The RX 450h (second generation) made its world debut today at the Los Angeles Auto Show next to the RX 350. The car will go on sale in the spring of 2009.
The RX 450h will feature an exclusive grille, hybrid badging including blue-trimmed Lexus logos, unique front bumper, a special 19-inch optional wheel design, blue-tinted headlamps and taillamps, and optional LED headlamps.
Under the hood there is a Lexus Hybrid Drive system with a 3.5-liter V6 engine. This, combined to a new, more efficient inverter delivers 295 hp, 27 more hp than the current generation RX hybrid.
The RX 450h features a front-wheel hybrid drive or an electronically driven, part-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) hybrid drive system, which supplies the rear wheels with the optimal amount of torque as conditions demand. Unlike mechanical AWD systems that reduce fuel efficiency via added weight and friction, the RX 450h’s rear-mounted electric motor-generator allows all four wheels to perform regenerative braking, charging the hybrid battery more effectively.
Lexus unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show world’s first ever dedicated luxury hybrid vehicle: the HS 250h, the fourth hybrid and the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its lineup. Sales will begin later in the summer.
The HS 250s is powered by Lexus’ first four-cylinder gas engine: the 2.4-liter Atkinson-cycle that develops 187 hp. The highly efficient Atkinson-cycle engine, made possible by the Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) system, allows the expansion/power stroke to be longer than the compression stroke so that combustion energy can be more effectively used for production of engine power.
The car is being offered with proactive adoption of plant-based, carbon-neutral “Ecological Plastics” or (bio-plastics) used in the cowl-side trim, door scuff plate, tool box area, floor-finish plate, seat cushions, and the package tray behind the rear seats.
Among the technologies used by the HS 250h are: standard leather-trim seats, a moonroof, Lexus premium audio systems, and a new standard multi-media package that includes Bluetooth® technology, integrated satellite radio (subscription required), voice recognition, and USB iPod connectivity controlled via steering-wheel controls or a display screen.
I apologize because we here at Top Speed could only bring you blacked out concepts or cartoon designs of the Future Luxus LF-A super car. Please let Top Speed officially present to you, the Gazoo Racing LF-A Nürburgring 24 competitor.
Even though it is a racecar and because of this is equipped with safety equipment like a roll cage, fuel tank and everything else in the rulebook. Things you most likely won’t find on the production version include the GT wing and other aerodynamic features. However one thing that might carry over is the large LCD gauge cluster.
Although this is not quite the street version, it is nice to finally have someone pop the hood to willingly expose the 500 HP V10.
Lexus unveiled today at the Paris Auto Show the Convertible version of its IS250. Sales across Europe will begin in the summer of 2009. U.S. sales have not been announced yet (likely because it is right now being shown in Europe) but it should be around the same time as Europe.
The IS250C is powered by the same engine as the sedan version: the 2.5-liter V6 delivering 205 hp. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The IS 250C also uses the front double wishbone and multink rear suspension format from the IS sedan range to give, which means it should have the same spirited drive as the sedan. Lexus says there are significant chassis revisions to handle the structural differences that comes with the loss of the roof.
The 2010 IS250C will have a MSRP of $38,490 when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission; the IS250C with a six-speed automatic transmission will be $39,660. The IS350C will have a MSRP of $43,940.
In 1989 Toyota launched something the world had never seen before, a Lexus. Six years earlier, Toyota Chairman Eiji Toyoda called a secret meeting where he posed the question, Can Toyota produce a luxury vehicle that is capable of taking on the best that the world, mainly Germany, has to offer? Immediately after the team of engineers, designers and marketing professionals commenced Toyota’s billion dollar F1 program. The result of their Flagship 1 program, the Lexus LS 400 was a luxury vehicle that would expand Toyota’s product line, securing the Japanese automaker a foothold in the premium automobile segment and provide both longtime Toyota and soon to be luxury car customers an upscale offering from Japan. That same year sales figures for the German luxury automobile manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz dropped 29% and 19% respectively in the U.S. market. The luxury car was widely praised for its well-appointed and ergonomic interior, engine performance, build quality and value when it was introduced stateside with a very affordable $38,000 price tag.
Twenty years have passed and the Lexus LS is still being praised. The Japanese luxury car maker now operates its own design, engineering, and manufacturing centers, solely responsible for the production of Lexus vehicles. The model that started it all, the LS, is in its fourth generation and looking better than ever.
Lexus announced at the Chicago Auto Show that the F-Sport Performance Accessories line has been expanded to GS sports sedan, IS AWD and the upcoming IS convertible.
These F-Sport accessories (think BMW’s M division) will include performance enhancing parts such as forged alloy wheels, brake upgrades, suspension systems, air intake, exhaust systems and more. Parts for these new models will be available as early as June 1, 2009.
Full parts breakdown in the press release after the jump.
The third generation RX 350 made its debut today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. First launched in 1998, the RX 350 comes completely redesigned and will continue to set new benchmarks in areas that have made it the best-selling luxury utility vehicle: innovation, styling, performance, utility and comfort. Sales will begin in February 2009.
Under the hood there will be an improved 275-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to an electrically controlled, sequential-shift six-speed transaxle. The all-wheel-drive version will feature an Active Torque Control AWD system that optimizes torque depending on driving conditions, resulting in improved efficiency and performance.
The luxury SUV features a strong stance and powerful new body design with the goal of enhancing comfort and maneuverability. The inverted-trapezoid design in the front and the horizontally integrated rear are incorporated together via a pronounced shoulder along the RX’s profile. Stylish molding around the side windows and at the base of the doors provides low-profile strength.
It sits on 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and comes with a selection of f luxury and sport option packages, which include features like Lexus’ exclusive Mark Levinson® Surround Sound system, a dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system, dynamic radar cruise control, and a Sports Package featuring a sport-tuned suspension.
Attention boy-racers who won the lottery: Lexus unveiled at the 2008 Australian International Motor Show the IS250 Sports Concept that features a number of performance and visual enhancements.
Lexus modified the brakes, shock absorbers, sway bars, chassis braces, air intake, clutch, short shift kit, exhaust, 19-inch wheels, engine cover and spoilers.
Under the hood Lexus placed a performance air intake, resulting in a three percent power increase and a carbon-fiber engine cover. Vehicles with manual transmissions also receive a short shift kit, resulting in a 35 percent reduction in fore and aft gearshift movement.
Lexus unveiled at the Paris Auto Show the revised 2009 IS line-up that includes many small additions that add up to significant improvements in the car. The version shown in Paris is obviously the European model, but it is likely the same revisions will also make it to North America.
The updated IS model range features a revised front grille and bumper design. Also new power folding door mirrors now feature integral LED side turn indicators. There are new 17” and 18” alloy wheel designs. The new IS range is available in ten body colors including two new colors: Amber Mica and Truffle Mica.
On the technical side, the engine undercover has been redesigned to optimise airflow under the vehicle floor. The new design increases negative pressure under the car and generates more downforce. Revisions to the transmission shift pattern have yielded a CO2 emission cut by 8 to 3 percent depending on model.
Lexus unveiled today at the Moscow Motor Show the LS 460 All-Wheel Drive, a new version that will go on sale starting November.
The all-wheel drive system is a three differential configuration featuring a highly compact TORSEN® Limited Slip Differential (LSD) – shared with the LS 600h - which distributes drive torque between the front and rear axles with a 40:60 rear axle bias in torque distribution.
Under the hood there is a 4.6-liter V8 engine that delivers 381 hp (same as in the standard model).
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