2012 Lexus GS 250 Coming to Europe

While the North America edition of the next-generation Lexus GS appears to be carrying over the 3.5L V6 from the current generation (in both hybrid & non-hybrid formats), the fourth generation sports sedan will be getting a new engine for European (and likely Japanese) markets: the GS 250.
Kevin · July 23rd, 2011

Lexus Europe 2011 Sales Update

Good news out of Europe -- over the first six months of 2011, Lexus has increased sales 42% due to strong interest in the CT 200h.
Kevin · July 21st, 2011

Lexus Nürburgring 24h Race Open Thread

After much anticipation, the Nürburgring 24h Race weekend is here! I'll be updating throughout the weekend with any news I come across, and I encourage everyone to post links and updates in the comments section.
Kevin · June 24th, 2011

Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition Laps Nordschleife in 7:22.85

Right before we jump into coverage of this weekend's Nürburgring 24h race, a new video has surfaced showing Team Manager Akira Iida taking a Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition around the Nordschleife in 7:22.85 (be warned, the video is not of the highest quality).
Kevin · June 24th, 2011

Comparison: Lexus CT 200h vs. Nissan Leaf vs. VW Golf GTD

This Auto Express video showdown between the Lexus CT 200h, Nissan Leaf & VW Golf GTD had all the potential for a very interesting comparison, but ultimately fizzles with its focus on superficial testing criteria rather than examining the differences between the three models.
Kevin · June 15th, 2011

Lexus LFA Places 5th Overall in VLN5 Nürburgring Race

It was quite an eventful weekend for racing -- not only did both the Le Mans 24h Race and the Canadian Grand Prix turn in spectacular results, but the #111 Lexus LFA (and drivers Iida Akira, Oshima Kazuya & Ishiura Hiroaki) won the SP8 class on their way to placing 5th overall in the latest edition of the VLN Nürburgring series. This is the best overall result for the Gazoo team since they started racing LFAs in 2008.
Kevin · June 13th, 2011

Lexus LFA Wins SP8 Class in Nürburgring VLN4 Race

The #119 Lexus LFA finished first in the SP8 class and 17th overall at this weekend's VLN 4 race at Nürburgring. Two LFAs started the race, but #111 LFA ended up with a busted suspension after a collision in the first corner.
Kevin · May 31st, 2011

Lexus IS F to Race in Superstars Series This Weekend

When the second round of the Superstars Series Touring Car Championship kicks off this weekend with a race at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain, Lexus fans will have a new team to cheer for — Diego Romanini & MN Motorsport have entered the race with a IS F, where it will be the …

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Kevin · May 6th, 2011

Lexus Europe First Quarter 2011 Sales Report

Lexus Europe have reported their 2011 first quarter sales — here it is, broken down (mostly) by model: Model Sales CT 2,199 IS 1,514 GS (including GS Hybrid) 257 GS Hybrid 143 LS (including LS Hybrid) 135 LS Hybrid 69 RX (including RX Hybrid) 3,758 RX Hybrid 2,451 Other models 1,695 Total 1st Quarter Sales …

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Kevin · May 5th, 2011

Stunning HD Video of Lexus LFA in VLN 1 Nürburgring Race

While the Lexus LFA appearances are sporadic at best, this seven minute video from last week’s VLN series opener at Nürburgring is great viewing on quality alone: Whenever I see the LFA out on the track, I always startled by how futuristic it looks compared to the competition, and how it really doesn’t remind me …

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Kevin · April 10th, 2011

Lexus Becomes Official Supplier to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco

It has been announced that Lexus has been awarded a royal warrant to become the Official Supplier to His Serene Highness, the Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco — a honored appointment that will could see a LS 600hL as the official wedding car of the Price’s marriage to Miss Charlene Wittstock on Saturday 2nd …

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Kevin · April 6th, 2011

More Photos of Lexus LFA in the VLN Season Opener

TLE Friend Thomas Biesenbach was kind enough to send over a few more photos of the white #111 Lexus LFA that took part in the VLN race season opener at the Nürburgring this past weekend (click any image for a larger image): I especially liked this one, here it is in some desktop dimensions: Select …

