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Tokyo Auto Salon: Lexus Collection

While the official Lexus display at the Tokyo Auto Salon held most of our attention this last week, there was also a number of Lexus vehicles spread out among various body kit manufacturer displays — TLE reader & Flickr member CLF shares some photos: I may not be a fan of Wald’s Black Bison LS …

Kevin · January 20th, 2011

Lexus LFA Buyer Tours the LFA Manufacturing Facility

While on the topic of the Lexus LFA production facility, Club Lexus member gengar recently visited the Motomachi plant to see his LFA being built, and recounts the experience in vivid detail — here are some quotes: The tour was led by LFA production manager Shigeru Yamanaka. Accompanying him was LFA chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi …

Kevin · January 20th, 2011

The Man Behind the Lexus LFA Manufacturing

Lexus Magazine has a new feature on the man responsible for leading the LFA Works manufacturing team, Shigeru Yamanaka: Shigeru Yamanaka, manufacturing manager at the LFA Works, sums it up with characteristic precision: “We are actually a Takumi team.” Within Lexus, a Takumi—literally, “artisan”—is one of the 10 to 12 top guns of manufacturing. To …

Kevin · January 19th, 2011

Tokyo Auto Salon: Lexus Desktop Wallpapers

Lexus UK has published some high-resolution images featuring three of the cars shown at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon — here they are in all the usual desktop wallpaper sizes: Lexus CT 200h F-Sport with Modellista Body Kit Select Resolution: 1680×1050 | 1440×900 | 1280×1024 | 1280×800 | 1024×768 Lexus IS-F CCS-R Racing Concept Select …

Kevin · January 17th, 2011

Tokyo Auto Salon: Lexus CT 200h F-Sport with Modellista Body Kit

Not only has the Tokyo Auto Salon brought us two Lexus IS-F concepts, here’s our first real-life look at the new Modellista body kit for the CT 200h — once again, here are some photos from AutoGuide’s Colum Wood: I’m all over that rear diffuser — it really bumps up the rear design. I’m also …

Kevin · January 17th, 2011

The First Production Lexus LFA

The Lexus LFA website has been updated to include a very important milestone — the manufacturing of the very first production LFA: December 15th, 2010. The production of the Lexus LFA begins at the Motomachi Factory LFA Plant. The LFA will be produced by a total of 170 people including the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced …

Kevin · January 17th, 2011

Tokyo Auto Salon: Lexus IS-F Club Performance Accessory by TRD

In addition to the IS-F CCS-R concept, Lexus is also displaying the IS-F Club Performance Accessory at the Tokyo Auto Salon, which is sporting performance parts from Toyota tuner TRD — once again, here’s some photos from AutoGuide’s prolific Colum Wood: Here’s the full list of accessories: Dino over at SpeedHunters also posted a photo …

Kevin · January 14th, 2011

Lexus IS-F CCS-R Racing Concept at Tokyo Auto Salon

Lexus has unveiled the IS-F CCS-R racing concept at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon — here are some photos from Autoguide’s Colum Wood: The IS-F CCS-R, or IS-F Circuit Club Sports Racer, is tuned for the track, with a gutted interior, a roll-cage, and plenty of carbon fiber, which was used for the front splitter, …

Kevin · January 14th, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Modellista Body Kit

More news about the Japanese launch of the Lexus CT 200h — Japanese buyers will have the option of purchasing a Modellista body kit right from their dealership — here’s some detail shots of the front lip, the side-skirts and the rear diffuser with a reconfigured exhaust: If I’m reading the price list (PDF link) …

Kevin · January 13th, 2011

Lexus Japan CT 200h F-Sport Details

The Lexus CT 200h F-Sport also launched today in Japan, and like the regular CT, there’s been some new details revealed by way of the Lexus Japan website. Here’s a good look at some of the package upgrades: Lexus Japan will also be offering some unique interior options with the F-Sport package — really impressed …

Kevin · January 13th, 2011

Lexus CT 200h Launches in Japan

The 2011 Lexus CT 200h went on sale in Japan today, and with it comes a fresh new website with plenty of new Japan-only details — but first, here’s some new photos: Here’s a chart with the full exterior color choices — note the F-Sport package in the middle: Here’s Japan’s range of interior options, …

Kevin · January 12th, 2011

Interview with “Lexus Performance Meister” Hirokazu Koga

There’s a brilliant interview over at Lexus Magazine with “Lexus Performance Meister” Hirokazu Koga, the man responsible for each Lexus’ feel: You see, Koga’s longtime job was to oversee a seemingly intangible aspect of any car: how it feels to drive, or perhaps, more accurately, how you’re supposed to feel when driving Lexus vehicles. What, …

Kevin · January 6th, 2011

Lexus RX Art Works in Dubai

Drive Arabia is becoming the go-to destination for seeing Lexus RXs that are unavailable in North America — first it was great pics of the RX’s panoramic roof option, and now we get a good look at the RX Art Works edition by Stone Designs. From the looks of things, the only exterior change is …

Kevin · January 4th, 2011

Production Lexus LFA Delivery

Just last week, the Lexus LFA started production at the special Motomachi factory in Japan, and here we see one of the first production LFAs being delivered to a Japanese dealership: I can only assume that’s a protective white plastic and not a two-tone paint job: Pretty exciting! Update: After the original video went missing …

