Personal

Just a reminder that the black & red Lexus CT 200h’s will be debuting tonight in Toronto as part of a Lexus-sponsored concert weekend — here’s the flyer:

The fun starts at 7pm, and I’ll be there early to take some CT photos — can’t wait to see it in Matador Red Mica. Photos to follow.

[Source: Lexus Canada]

Here’s something different — Lexus Magazine has published a feature on this very website:

[The Lexus Enthusiast]’s key service is to continually aggregate the sea of information out there about Lexus models—your model, or the model you’d like to make your own. By his own admission, site editor Kevin R.E. Watts sifts through a thousand links a day—documents, images, videos—that he finds via searches, those aforementioned forums, and, increasingly, the passionate community that has built up around his site.

“There’s a lot of technical information out there, and it can be overwhelming to people,” says Watts. “So it’s really a matter of identifying and focusing on key points. I never try to overwhelm; it’s about bite-sized bits of information, and then directing the reader to more, if they’re interested.”

It feels strange linking to an article featuring my quotes, but it gives an insight into how & why I run this site. There’s some big news coming up as well, which I can not wait to share — exciting times ahead.

[Source: Lexus Magazine] (Special thanks to Clark Heideger & Brian Gill!)

Bloomberg is reporting that Lexus has been aware of the engine problems behind the recent recall since 2007:

The carmaker received the first customer complaints in March 2007 in Japan regarding defective valve springs that may cause engines to stall, Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said by phone today from Tokyo.

The problem occurs when foreign substances enter the material used to make the part, causing the spring to weaken and break, Tokyo-based spokeswoman Monika Saito said. While Toyota decided to address the problem in August 2008 by altering the design of the valve spring and making it thicker, the company didn’t feel that a recall was necessary given the rarity of the problem at the time, she said.

Toyota received 220 complaints in Japan and 210 from overseas, Saito said. The company decided to initiate a recall after acknowledging a rising trend in the complaints, she said.

While this quote may sound well-reasoned, the article’s title Toyota Received Complaints About Lexus Defect in 2007 is anything but, insinuating that Toyota has been dishonest and slow to react. It’s this tone that’s used in articles all over the Internet, which in turn is feeding an unnecessary hysteria.

What’s missing from all these articles is any sense of reasonable expectation. Surely, no one believes Lexus should have issued a recall the minute that first faulty valve spring was discovered in 2007? More test cases were necessary, and once that number was reached, Lexus reacted. Recalls of this magnitude are a result of extensive research and much analysis, and it’s not something that happens over night. To expect otherwise would put so much pressure on all manufacturers that it would certainly bankrupt the entire automotive industry.

There’s no question that a mistake has been made, but let’s keep it in perspective: to date, 0.15% of owners have reported a problem, with the estimate that only 0.2% will ever be affected by this valve spring issue. Lexus is performing an extensive and expensive recall when it’s the last thing the brand needed. This doesn’t strike me as a company trying to hide something, instead it shows me that Lexus is putting their customers first, regardless of the cost.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Today, the automotive world lost an icon — Toyota’s Chief Test Driver Hiromu Naruse was killed in an accident outside of the Nürburgring racetrack while driving a Lexus LFA Nürburgring prototype.

Naruse-sama was influential in the development of every production sports car produced by Toyota, from the 2000GT to the MR-S, and was so widely respected that even Ferrari acknowledged his expertise, giving him the nickname “Nur Meister (One and Only Master Craftsman)” and referring to him as the “man who knows all the world’s roads”. Naruse-sama was considered the “Godfather of the LFA” and was instrumental in the creation of the Lexus supercar.

An incredible loss for his family, his employer, and the entire automotive industry — my deepest sympathies to anyone touched by this tragedy.

(I would turn your attention to a very nice tribute by Damon Lavrinc from Autoblog, who has shared his experience of meeting Naruse-sama at a recent LFA event — it’s a touching read that pays a deep respect to such an influential man.)

Just a personal note to explain the radio silence of the last couple days:

Much to the excitement of my wife Karissa & I, our daughter, Pepper Gwendolyn Watts, was born yesterday — making her the world’s smallest (and youngest!) Lexus enthusiast.

As you can imagine, life gets turned upside down with a new baby, but posting will return to normal next week once our little family gets acclimated. Thank you for your patience!

After our week and a half preview here at The Lexus Enthusiast, Lexus has launched the Performance Registry on their website as part of a larger Inside F performance section.

Inside F, as you would imagine, is dedicated to the Lexus’ growing performance lineup, with information on the LFA, IS F, LS Sport, and all the F Sport accessories.

Along with the production information, there’s a ton of wallpapers, LFA/IS F ringtone collections, great links — click on over and check it out, and don’t forget to register for the Performance Registry if you haven’t already.