Happy Halloween!

 

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween! Be safe and try not to eat too much candy!

Lexus to Unveil GS 350 F Sport at Sema Show

 

"Lexus said it will unveil a special version of its coming 2013 GS 350 sedan with the F Sport package at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas on Nov. 1.

Like many car makers, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Corp. uses the SEMA show to make an impression among young, performance-minded drivers. This year a lot is riding on the presentation of the GS because it is the first production model to incorporate a new, more aggressive design and styling that is planned for a range of future Lexus vehicles.

While the standard fourth-generation GS 350 debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours in August, the GS 350 F Sport is the model that driving serious driving fans will care most about. It is aimed at shaking the brand’s image as a maker of softly-sprung highway cruisers for older drivers.

“The GS 350 with F SPORT Package will be a distinctive offering of luxury and excitement,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “With its dynamic handling, stopping power and true sporty feel this F Sport package will be sure to please our enthusiasts.”

The package is mainly aimed at sharpening the car’s handling though a specially tuned adaptive suspension. It includes thicker anti-roll bars, upgraded suspension bushings and larger front brakes with high-friction pads. The rear-wheel-drive model comes with 19-inch staggered- width wheels and variable-gear-ratio steering, or VGRS. The interior is available with cabernet-red upholstery that is an F Sport exclusive." [Continue reading...]

Lexus Ranked Best Luxury Auto Brand

 

"Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand took back the top spot among luxury brands in Consumer Reports' reliability ranking, beating BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, which fell the most of any vehicle line.

Winning the luxury crown as well as the top spot among all brands with its youth-oriented Scion line may help Toyota restore confidence among consumers following two years of falling U.S. sales, recalls, unflattering reviews and production lost because of the March earthquake in Japan.

The Toyota City, Japan-based automaker's Toyota brand held at sixth place for a second year, a further sign of resilience after recalling millions of vehicles in 2009 and 2010 amid unintended-acceleration claims.

“Toyota has always made a pretty good car,” David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Automotive Test Center, said in a phone interview. “They have fixed a lot of the problems that they had. The recall situation was totally overblown.”

Lexus's key rivals, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's BMW, both improved this year, while still finishing in the bottom half of the survey among all vehicle types. Mercedes ranked 18th and BMW was 19th. Volkswagen AG's Audi ranked 26th, Porsche fell to 27th and Jaguar, owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd., ranked last." [Continue reading...]

Engineering Amazing - A Future Powered by Hybrid

2013 Lexus GS 350 Brochure

 

"Arriving in February 2012, the 2013 Lexus GS 350 will be in dealerships before we know it — but if you’ve been anxiously waiting to buy one, February can’t come soon enough.

To help pass the time, I wanted to share the 2013 Lexus GS 350 preview brochure that was included in the throwback USB drive I picked up in Pebble Beach — it’s the same brochure that’s showing up in dealerships, and perfect for dulling the waiting pain of upcoming owners." [Continue reading...]

History of the Lexus LFA

Special Editions!

"No tricks from Lexus this fall, just a couple of nice treats in the form of two sharp-looking special edition vehicles, the ES 350 Touring Special Edition and LS Sport Special Edition.

The amped-up ES 350 Touring Special Edition (above) comes in two color options: Stargazer Black, which is unique to a Lexus sedan, and Starfire Pearl. The model is also equipped with 17-inch wheels^[1] with Liquid Graphite Finish.

Inside the vehicle, Lexus added some snazzy touches. In addition to a black with Saddle Tan accent leather-trimmed interior with contrast stitching, there are brown walnut wood accents and a wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, plus the car includes HDD Navigation^[2]." [Continue reading...]

Lexus LFA Nurburgring - Chris Harris Lap of Nordschleife

Lexus LFA Test Drive Preview

 

"Victoria’s Sandown motor racing circuit was the venue for our test drive of the Lexus LFA supercar today and we’ve still got a smile on our faces.

Easily one of the most sought after supercars on the planet with only 500 to ever be built and a sell out in Australia at the bargain price of $700,000 a piece. Granted, we will only get nine of these sensational cars, but Lexus boss Tony Cramb, says, that they are holding more orders than they can possibly fill.
If you’re not using a few too many superlatives to describe the LFA’s on-track performance, then my guess is, you haven’t driven it, or you didn’t push it anywhere near the car’s extraordinary limits.

The LFA is a hand built masterpiece by the Japanese luxury carmaker, Lexus. But the LFA this is no ordinary Lexus, no sir. Rather, this is quite possibly one of the most rewarding supercars we’ve driven in years.
Powered by proper hand built 4.8-litre V10 engine developing 412 kW and 480 Nm, it redlines at a remarkable 9000 rpm where it screams like an F1 car on a qualifying lap." [Continue reading...]

Paul McCartney Uses Lexus LS 600hL in Weekend Wedding

 

"In a stroke of luck for Lexus, the dark maple red LS 600hL given to Paul McCartney in 2008 was featured front & center at the Beatle’s wedding this weekend to American heiress Nancy Shevell.

This marks the second headline wedding this year that a LS 600hL has been the chosen mode of transport — earlier this year, a custom built LSh Landaulet was used for the wedding of Prince Albert & Charlene Wittstock." [Continue reading...]

2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport unveiled in Johannesburg

 

"Lexus has unveiled the 2013 GS 350 F Sport at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in South Africa.

Unfortunately, all we have to go on are the images as Lexus has left out any specs on the model.

From previous reports we can surmise that the GS 350 F Sport features a 3.5 liter V6, an adaptive suspension, bigger brakes and high-performance tires." [Continue reading...]

From the Heart

"It’s been nearly six months since the combination of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunamis brought devastation to the east coast of Japan, killing thousands, destroying infrastructure and farmland, and leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. After the March 11, 2011 earthquake, aftershocks and radiation leaks from damaged nuclear reactors only added to the destruction.

While these tragic events have primarily affected Japan, it’s good to see that the humanitarian response has been a global one, with Lexus and Toyota taking part in fundraising efforts around the world.

In Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled a wide-ranging initiative called the Kokoro Hakobu Project. Kokoro Hakobu, which translates as “to carry (or deliver) one’s heart,” focuses on providing financially for those affected worst by the disaster, backing a commitment to manufacturing in northeastern Japan, and exploring the idea of potentially using hybrid vehicles as auxiliary power sources in future emergencies.

Additionally, Toyota and Lexus helped sponsor fundraising events to benefit earthquake victims. One such event was Walk the Farm, held on June 18, in Irvine, California. Walk the Farm participants got to walk around the picturesque 30-acre Tanaka Farms with stops at different stations for samples of fresh, area-grown produce, including squash, tomatoes, onions, and corn. The event attracted 1,700 walkers, 300 volunteers, and more than 150 sponsors. The event, organized by Glenn Tanaka, benefited selected farmers from the most severely affected areas of Japan, many of whom had their land and equipment completely destroyed." [Continue reading...]