Lexus auto news

Screaming green Lexus LFA likely to split opinions

The fabulously wealthy face all sorts of dilemmas that the rest of us never have to bother with. If you can afford a Lexus LFA, for example, what color do you opt for? Red is clearly for the Ferrari in your stable. Black belongs on your hearse, and... copper? Well, that's best left for your LX570. What you want is something that makes a statement. A color that kicks puppies and steals candy from kids on Halloween. Green. You want the kind of green that will make Lamborghini Gallardo owners look tasteful by comparison.

That's exactly what the buyer of LFA number 250 went with. We aren't entirely sure what the color is called, but our retinas won't be the same for a week. The hue is almost a more violent version of the Emerald Green found on early '70s Porsche 911 models. The paint might not look quite as at home as it does on vintage Porsche sheetmetal, but we still love it (something tells tells us there will be plenty of you who fall on the other side of the fence). What do you think? Have your say in Comments.

Video: 2013 Lexus GS unleashed in Super Bowl ad

Lexus has a redesigned GS that it truly believes can compete with the likes of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. So it's going where the eyeballs are with its marketing, ponying up for the brand's first-ever Super Bowl ad. Lexus' commercial is just a 30-second spot, joining the likes of Acura, Audi, Cadillac and other brands buying time during the big game.

Lexus is calling its ad, "The Beast," which calls to mind both President Obama's limo and the 2009 documentary by Eric Bana. The actual spot, however, has a rather hackneyed sci-fi theme: A GS350 is locked up in a shipping container sized cage in a lab, and uses its new "Lexus spindle grille" to break free in a destructive orgy of CGI.

Click past the jump to watch the whole ad.

Continue reading 2013 Lexus GS unleashed in Super Bowl ad

Study: NADA: Dealers most happy with Hyundai, Subaru and Lexus

The National Automobile Dealers Association conducts its Dealer Attitude Survey twice each year, and results from the summer survey are in. Hyundai stayed on top for the third time in a row, followed by Subaru, Lexus, Kia, and Mercedes-Benz. The survey measures three factors: "franchise value, automaker policy decisions that affect the dealership and the automaker's field staff who visit dealerships."

Sixth place went to Toyota, while Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi followed. Cadillac and Honda tied for tenth. NADA received responses from over 14,700 dealerships, representing almost 54 percent of all dealers nationwide.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading NADA: Dealers most happy with Hyundai, Subaru and Lexus

Official: 2013 Lexus LX 570 price increased to $81,805*

A new Lexus LX 570 is going to set you back nearly $82k after you add $875 delivery to its $80,930 base price. The luxury version of the Toyota Land Cruiser wears a new Lexus spindle grille, one that's big enough to make Rumplestiltskin proud, and it has revised front and rear fascias among the other upgrades that Lexus says justify its 1.9-percent price increase.

Among the other new-for-2013 features are an updated Crawl Control mode and terrain-select for the all-wheel-drive system, because what Lexus owner doesn't enjoy serious rock-crawling? A new multimedia system with the next-generation Lexus Enform system is also part of the deal, which seems much more in line with real-world customer behavior, as Enform allows drivers to use Facebook and Yelp, among other services.

For those LX 570 buyers who just must have it all, there's also a $1,510 luxury package that adds some higher grade trim and features, and a backseat entertainment system for $2,005.

Toyota only sold 3,167 units of the Lexus LX last year, down by about 20 percent.

To read the full release, click past the jump.

Continue reading 2013 Lexus LX 570 price increased to $81,805*

Video: First Lexus Super Bowl ad to star 2013 GS

Given a moment's thought, it's a little surprising that Lexus, a luxury brand that changed the game, has never run an ad during the Super Bowl. But the home of L-Finesse not only has nine new or updated cars coming out this year, led by the 2013 GS, it has a new attitude, which will be "uncontained" in a 30-second spot while the Niners play the Patriots the NFL champion is decided.

The ad will be supported by a campaign called "TweetDrive Engineered by Lexus," and those with a Twitter account and a bunch of correct answers will have a chance to win a trip to that Bowl of Superness. The spot arrives on February 5. For now, you can watch the teaser trailer and check out the press release and contest details after the jump.

Continue reading First Lexus Super Bowl ad to star 2013 GS

Report: Lexus pondering CT variants, seven-seat people mover

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Only in this case, when we say "goose," we mean Toyota, and when we say "gander," we mean Lexus.

Take, for instance, the Japanese auto giant's hybrid strategy. Leave aside hybrid drivetrains available in conventional models (like the Toyota Camry Hybrid or the Lexus GS 450h) and look directly at the stand-alone hybrid models like the Prius, which has grown from a single model into an entire range into an of itself. Now Lexus is reportedly preparing to follow suit.

Fortunately that won't mean more vehicles like the HS, which is being discontinued, but more variants based on the CT 200h. In the coming years we could be looking at more body-styles based on the hybrid hatchback, though details remain scarce at this point.