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Kevin · April 4th, 2011

Lexus LFA Races in VLN Nürburgring Season Opener

A Gazoo Racing Lexus LFA took part in this weekend’s 4-hour VLN 1 race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with disappointing results. After finishing the 20th overall in qualifying (the fastest non-German car in the race), a run-in with a Porsche 911 took the team of Iida Akira, Kinoshita Takayuki & Ishiura Hiroaki out of main …

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Kevin · April 3rd, 2011

2012 Lexus GS Spy Shot?

Don’t know if it really classifies as a spy shot, but today on Twitter, Lexus Europe posted a photo of two cars under tarps, and mentioned that vehicle and dynamic development engineers would be driving around the UK — wonder if we could be looking at examples of the next-generation GS: From the profile of …

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Kevin · March 24th, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Pre-Orders Double Sales in Netherlands

It’s entirely possible I’m reading this translated article wrong, but according to Dutch newspaper De Telgraaf, Lexus Netherlands received 1,000 pre-orders for the CT 200h — a remarkable number considering that last year, only 700 Lexus were sold in the country! The newspaper attributes the brisk sales to the hatchback’s exemption from road tax, but …

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Kevin · March 22nd, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Lightshows from France & Singapore

Similar to the introduction of the CT 200h in Dubai, Lexus France also did an exceptional 3D display projection on the side of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye: How brilliant that Lexus has managed to “sync” its regional launch events with a global theme. Here’s two more videos of a lightshow from Lexus Singapore — first …

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Kevin · March 20th, 2011

The Wild Ukrainian Lexus IS

Take a look at this mental Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS from the Ukraine that’s been featured on Stance Nation: The blue SSR Koenig wheels with the fresh white exterior is an unbelievable combo — I’m a traditionalist for the most part, but when I see something like this IS, it really gets my imagination going. What …

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Kevin · March 1st, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Commercial: Drum Roll

Lexus Europe has just released their launch commercial for the CT 200h, and it has a real beat to it: The variety of drums used is amazing, and this behind-the-scenes video shows the effort that went into arranging such a large cast: There’s also a series of interviews with some of the drummers over at …

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Kevin · February 22nd, 2011

Zany Lexus CT 200h Commercials from Italy

Here’s a series of commercials from Lexus Italy that feature Doctor Tokokira, a scientist that has just created a shrinking ray, The Minimizer. Along with his lovely yet awkward assistant, Tokokira tries various applications of his new invention — believe me, it’s worth watching even if you don’t speak Italian (or Japanese): I won’t spoil …

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Kevin · February 21st, 2011

Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package to Debut at Geneva Auto Show

The Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package will make its official debut next month as part of Lexus’ display at the Geneva Motor Show. This amped-up $445,000 USD edition of the Lexus supercar will only be available on 50 of the 500 LFAs that are being built, and this exclusivity brings additional aerodynamic features and technical revisions …

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Kevin · February 10th, 2011

Meet the Journalist Who Influences Lexus Development

Lexus Magazine is running a new article written by Jean-Jacques Cornaert, an automotive journalist who just so happens to get access to unreleased and in-development Lexus vehicles — here’s an excerpt: The [Lexus IS-F] is a masterpiece, the result of several years of thought about what a Lexus can be. It’s also a car that, …

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Kevin · February 4th, 2011

Lexus IS F Nürburgring 24h Race GT5 Documentary

One of the videos included with the PS3 game Gran Turismo 5 is this 30+ minute documentary detailing GT5 creator Kazunori Yamauchi’s experience driving a Lexus IS-F in the Nürburgring 24h race — get comfortable and hit play, it’s worth it: In the end, Yamauchi-san and the World Car Award team finished 59th overall — …

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Kevin · January 11th, 2011

Two Lexus IS-Fs to Join Superstars Series

Two Lexus IS-Fs will be joining the surging Superstars Series touring car championship — from Touring Car Times: Lexus is set to become the tenth manufacturer represented on the Superstars grid for 2011. The team MN Lexus Racing has announced plans to enter a pair of Lexus IS-F in the championship this year. The Italian …

