclaves.

Follow the jump for more of our thoughts on the LF-A, the official press release, and our own high-resolution gallery here.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: IS-F puts the pedal to the floor for Lexus

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Auction Action, Lexus

So far this year we’ve seen several famous movie cars up for sale. There was the Ghostbusters Ecto 1, and Kinight Rider’s KITT also changed hands. Now for something completely different.

In 2002, Lexus was commissioned to build several futuristic cars for use in the Philip K. Dick-inspired Minority Report. If you watched that movie and said to yourself, “When oh when will I be able to drive a wild car like Tom Cruise?” then there’s an eBay auction you need to check out. Up for sale is one of (supposedly) three 2054-model year Lexuses. Bidding on the private auction begins at $88,000 and is likely to get closer to the estimated $125,000 it cost Lexus to build it.

Unlike Ecto 1 or that smart-mouthed KITT, this movie car isn’t built on an existing chassis. Instead, the auction description claims, it was built from scratch by Lexus. Oddly enough, it’s powered by a Chevrolet V6, which leads us to believe the car may have initially been a non-running background car used in the film as a prop. It was probably later transformed into the semi-street legal (check local laws, the auction advises) exotic you see for sale. Shots of the super-spartan interior reinforce that suspicion. Luckily, the owner says a custom interior will be installed for the auction winner.

Despite its current source of propulsion, this would be one helluva car to go to your 2054 class reunion in. That would be my, um, 65th class reunion. Hmmm. Perhaps the Munsters’ hearse would be more appropriate for most of us.

[Sources: eBay, rarecars.org]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Trends, Etc., Euro, Cadillac

PHOTOS UPDATED

Cadillac is already on the upswing here in the US, and has been for some time. The image repair that GM has been able to carry out is impressive, and the rebirth is poised to enter phase two. GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz and Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor both commented at the Geneva Motor Show that Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are in their gunsights, and that a 3-series-esque family of models could emerge from the CTS. A wagon version of the CTS is getting serious consideration as Cadillac looks at taking the fight to European turf.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

Continue reading Decision on CTS siblings coming soon

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai

Hyundai’s working on a rear-wheel-drive successor to its home-market Equus luxury sedan. The car’s expected to debut at the New York Auto Show in April, and these most recent spy shots show it with less camouflage than we’ve seen it wearing in the past. You can’t see the front end, but you get a really good look at the clean flanks. The roofline pays homage to the Euro iron Hyundai undoubtedly has in its sights; not to mention the high-end Japanese makes like Infiniti and Lexus. The kink in the lower portion of the C-pillar is a nod directly to BMW - though Infiniti copied it first. Power will be provided by the Azera’s 3.8 liter V6 at the bottom end, while there’s a 4.6 liter V8 reportedly generating over 300 horsepower for the top-of-the-line car. This looks like a large vehicle, and we car nuts welcome more RWD platforms with available V8s - they’re a hoot to be irresponsible in. Rumors have the entry price in the $30,000 range, which is a mighty deal if it continues with Hyundai’s recent formula. Expect to find styling that’s pleasant in an inoffensive, non-polarizing way when the wraps come off, and we’re sure that equipment levels will be high and suspension calibrations will tend toward the softer side. How soft it goes will determine whether it’s a spiritual successor to the Crown Victoria, or if it plays in more rarified air occupied by the aforementioned lux-marques.

[Source: The Car Blogger via GM Inside News]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai

While comparisons to the Accord and Camry may be more apt, Hyundai has their sights set on more upscale targets. The Korean company has been looking upmarket for vehicles to benchmark when developing their cars, and that philosophy will extend to marketing. One of the new spots touts the Sonata’s horsepower advantage over the BMW 525i, while another concedes that even though the Azera can’t self-park (a dubious feature, at best), it offers a well-equipped luxury sedan for less than half of an LS460’s price, allowing you to pay someone to park your Azera.

It would seem that Hyundai makes a regular practice of looking over the heads of direct competitors, shooting for a segment above their actual market slot. Indeed, the Mercedes ML ‘ute was a target when the new Santa Fe was being worked up, and at the Concept Genesis’s recent debut during the New York Auto Show, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes were heard, while the existence of Honda or Toyota wasn’t even acknowledged. The last Hyundai campaign we can even recall is the “Hyundai, Yes, Hyundai” effort of the early 1990s, when Hyundai’s hottest offering was the Scoupe. They’ve come a long way from building Mitsubishi cast-offs, and Hyundai is now a force to be reckoned with.

[Source: Automotive News (Sub req’d)]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Lexus

click above for high-res pics of the 2008 Lexus IS F

Lexus announced today that its super sedan, the IS F, will hit the market with a base price of $56,000. In exchange for your money, Lexus will give you an IS sedan stuffed with a 5.0L V8 producing 416 horsepower and 371 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm, with which you could reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds if so inclined. Attached to the muscle car-like motor is an 8-speed automatic with lighting quick 0.1 second shifts, and Lexus has fortified the car with a suspension tuned in Germany on the Nurburgring and Japan on Fuji Speedway. There’s also bigger brakes, larger wheels and boy-racer bodywork that has yet to grow on us.

Let’s get this out of the way first…

• 2008 BMW M3 Sedan: Pricing N/A, 414-hp 4.0L V8
• 2008 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG: Pricing N/A, 507-hp 6.3L V8
• 2009 Cadillac CTS-V: Pricing N/A, 550-hp 6.2L V8
• 2007 Audi RS4: $66,910, 420-hp 4.2L V8

It would seem that the MSRP of the Lexus IS-F, while high by any Average Joe’s standards, compares favorably with at least the Audi RS4. We’ll have to wait on pricing for the rest of these next-gen super sedans before we can tell you which one’s the best value. The IS F’s engine, meanwhile, falls short of only the indomitable AMG 6.3L V8 and a detuned version of the Corvette ZR-1 engine, and there’s no shame in that.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading 2008 Lexus IS F to start at $56,000

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