February 2008 | Lexus Enthusiast

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Hybrids Dominating Lexus Europe Sales

While Lexus may need a huge advertising campaign to bring awareness to their hybrid model range in the US, it couldn’t be any different in Europe, where hybrids are accounting for a major percentage of vehicles sold. In 2007, 38% of all Lexus sales in Eastern Europe were hybrids, up from 26% in 2006, and …

Kevin · February 29th, 2008

Consumer Reports names the Lexus LS 460L the #1 Luxury Sedan of 2008

Consumer Reports has released its top picks for 2008, and among the ten winners, the Lexus LS 460L was chosen as the #1 luxury sedan: With a score of 99 out of 100 in CR’s road test, the LS 460L ($77,000) is CR’s highest-rated vehicle. It provides a no-compromise environment of comfort and roominess, coupled …

Kevin · February 28th, 2008

Lexus UK updates RX Entertainment Package

Lexus UK has debuted an upgraded backseat entertainment package for the RX called ICE, which is short for In-Car Entertainment. It consists of two eight-inch LCD screens with an integrated DVD player, USB and SD card readers, plus more: Two pairs of infrared headphones are provided, which are about 20 per cent smaller than before, …

Kevin · February 28th, 2008

Lexus to increase production capacity by 35%

In order to stay on top of demand in Russia, China, and other emerging markets, Lexus will be ramping up their production capacity by a staggering 35%, from 600,000 to 850,000. The Nikkei Business Daily reports: Toyota now makes Lexuses at its Tahara plant, in Aichi Prefecture, and at Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc.‘s Miyata facility, …

Kevin · February 27th, 2008

Flagship Lexus Dealership opens in Oman

A new Lexus dealership has opened in Oman (the country just south of the United Arab Emirates), and it was quite an event, attended not only by Toyota executive vice-president Akio Toyoda but practically the entire Oman ruling class. Starting off with a performance by juggler Michael Moschen, the grand opening quickly escalated into a …

Kevin · February 26th, 2008

Lexus IS Convertible Spotted

A Lexus IS convertible coupe has been spotted out in the wild, and was photographed by an unnamed German magazine. Here’s a blown-up image, for a better look: As for the accompanying text, there’s some horsepower number ranging from 177 to 423, which translates right across the entire IS lineup, from the 220d to the …

Kevin · February 25th, 2008

Flickr Find: The Lexus IS-F @ The Toronto Auto Show

I’m having a devil of a time finding my digital camera cable to pull the photos off from my visit to the Toronto Auto Show, but I know for a fact that none of my photos are half as good as this one from Flickr user Rocky413: All in all, I was very impressed by …

Kevin · February 25th, 2008

Will the new Lexus dedicated hybrid be a Prius?

Not to post it up only to shoot it down, but there’s a small blurb on Motor Trend today claiming that the dedicated hybrid Lexus plans to launch at next year’s Detroit Auto Show will be a rebadged Prius: Toyota will present two dedicated hybrid models at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in …

Kevin · February 25th, 2008

The Toronto Auto Show & Some Site News

It’s a bit last minute, but I’ll be heading to the Canadian International Auto Show tomorrow in Toronto, where I’m finally going to get chance to see the Lexus IS-F (among other assorted vehicles). It’s my first auto show in years, and I’m really looking forward to it. As expected, I’ll be taking a ton …

Kevin · February 22nd, 2008

Lexus ≠ Porn Pt.3

Another month, another porn star cease-and-desist notice sent out by Lexus. This time around, European model Lea Lexus was served papers (NSW link) to change her name, which she did almost immediately. This is the third legal action sent to a porn star in less than a year. It started with Detroit-based Lexus Cash, then …

Kevin · February 22nd, 2008

It’s Alive: A Lexus GS Commercial from Down Under

Here’s an absolutely brilliant commercial from Lexus Australia introducing the 2006 GS redesign: I wasn’t all that sure what was going on in the first ten seconds, but once the car started bleeding and sweating, it all came together. The thing that impressed me the most, though, was that although it’s a fantastic concept, the …

Kevin · February 21st, 2008

LA Times reviews the Lexus IS-F

Dan Neil’s review of the Lexus IS-F for the Los Angeles Times is entertaining from start to finish, particularly this passage about making the IS-F sing: The engine’s most vulgar feature, however, is the dual-inlet intake manifold, found somewhere inside the maze of engine plumbing. If you mash the gas in this car hard enough, …

Kevin · February 20th, 2008

Lexus & Team One are looking for your Lexus photos

Team One, the company behind Lexus’ advertising in the US, recently contacted me about a great opportunity for Lexus owners to show off their cars. Right now, they’re looking for photos of you and your Lexus for an upcoming project, here are the details: The photo has to be of you with your Lexus, not …

Kevin · February 18th, 2008

Arthur St. Antoine on the Lexus LS 600hL

Perhaps as a way to counterbalance his incredibly glowing editorial of the Lexus LS 460 last year, Arthur St. Antoine took some time in this month’s Motor Trend to badmouth the LS 600hL: For many buyers, a hybrid car is nothing more than the four-wheeled equivalent of a yellow LiveStrong wristband-a conspicuous, self-satisfying, effort-free membership …

Kevin · February 18th, 2008

Details on Lexus Exhibit for 2008 Milan Design Week

As a way of extending their L-Finesse design language, Lexus has been taking part in the Milan Design Week since 2005. Always a collaboration with a unique comtemporary artist, the 2008 exhibit features work by Japanese design company nendo, and will be titled “Elastic Diamond”. Here’s some details: The 2008 Lexus exhibit, which has been …

