Spy Shots

Club Lexus’ Flipside909 was at Lexus HQ in Torrance, California and spotted two CT 200hs in the parking lot — one was Matador Red and gone like a flash, and the other was this one in Obsidian:

This CT shows some new details like the (likely) standard projector front lights and exposed rear wiper — too bad the rear wiper wasn’t integrated into the roof spoiler like the current RX, but it’s been made just about as tiny as possible and hardly noticeable.

There’s plenty more photos of this CT 200h over at Club Lexus, and be sure to check out the full gallery.

[Source: Club Lexus] (Thanks Ryan!)

Just received photos of Lexus USA’s new LFA prototype, which is just about as bright as the sun (click for larger images):

It’s hard to top yellow in terms of vibrance, it’s literally impossible to take my eyes off this LFA. Such a bold color really shows off the shape of the LFA, I especially like the side air intakes:

We’ve now seen the extreme opposite ends of the spectrum in the LFA color selection — from matte-black to sunshine-yellow — anyone want to guess what the interior is?

By way of Chinese website Sohu, here’s a sneak peek at what’s just may be the 2011 Lexus IS:

There’s plenty of tweaks here:

• The LED daytime running lights first seen on the 2010 LS have been incorporated into the headlights.
• The steering wheel will be getting some new accents, and a chrome strip has been added above the glovebox.
• The new wheel pattern has a similar look to the LFA’s design.
• The fog lights have been redesigned along with the bumper inset.
• The tail lights have been reworked.

All in all, it’s a subtle update bringing the IS more in-line with the updates received throughout the lineup. I’m really liking the LED headlight design, and the new wheels are top-notch.

The last IS update happened in the 2009 model year, so if this minor facelift proves to be legitimate, it would suggest that the current IS will remain in the lineup until 2012 — which would certainly fit with the idea that the next-generation GS will be in the 2011 spotlight.

Update: Turns out Adaptive Cruise Control is already available in most markets — I’ve updated the post to reflect that.

[Source: XCar.com.cn] (Thanks Youyou!)

New video footage has surfaced of the mysterious Lexus LFA prototype which was captured by spy photographers last week:

Upon viewing the vehicle in motion on the streets of Southern California, more questions arise: is the quiet sound indicative of the media speculation that this is a plug-in hybrid prototype?  Are the aft-mounted radiators from the production LFA removed, indicating that this is a possible test mule for a vehicle other than the LFA? A second video is available after the jump.

Continue reading this article…

Spy photographers have captured a strange looking Lexus prototype that almost looks like a plug-in hybrid LFA:

The outer shell looks cast-off of an old LFA prototype, and has camouflaged section on the front left fender that could indicate a electric plug, though this area has also been used as an additional gas tank on previous racing LFAs.

But just because it resembles an LFA doesn’t mean that’s what it really is—after all, would Lexus really be focusing on another LFA version before the first production run reaches consumers? Another flag is the amount of misshapen body-work which could be accommodating any number of things—would Lexus be eager to change the vehicle dynamics after a decade of development?

All things considered, we could be looking at an alternative energy version of the LFA, or we could be looking at a plug-in hybrid mule for another Lexus coupe—perhaps one that’s set to end its nine-year production run in July without a third generation verison in place…

[Source: Leftlane News]

At long last, the production Lexus LFA has been spotted in something other than black or white:

Some screenshots, because I can’t resist:

My first thought was that might be an example of the Nürburgring package, but it’s missing the fixed rear wing.

Wow. In red, the LFA looks exceedingly like some kind of personal spacecraft. Love it.

[Source: Club Lexus]