Archive for Lexus

Lexus has unveiled the new Lexus RX range at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show today. The RX will be offered with a two-model range, the RX350 with a regular 3.5 liter V6 engine and the RX450h also with a 3.5 liter V6, but running on the Atkinson cycle together with a hybrid electric system. In the UK, the RX will be offered exclusively as a hybrid.

The RX350’s 3.5 liter V6 engine puts out 275 horsepower, mated to a 6-speed transmission. Both front wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions are available, with the latter using an Active Torque Control AWD system that varies torque distribution according to driving conditions. Both this model and the hybrid version uses a new double-wishbone rear suspension for better control.

While current Lexus cars use a simple touch screen interface to access its in-car entertainment and navigation systems, with the new RX, Lexus now has its own iDrive/MMI-like system.

It uses a “Remote Touch” controller that’s supposed to be as natural to the driver’s hand as a computer’s mouse. Let’s see if the Japanese get it better than the Germans. The system also uses HDD-based storage.

The hybrid RX450h’s 3.5 liter Atkinson cycle engine together with its hybrid electric drive system has a combined output of 295 horsepower. To differentiate it from the regular combustion engine-only RX350, it has its own front grille and bumper design, hybrid badging, blue-trimmed Lexus logos, an optional 19 inch wheel design that’s exclusive to the RX450h, blue-tinted headlamps and taillamps and optional LED headlamps.

The RX450h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system has two new features - the first is an exhaust gas heat recovery system that reduces the time it takes for the engine to warm up. As only a sufficiently warmed up engine can do automatic stop and go smoothly, this reduces the time it takes for the start-stop feature to be activated. The second feature is a cooled exhaust recirculation system which reduces pumping losses, helping improve power and fuel economy.

Unlike the RX350’s mechanical all-wheel drive, the RX450h’s Lexus Hybrid Drive can allows it to function as an all-wheel drive via an electric motor powering the rear wheels. The rear motor also functions as a brake energy recovery device, which means brake energy recovery can be performed on all four wheels.

Lexus Malaysia Sdn Bhd has been known to bring in new Lexus products rather quickly into the market (partly thanks to the ease of bringing in a CBU model), and looking at how the second generation RX has been spoiled by all the grey market RX and Toyota Harriers running around being sold at a much cheaper price, you can expect the new RX to make a Malaysian debut very soon next year.

Look for a hi-res gallery of the new RX after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 3rd Generation Lexus RX unveiled at LA 2008!

The facelifted 2009 Lexus IS range have been unveiled in the UK this week (though at first sight I cannot tell what on earth has changed with the design), and it is now more accessible with the cheapest model (which is the IS 220d SE) costing £22,490. The entire range has also got price slashes, some by more than £1,000. This is probably an effort to keep up sales volumes in these tough times.

The IS 220d is now more environmentally friendly, with a small drop in CO2 emissions from 168g/km to 163g/km. In the UK, this means it moves down a band for vehicle excise duty from E to D. The owner of a facelifted IS 220d will save £25 a year on his road fund license and reduces the Benefit in Kind (BIK) rate for company car tax calculation to 23 per cent.

Other changes include VDIM as standard on all models, and folding rear headrests. A Satnav option is available for £1,825 on SE and SE-I models which include Europe GPS maps, a 7 inch 640×480 LCD display with touch screen operation, Bluetooth hands-free, a rear parking video feed monitor and a 13-speaker audio system with an in-dash 6-CD changer. This pack can be upgraded to a Multimedia Pack on the SE-L for £2,710 which includes the same stuff but adds a 14-speaker Mark Levinson system with a 6-DVD changer.

Look after the jump for more shots of the facelifted Lexus IS.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Lexus IS Facelift unveiled in Europe!

There’s so much that can change on the way from a concept display to a production model and the comparison image above shows just that - how different the production next generation Lexus RX will look like compared to the Lexus LF-Xh Concept displayed last year at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The front end has stayed largely similiar but the rest of the SUV ends up looking like a Nissan Rogue. Look after the jump for a strangely Subaru-ish rear view of the new RX, or head on to the source link for more shots of the brochure.

The thing is the RX always had very subtle roof rails, but they seem to have grown larger or at least apear to be more prominent in this new installment in the RX series, causing the new RX to take on a new feel.

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Click here to read the rest of 2010 Lexus RX brochure shots leaked!

Lexus will be developing a compact car to compete with the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series, but it won’t hit the US markets where Lexus was born, instead the new vehicle will compete in the European market and help Lexus with its CO2 emissions targets.

Knowing Toyota, a compact Lexus could very well be based on some form of variation of the Toyota Auris. Lexus may even spice up the Toyota Blade for the European market, a model that is essentially a premium Japanese market Toyota Auris.