Kevin · February 17th, 2008

Stretch Lexus LX 470 Limo

I always get a kick out of limousine conversions, and this 2004 Lexus LX 470 is no exception, if only because of its entirely mammoth size. Currently for sale on Ebay, this mega-limo is a full 200″ long, with room for eighteen people. I’d just like to know what they did to the inside roof, …

Kevin · February 15th, 2008

2009 Lexus RX now on Lexus USA Website

The 2009 Lexus RX is now on the Lexus USA website, which should put all the rumors of an impending redesign to rest. The only difference from 2008, it seems, is the addition of the Pebble Beach edition, which brings with it the Truffle Mica exterior color, a limited edition 18″ wheel design, chrome grille …

Kevin · February 14th, 2008

Lexus LX 570 Video Feature from The Driver’s Seat

Not content to present information on the Lexus LX 570 in a normal sort of way, The Driver’s Seat decided to spice up their video with an overwhelming amount of text and strobe effects: I actually had to turn away while watching, though I stuck it out just to hear what Charles Hubbard had to …

Kevin · February 13th, 2008

Car Magazine Reviews the Lexus IS-F

Car Magazine has posted their review of the IS-F, and it turns out to be a remarkably positive affair, with a very small dose of complaints and a full course of compliments: The F also rides with a fluency and poise that will leave most M3 and C63 drivers green with envy. There are no …

Kevin · February 12th, 2008

A Set of Long & Quiet Lexus IS-F Videos

I’ve yet to find out the source of these Lexus IS-F videos, or even to really grasp their purpose, but a Youtube user has posted up a set of the long and quiet clips, which almost simulates what the car would be like to drive: City Driving Mountain Driving

Kevin · February 12th, 2008

Automotive News Interviews Lexus Dealer Advisory Council Chairman

Automotive News has a great interview with Stefan Smith, chairman of the Lexus National Dealer Advisory Council, which gives a very open view at how the dealerships feel about the recent increase in recalls and what kind of vehicles they’d like to see next: What challenges do Lexus dealers face in the next year? We …

Kevin · February 11th, 2008

The Passionate Pursuit Version 2.0 Coming

Before launching this site in June 2007, I made up a list of rules that I wanted to follow, and the very first thing I wrote down was “Leave the site design alone for six months.” As a professional web designer, I have a tendency to tweak sites obsessively, but in this case I wanted …

Kevin · February 9th, 2008

New Lexus Power of H Commercial

The new Lexus Power of H commercial debuted yesterday, and today has surfaced on Youtube: After reading the synopsis released a couple days ago, I wasn’t sure how the commercial was going to pan out, but the idea is fairly strong and well executed. Most important is that Lexus has moved away from touting the …

Kevin · February 8th, 2008

Lexus January 2008 Sales Report

I was hoping to debut a cool graphing feature for Lexus sales data this month, but frustration and timing has finally gotten the best of me, so here’s the data in a plain old chart: 2008 2007 % Change IS250/350 3,262 3,395 -3.9 ES350 4,346 5,320 -18.3 GS350 1,270 1,368 -7.2 GS460/450h 210 183 14.8 …

Kevin · February 7th, 2008

Pebble Beach Editions for the Lexus ES, RX and LS Models

Once solely reserved for the SC 430, Lexus announced today at the Chicago Auto Show that three more models will be available in the Pebble Beach Edition. It starts with the release of a PBE RX 350 in mid-February, followed by an ES 350 in March and a LS 600hL sometime in the fall. Here’s …

Kevin · February 6th, 2008

New Lexus The Power of H Marketing Campaign

Focusing on the importance of the letter H, the new Lexus hybrid marketing campaign starts today. Here’s the synopsis, from Lexus’ press release: The multi-platform campaign, which debuts today, communicates Lexus’ hybrid leadership and highlights the significance of h on a Lexus vehicle—which distinguishes hybrid from non-hybrid vehicles and symbolizes Lexus’ commitment to alternative power …

Kevin · February 5th, 2008

Lexus RAV4 on the way?

According to the Automotive News, Lexus’ on-again/off-again infatuation with a RAV4-based X3 competitor has swung to the positive side, this time with some actual verification from Jim Lentz: Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. president, says a small Lexus SUV could be a response to the “urbanization” of Gen Y buyers and empty-nest boomers. Toyota’s …

Kevin · February 4th, 2008

Lexus IS-F Video Review by MyRideTV

This video review of the Lexus IS-F by MyRideTV has to have the highest video quality I’ve seen online yet, it’s just full of great footage. The opening sequence from the driver’s perspective is especially nice: I don’t know why all video reviews can’t look this good.

Kevin · February 3rd, 2008

Japanese Special Edition Lexus GS with “Passionate Black” Interior

Sure, the Japanese Elegant White Interior edition of the Lexus IS was nice, but this new special edition of the GS with its “Passionate Black Interior” almost rocked my socks right off: This interior is a limited run of 500, and there’s a choice of any GS, including the 450h. THe upgrade costs ¥780,000 ($7,300 …

Kevin · February 1st, 2008

Top Gear Magazine Reviews the Lexus IS-F

Top Gear Magazine has posted up their review of the Lexus IS-F, and it’s just as sharply written and clever as you would expect. Most of their praise is a double-edged sword, as every compliment is balanced with a swipe at the rest of Lexus’ lineup: Where my keep-it-simple plan falls apart, is when a …

Kevin · February 1st, 2008

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