All Entries in the "LEXUS" Category

NAIAS 2012: LF-LC Presentation Unveils Lexus’ New Face

And it’s striking…

Bravo, Lexus! LF-LC Conceptualizes A New Future For Lexus Design

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Toyota Motor Corp ::: Lexus LF-LC Concept

NEVER did cotton to the LF-A’s looks. For $380K, you would have thought that Lexus’ exotic halo would have more to say visually. That some aspect in its architecture would stand out from the pack and become instantly recognizable like, say, an Audi R8 with its contrasting “blades” that drop from graceful C-Pillars.  Due to bow next week in Detroit, the Lexus LF-LC 2+2 Hybrid Concept seems to have solved Lexus’ exotic image problem.

Akio Toyoda Pitches For Lexus, Says Division Has Been “Internationalized”

Beats congressional testimony. Mr. Toyoda’s comments on Lexus’ future 01:00-07:40.

GM IPO: $26-$29 per Share

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img GM via carofthecentury ::: GM IPO

TIMED during the midterm elections, GM announced an initial public offering later this month of its revamped common stock for between $26 and $29 a share. The US Treasury which owns just over 60% of General Motors will reduce its stake to just over 43% at a loss which the government hopes to recoup with an increase in stock value over time. If history’s any judge, it may be a while.

Das Mark Levinson Sound System. Sehr Gut, Lexus.

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube via LexusEnthusiast ::: Lexus LS460 Advertisement

AT least someone is doing ads classy these days. That having been said, ze Germans are getting better – what with Mercedes cheating death and BMW’s vintage-tastic Mad Men spots.

Matter of fact, in the advertising world, in general, you’ve got to say it’s getting better. A little better all the time.

Weighty Issue: Cars Grow Fatter. Cost More. Lexus Flagship Is Case In Point

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via Lexus Enthusiast ::: Lexus LS Generations

CARS are getting portly. No two ways about it, over the past two decades automakers have larded our rides with taller profiles, beefier frames, and stocked them to the grilles with heavy sensors and electronica that further isolate occupants from the road and add weight to the scales.

Lexus is no exception and indeed to highlight the industry-wide trend as an example, we can see that the current, fourth generation LS flagship takes the proverbial cake. All of it.

Consider that in 1990, the first generation LS400 weighed a moderate 3,837 lbs, measured 196″ l./71.7″ w./55.1″ h., sported a 250 hp V8 that ran 0-60 in 7.9 seconds and returned an average of 17 mpg.

The cost? Fully appointed – roughly $44,700 or $74,617 in 2010-era Greenbacks according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics’ handy dandy inflation calculator.

Now, adjust your cognitive settings to consider that the LS line has grown to include long wheelbase models, all-wheel drive variants, and for the top of the range, a hybrid battery, to say nothing of the added gravitas that the nameplate now enjoys against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, etc.

Therefore, the 2010 LS600h L sizes up to 203.9″ l./ 73.8″ w./ 58.3″ h., is propelled by a hybrid 438 hp V8 that sprints to 60 in 5.5 seconds and returns 22 mpg. Thanks to the magic of lithium ion batteries, the top of the line LS flattens the curb at a truly Bentley-esque 5,203 pounds.

M.S.R.P.? Starts at $108,800.

With hindsight, it seems clear that physical heft isn’t the only aspect that’s been larded over the years.