This won’t be the first time a “regular” car has crossed over to the premium marque - Acura sells the regular Asian Honda Civic in Canada as the Acura CSX (the North American Civic gets different styling).

Lexus displayed the Lexus IS 250 Sports Concept at the 2008 Australian International Motor Show. Lexus says this new Sports Concept previews an upcoming version of the IS 250 that could provide younger customers with less deep pockets a taste or preview of what the IS-F could potentially give. This is exactly what BMW is doing with the M-Sport versions of their cars, except about 6 alphabets down the alphabet table.

The kit that was displayed included better cross-drilled two-piece brakes with 6-pots at the front and 4 at the rear, Bilstein shocks, sway bars and a chassis brace for better chassis rigidity, a performance air intake, exhaust, carbon fiber engine cover, front and rear lip spoilers and 19 inch 10-spoke alloy wheels done up in graphite grey.

Manual transmission versions also get a performance clutch with 16% better grip as well as a short shifter kit.

“The introduction of the IS 250 Sports Concept is still in preliminary stages but it’s something we definitely want to investigate. In the meantime, Lexus will concentrate on introducing the IS F performance sedan to the local market. Once we get the hero car into the marketplace, the rest will fall into place,” said Lexus Australia CEO John Roca.

Click here to read the rest of Lexus previews “F-Sport” performance kit with Lexus IS 250 Sports Concept

Click for hi-res image

Lexus has unveiled the Lexus IS Convertible, its competitor to the E93 3-Series Convertible at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

The Lexus IS250C features a 3-segment folding hard top using a lightweight aluminium alloy. It can change from coupe to convertible at the touch of a button in 20 seconds. Lexus has designed the boot to be able to contain a golf bag with the top down.

Under the hood is the 2.5 liter 4GR-FSE with direct injection putting out 208hp at 6,400rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4,800rpm, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The IS250C will go on sale in Japan in spring 2009. Look after the jump for a gallery and a video showing the IS250C’s hard top in action.

Click here to read the rest of Lexus IS250C Convertible unveiled at Paris 2008

Lexus is set to unveil an all-wheel drive version of the Lexus LS460 at the 2008 Moscow International Auto Show. The LS460 AWD will feature the all-wheel drive system that was previously exclusive to the LS600h in the LS range. This all-wheel drive system features a differential for the front axle and another Torsen LSD as a center differential. Default torque split is 40:60 but the system can bump up the rear bias up to 70 percent or front bias to 50:50 if conditions ask for it.

Lexus Malaysia has added one more model to their line-up here in Malaysia, the short wheelbase version of the Lexus LS. The Lexus LS460 is 120mm shorter than the LS460L but you may not notice it at first glance because it manages to maintain similiar proportions, unlike the luxury sedans from other manufacturers where you can see the rear door is obviously much longer.

Priced at RM663,117.50 on the road with insurance, it is more than RM100k cheaper than the LS460’s RM797,583.50 price tag. Under the hood is the same 380hp 492Nm 4.6 liter V8. The rear legroom remains impressive, and a single rear bench is now used to accomodate 3 passengers at the rear. The LS460L’s could only seat 2 because of the latter’s two individual rear seats.

Because of this, the single rear Ottoman massage seat is also gone. Also missing in this version are the ventilated leather seats and the rear entertainment system with 9 inch display. All the other premium equipment in the LS460L has been carried over including the impressive 19 speaker Mark Levinson 7.1 sound system.

Look after the jump for more photos of the LS460.

Click here to read the rest of Lexus Malaysia launches 5-seater Lexus LS460

It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard of the Lexus IS-F here on this blog. Here is a video of the Lexus IS-F at a track day. You can see a whole line-up of the Lexus IS-F in the pits, and not just the blue one we see so often. Needless to say, there’s also plenty of engine growl to enjoy. Video after jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Lexus IS-F on the race track

Toyota is currently evaluating the possibility of a small Lexus SUV-like vehicle, despite earlier stands that a compact vehicle would diminish the Lexus brand and overlap with Toyota-badged vehicles.

“A small Lexus SUV could be a response to the urbanization of Gen Y buyers and empty-nest boomers. Toyota’s advanced product strategy group is studying a demographic trend - people who are sick of the suburbs, but who don’t want to give up the utility of their SUV. A small luxury SUV might be the right product for that environment,” says Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. president.

If a compact SUV is built, Lentz says it would most likely be priced in the upper half of the US$30,000 price range, as if the car is priced in the low 30s it would sacrifice too many luxury features to hit the price. This is tricky as the mid-sized Lexus RX350 is already priced at about US$38,000 in the US market.

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