The expansion of the CT family is only part of a larger product push for Lexus, which reportedly plans nine new or significantly updated models before the end of this year. The new GS sedan is to come first, followed by new versions of the ES, IS and LS, plus hybrid and F-Sport versions. A facelifted LX sport-ute just debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, and we could see the addition of a seven-seat crossover (to compete with the new Infiniti JX) and a new coupe to succeed the long-gone SC.

All in all it's shaping up to be quite an ambitious campaign to propel Lexus back to the top of the luxury car market, a position reclaimed in recent years by the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Video: Lexus LFA Roadster makes appearance at Japanese drift event

If top-down motoring is your cup of tea, there are few droptops that could elicit as many smiles per sun-drenched hour than the long-rumored Lexus LFA Roadster. We first saw the V10-powered 552-horsepower machine at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, but the automaker has kept its lips firmly sealed on the potential of a production version since that showing.

Interestingly enough, though, it appears that Toyota's luxury division may not be done trotting proproduction LFA Roadsters around the auto show circuit. As can be seen in the video after the break, the Lexus droptop stunner made an appearance at the most recent Tokyo Auto Salon, where it took part in an exhibition run for the D1GP Kick Off Drift event.

Here's where things get a little murky. We have no idea if this is a factory-made LFA Roadster - it could be a custom job, or it could be the same exact car Lexus showed off in Detroit four years ago, albeit wearing a new coat of white paint and an unfortunate rollbar. Whatever the case, you can see exactly how easily the V10-powered machine can smoke its rear tires after the break.

Special Bonus: Watch now and you'll see extra drifting footage of a Toyota GT 86!

Continue reading Lexus LFA Roadster makes appearance at Japanese drift event

Video: Lexus LFA Roadster makes apperance at Japanese drift event

If top-down motoring is your cup of tea, there are few droptops that could elicit as many smiles per sun-drenched hour than the long-rumored Lexus LFA Roadster. We first saw the V10-powered 552-horsepower machine at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, but the automaker has kept its lips firmly sealed on the potential of a production version since that showing.

Interestingly enough, though, it appears that Toyota's luxury division may not be done trotting proproduction LFA Roadsters around the auto show circuit. As can be seen in the video after the break, the Lexus droptop stunner made an appearance at the most recent Tokyo Auto Salon, where it took part in an exhibition run for the D1GP Kick Off Drift event.

Here's where things get a little murky. We have no idea if this is a factory-made LFA Roadster - it could be a custom job, or it could be the same exact car Lexus showed off in Detroit four years ago, albeit wearing a new coat of white paint and an unfortunate rollbar. Whatever the case, you can see exactly how easily the V10-powered machine can smoke its rear tires after the break.

Special Bonus: Watch now and you'll see extra drifting footage of a Toyota GT 86!

Continue reading Lexus LFA Roadster makes apperance at Japanese drift event

Detroit: Ford Fusion, Lexus LF-LC win Eyes on Design awards

Every year at the Detroit Auto Show, the Eyes on Design awards honors the best designs among production vehicles and concepts debuting that year. Unlike, say, the North American International Car and Truck of the Year awards, the only vehicles eligible for an Eyes on Design award are the ones that introduce themselves to the world - well, really just North America - in Detroit.

What's particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year's group includes, among others, Volkswagen head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.

This year, the Eyes on Design awards were handed out to the 2013 Ford Fusion in the production category and the Lexus LF-LC in the concept category. The Fusion's fellow finalists were the 2013 BMW 3 Series and 2013 Cadillac ATS, while the LF-LC eked out a W over the Chevrolet Tru 140S and Lincoln MKZ.

Detroit: 2013 Lexus LX 570 gets GS-inspired minor facelift

Lexus has put the LX 570 under the knife for 2013. The sprawling SUV makes its debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show wearing a revised front fascia, complete with the company's "spindle" grille design and new LED daytime running lights - very similar to its sister SUV, the Toyota Land Cruiser. The vehicle's side-view mirrors now come equipped with integrated turning indicators for the first time, and around back, the 2013 Lexus LX 570 wears redesigned tail lamps alongside a revised rear valance with stainless steel accents. A new 20-inch wheel design is also part of the update.

Indoors, the 2013 LX 570 comes equipped with a new Easy Access system for the driver, which automatically retracts the steering wheel and driver's seat for easier ingress and egress. Designers sprinkled new mahogany wood trim throughout the cabin as well as additional 120-volt power adapters. Likewise, the instrument cluster now comes in a new color scheme for 2013. Snazzy.

Otherwise, expect to find the same 5.7-liter V8 underhood that's powered LX 570 models of yore. That means buyers can look forward to a stout 383 horsepower and 403 pound-feet of torque. Click past the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading 2013 Lexus LX 570 gets GS-inspired minor facelift