East Asia

Lexus Magazine writer Rod Mackenzie took an RX 450h on an adventure through Malaysia in a quest to find a remote resort called Fraser’s Hill:

For years, I’ve fantasized about penetrating Malaysia’s dense jungle interior on a modern-day Heart of Darkness journey, complete with creeping tigers. This exotic road trip, however, comes with a major perk: after crossing the Singapore/Malaysian border, my chief rest stop will be the urban jungle of intriguing Kuala Lumpur.

My excitement builds on the drive to Fraser’s Hill. The drive isn’t long (64 miles), but it feels like a road trip to Avatar’s deep-space Pandora. The road gets twisty, and the scenery, which is growing ever more dense, couldn’t offer a more striking contrast to Kuala Lumpur’s glass and neon playground. The farther I drive, the more I feel myself disappearing into the jungle’s 20 shades of green.

The stunning range of Malaysia, from ultra-futuristic Kuala Lumpur to the lush Titiwangsa mountain range, is beautifully detailed in this photo essay — definitely worth clicking over and looking through the slideshow.

[Source: Lexus Magazine]

Take a Lexus 2IS rear-end and a Toyota Crown front-end and meld them with the body of a Honda Civic, and what do you get? A crazy modder from Thailand just had to find out:

Regardless of personal taste and the fact the Crown front-end is two sizes too big, it’s hard not to admire the drive necessary to complete a project like this, and you certainly can’t fault the workmanship.

Just wild.

[Source: Stance Nation]

The Bangkok Post has some engine variation rumors regarding the RX & LS:

Later this year, Japan’s top nameplate is set to offer a third engine variant of its RX sport-utility vehicle in the guise of RX270 with 2WD. For the first time, the new entry-level RX would be getting a four-cylinder petrol engine currently used in the Toyota Fortuner and Land Cruiser Prado.

Such a move would help widen the RX customer base, which currently has only two pricey options including the V6-powered RX350 and hybrid-driven RX450h, both of which are priced at over B5m due to 50% excise tax.

Earlier, Lexus had pledged to not build a four-pot motor for the RX in the form of RX240 (Toyota Harrier-style) fearing a diluted image.[..]

For long, Thai product planners have aspired for a six-pot unit for the flagship LS saloon which its parent firm in Japan refused to develop.

Sources say it is possible the next-generation LS could see a V6 option alongside the V8 (LS460) and hybrid (LS600h) so it can compete with the BMW 730i and Mercedes-Benz S300 on the B8m front. A hybrid version using the V6 petrol/electric combination of the RX450h and GS450h is also possible.

A RX 240 wouldn’t be entirely out of the question, after all, the ES 240 has been available in China since last year — however, I’m sure Lexus will wait to see how the RX 270 is received before making any decision.

As for the LS V6 rumor, it’s an older rumor, and it certainly makes sense given the import taxes placed on big V8s in some countries. More interesting is the thought of using the hybrid/V6 from the RXh, which would turn a V6 flagship sedan into something with much larger potential appeal.

LS 450h, anyone?

[Source: The Bangkok Post]

There’s a quick interview with Lexus LFA Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi in the Bangkok Post, and part of it addresses the decision to use an automated manual gearbox in the supercar instead of a DSG:

- Have you considered a dual-clutch automatic gearbox for the LFA?

I’ve tried Volkswagen’s DSG around Nurburgring. Although it must be said [that DSG] is smooth, such a gearbox doesn’t suit the LFAs boy-ish character.

- But isn’t refinement one of the key brand values of Lexus?

Yes, but I prefer [the automated manual gearbox]. I really don’t care whether it doesn’t suit the brand.

- What were the benchmark cars for the LFA during development?

None. There were no benchmarks. Just the LFA on its own.

Strong answers from Tanahashi-san, who shows just the kind of personality needed to develop a supercar from scratch. I never thought of the LFA as “boyish” before, but considering how much I think looks like a spaceship, the description really does fit.

[Source: Bangkok Post]

Building on the successful 2007 launch of their first facility in Kuala Lumpur, Lexus Malaysia held the grand opening of its second facility, Lexus Penang, on March 18, 2010.  The new RM1.5 million center gives Lexus customers in N. Malaysia a more locally situated facility, complete with showroom, luxury lounge, and cafe.  Further details:

“Having completed the ‘Brand Awareness Phase’ over the past three years, we are now moving to expand the network presence. With expansion plans in place, we aim to grow our market share. The opening of Lexus Penang marks the start of extending our reach to be even closer to our customers,” said Kuah Kock Heng, President of Lexus Malaysia.

Last year, Lexus Malaysia put more than 300 new Lexus vehicles on the road, and the RX350 SUV was its biggest seller by some margin. With this new Penang outlet, the UMW Toyota division is targetting 400 vehicles in 2010. Next up for the brand is an outlet in Johor Bahru by the end of the year and possibly a presence in the East Coast and East Malaysia in 2011.

The Penang building is beautifully appointed inside:

[Source: Paultan.org]

According to the Business Times, Singapore’s allocation of 2 Lexus LFA supercars has been “sold at speed of light” – being spoken for even before the price was announced. Lexus Borneo Singapore received deposits of SGD$80,000 shortly after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays from two undisclosed customers. The LFA’s price in Singapore has since been announced as SGD$1.25 million, which is approximately equivalent to US$893,300.  With sixteen prospective customers expressing interest, Lexus executives in Singapore hope to increase their country’s allocation of the Japanese supercar.

Who are the lucky future LFA owners?  Lexus’ Singapore head William Choo would not disclose their names, but did reveal the following: both are “very successful businessmen but very unassuming”, “run their own companies”, are in their 60s, and “are very low profile and do not want to be identified.”  Other details: one is a longtime owner of Lexus LS sedans, the other has had multiple Lexus vehicles, and both own Porsche and Ferrari models.

[Source: Asia One Motoring]