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Kevin · January 5th, 2011

EVO Engine of the Year: The Lexus LFA V10

One point I lost in the shuffle of EVO’s Car of the Year showdown — the magazine named the Lexus LFA’s V10 the 2010 Engine of the Year (click for a larger version): Some quotes: There’s the noise [the LFA engine] makes, for a start, a dense shriek like a V10 F1 car’s, fired out …

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Kevin · January 2nd, 2011

Lexus LFA Places Fourth in EVO Car of the Year

The Lexus LFA took part in EVO Magazine’s Car of the Year showdown, where it went up against the best and brightest of 2010, including the Ferrari 458 Italia, Mercedes SLS AMG & Porsche’s GT2 & 3 RS. Lucky for us, someone over at German Car Forums has scanned and uploaded the entire article, which …

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Kevin · December 30th, 2010

Massive Lexus Die-Cast Model Collection

Today, I would like to share a very special article from Eric Janssen, a retired Sales & PR Manager from Lexus Belgium, who has been collecting Lexus models since the very introduction of the brand, and was gracious enough to share a full history and photos of his collection. The history of Lexus scale models …

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Kevin · December 29th, 2010

Lexus Europe Christmas Card

If you happen to know anyone out there who would like a Lexus Christmas Card, Lexus Europe has just the thing with their customizable e-card — great visuals of the CT 200h, all new footage. The holidays sure came up fast this year! [Source: Lexus Europe]
Kevin · December 23rd, 2010

Lexus IS F: Gran Turismo 5 vs. Reality

With Gran Turismo 5 being released today, auto writer Dan Lyons tells the story of his experience racing with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at this year’s Nürburgring 24h race, and how their laptimes compared in GT5: …while Yamauchi was playing out one of his dreams – to drive in a real Nürburgring 24-hour race …

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Kevin · November 24th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h in Black

While on the topic of the Lexus CT 200h, here are a few photos of the black CT 200h taken at the September press launch in France (click for a larger version): The best part about the last picture is that the brick wall is actually the bottom of a castle.
Kevin · November 19th, 2010

Lexus LFAs Racing in the Rain

First there was this photo of Akio Toyoda driving the Lexus LFA around Nürburgring in the rain, and now a video showing some very similar circumstances has shown up on Youtube: Not exactly the kind of circumstances I’d want to be driving fast in, that’s for sure. (Thanks Roberto!)
Kevin · October 20th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h in Daybreak Yellow

Of all the Lexus CT 200h exterior color options, Daybreak Yellow was the last color I expected to like, but seeing it in person changed my mind, at least to a degree — depending on the sun or shade, it could shift from gold to garish in the blink of an eye, and it was …

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Kevin · October 19th, 2010

2011 Lexus CT 200h: First Drive

Over the past month, I’ve had two occasions to drive the Lexus CT 200h — first time up was at the NYC stop of the CT 200h World Tour, where I found the CT 200h to be a perfect fit on the busy New York streets, easily absorbing the rough edges of city driving without …

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Kevin · October 12th, 2010

Akio Toyoda Visits Nürburgring

Last week, Toyota President Akio Toyoda visited Germany to test-drive two Lexus LFAs at Nürburgring: As we can see, one of the LFAs is black (likely this one), and the other is a duplicate of the yellow Nürburgring edition involved in the fatal crash that took the life of Toyota Chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse. …

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Kevin · October 12th, 2010

Lexus CT Body Styles & Engine Options

Autocar is reporting that the Lexus CT 200h will not offered in a coupe or estate/wagon version: The new hybrid, being shown as a production car for the first time, will not be sold in sufficient numbers to justify a coupé or estate version, according to Toyota Europe boss Didier Leroy. However, the article does …

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Kevin · October 6th, 2010

2012 Lexus IS Spy Shots

Not even 24 hours after spy shots of the next-generation Lexus GS emerged, we have some photos of a similarly taped up IS driving around Germany: There’s even fewer details revealed in these shots, other than that the rear bumper has been cut and stretched, likely to make the shell fit over the new platform …

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Kevin · October 6th, 2010

Next-Gen 2012 Lexus GS Mule Spotted!

At long last, the first spy-shots of the next-generation Lexus GS have been published after a prototype-mule was spotted in Germany: Admittedly, with the shell of the current GS covering much of the action, there’s not much to go on — one thing that’s clear from the taped-up fenders is that the next-gen GS will …

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Kevin · October 5th, 2010

Paris Photos: Lexus CT 200h in Smoky Granite Mica

The lights surrounding the Smoky Granite Mica Lexus CT 200h on display at the Paris Motor Show made for some strong contrast: I also ventured out onto the rotating platform for some pics of the interior, which just so happened to be a wild red & black fabric almost impossible to photograph: Much to my …

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Kevin · October 4th, 2010

Lexus Press Conference at 2010 Paris Motor Show

I have plenty of photos of the Lexus display at the Paris Motor Show, but first, let’s start off by taking a look at the opening press conference from Lexus Europe Vice President Andy Pfeiffenberger: Important points on the CT 200h: Lexus lineup will be fully hybrid in Europe by 2015. The CT 200h is …

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Kevin · October 4th, 2010

New Lexus Europe CT 200h Video

Should you have any last doubts at the Lexus CT 200h’s target market, this new video from Lexus Europe should put them to rest: I’m guessing this video will be part of tomorrow’s launch of the CT production model at the Paris Motor Show, and is likely only the tip of the media iceberg. Much …

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Kevin · September 29th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h F-Sport Accessories

Today was my first day at the Lexus CT 200h press launch event in Paris, France, and there’s been some pretty exciting new details announced for the hybrid hatchback. Let’s start with something big — Lexus USA will be offering a number of F-Sport accessories for the CT 200h. Here’s the only image released so …

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Kevin · September 28th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h Photos from the United Kingdom

Lexus UK has just released a superb set of CT 200h photos: Definitely a lot of character in these photos, this shot cracks me up: Hilarious. [Source: Lexus UK Flickr]
Kevin · September 21st, 2010

Auto Express Parallel Parks the Lexus LFA

Here’s a fun review of the Lexus LFA from Auto Express that even includes a spot of parallel parking: By now, we’re all fairly used to seeing the LFA in high-performance mode, so these reviews that have a touch of the real world are enjoyable in their rareness — can hardly blame the reviewer for …

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Kevin · September 16th, 2010

More 2011 Lexus IS F Details

Lexus Europe has released further details on the 2011 Euro-spec IS F, which will be getting a number of exterior & interior design changes for the new year: 5.0 litre V8 is now Euro 5 compliant The HID headlights will get getting the arrowhead LED daytime running light strip New Starlight Black exterior color Dark …

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Kevin · August 31st, 2010

New Lexus IS 200d Arrives in Europe for 2011

For 2011, the Lexus IS 220d in Europe the UK will be replaced by the IS 200d, which will be using an updated version of the same 2.2L diesel engine that brings better fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions and a more refined and smoother drive: The new 148bhp version of the 2.2-litre diesel engine benefits …

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Kevin · August 30th, 2010

Top Gear Magazine Supercar Showdown

Last month, a video showed up on Youtube showing a Lexus LFA, Mercedes SLS, Porsche GT3 RS, Lamborghini LP 570-4 Superleggera, and Ferrari 458 all parked on the side of a UK road — turns out this was the work of Top Gear Magazine, who pulled the “five greatest supercars of the year” together for …

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Kevin · August 17th, 2010

Lexus & Tumi to Partner on Exclusive LFA Luggage

Lexus has partnered with Tumi to create a special set of luggage that fits perfectly into the LFA: The unique line of Tumi cases for the LFA supercar has a hybrid construction, and is styled using components that are directly related to the appearance of the car. Never before have a hard shell, aluminum and …

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Kevin · August 12th, 2010

Lexus LS 460 Commercial: Opera

Here’s a clever LS 460 commercial from Lexus Germany: Captures the LS 460’s Mark Levinson system perfectly — there’s nothing quite like live music through those 19 speakers, in my experience.
Kevin · August 12th, 2010