Kevin · December 21st, 2010

Lexus CT 200h Manufacturing Video

Here’s a new video that gives a glimpse into the CT 200h’s manufacturing process at the Kyushu plant in Japan: I’m a huge fan of manufacturing videos no matter what, but there’s also a strong message in this video — even though the CT 200h will be the entry-level Lexus, it still benefits from the …

Kevin · December 8th, 2010

Lexus LS L-Select Custom Color Combinations

L-Select, the Lexus LS customization program available in Japan, has a brand new website with some (very small) photos of potential color combinations: Iris Topaz Beige Scarlet Rose Olive Umber Snow White Blue Gray Dark Brown Both the Blue Gray & Dark Brown may very well be Alcantara, which is a very nice touch and …

Kevin · December 7th, 2010

Lexus LFA Challenge Event at Fuji Speedway

Stop what you’re doing and watch this video — it’s pure LFA madness: Just to count them off: There’s a Black, White, Red, Yellow and a brand new (what looks to be) Grey LFA all racing the Fuji Speedway in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Toyota Motorsports Festival. Absolutely amazing — that Black …

Kevin · November 30th, 2010

Hiromu Naruse on the First-Gen Lexus IS Development

Stumbled on an insightful speech given by the late Hiromu Naruse, Master Test Driver of Toyota, at a Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS 300 owners event at the Fuji Speedway in 2007 — here are some direct quotes that detail his part in the car’s development: After enhancing the rigidity, I test drove 2,000 km for two …

Kevin · November 16th, 2010

Lexus LFAs at Fuji Speedway

During a recent visit to the Fuji Speedway, JDM news site 7Tune stumbled onto two Lexus LFAs performing some “secret” track testing, and managed to snap a few photos: The exact reasons for the tests wasn’t revealed, but the lack of a center cap in this photo suggests it may have something to do with …

Kevin · November 9th, 2010

Red Lexus LFA in Toyota City

Last month, the red Lexus LFA made an appearance in Toyota City, Japan — here’s a couple videos from the event: No matter how many videos I watch of this red Lexus LFA, it’s never enough — absolutely breathtaking. [Via: Club Lexus]

Kevin · November 5th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h F-Sport Video

By way of Car@Nifty, here we have the very first video of the Lexus CT 200h F-Sport in (super slow) motion: Also posted was a video of the Japanese CT press presentation, which didn’t have much that we haven’t seen before, but did include this slide on the available CT wheels in Japan: Interesting to …

Kevin · October 22nd, 2010

Paddle Shifters Offered on Japanese Lexus CT 200h F-Sport

Japanese car site Car@Nifty has posted up a Lexus CT 200h F-Sport photo gallery, and it looks like the JDM CT F-Sport will be equipped with paddle shifters: From my understanding, the paddle-shifters will only be offered in Japan, which would explain why there was no mention of the option when the CT F-Sport debuted …

Kevin · October 20th, 2010

Four Lexus LFAs All Together

Here’s something you don’t see every day — four Lexus LFAs all together: I was surprised to see that the Pearl Yellow LFA featured is not the same one we’ve seen previously, but instead a brand-new car with a Camel Yellow interior — check out some of these screenshots: Beautiful interior color, it just looks …

Kevin · October 17th, 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. …

Kevin · October 12th, 2010

Motor Trend Drives the 2011 Lexus IS F

Peter Lyons recently had some track time with the 2011 Lexus IS F, and talks up the changes in the new model year quite nicely: Although the powertrain and the car’s 3800-lb curb weight remain the same, the suspension settings have been totally recalibrated…An unexpected byproduct of this revision is the car’s more compliant ride, …

Kevin · September 17th, 2010

Lexus LFA Rockets Around Fuji Speedway

The lucky folks at Nihon Car had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive one of the Lexus LFAs used in this year’s Nürburgring 24h race around the Fuji Speedway in Japan: With much of the interior stripped away to save weight, the sound in the cabin has been amplified to almost pure aural speed — absolute …

Kevin · September 6th, 2010

2011 Lexus RX 270 Available in Japan

Lexus has launched the RX 270 in Japan this week, which will be powered by the 1AR-FE 2.7L engine and putting out 187hp with torque of 252Nm. The RX 270 was also announced for Russia, and it’s expected (for some time) that the low-displacement version of Lexus’ most popular vehicle will also be available in …

Kevin · August 27th, 2010

2011 Lexus IS F Gets LFA-Style Instrument Panel

The 2011 Lexus IS F was also revealed as part of Lexus Japan’s big website update yesterday, and it looks like the super-IS will be getting a variation of the LFA’s instrument panel: Let’s zoom up a bit: Here’s an alternative view, once again zoomed up due to image size: From the looks of it, …

Kevin · August 26th, 2010

Lexus Japan Art Works: GS in Sunset

We’ve already taken a look at the RX & IS Art Works special editions released by Lexus Japan today, but I’ve saved the best for last — just take a look at this GS in Sunset interior: Here’s some close-ups: This color combo is really something else (reminds me of the LS Sport interior), tasteful …

Kevin · August 26th, 2010

Lexus Japan Art Works: RX in Sunlight

An RX Art Work special edition was also released today by Lexus Japan, who have teamed up with Stone Designs on some wild interior color schemes: Here’s some detail shots of the interior: Both this RX and the previously mentioned IS are really quite playful — quirky even — and while it’s tough to imagine …

Kevin · August 25th, 2010

Lexus Japan Art Works: IS in Sunrise

As part of their new Art Works initiative, Lexus Japan has teamed up with design studio Stone Designs to create some extremely unique interior options — the first of which is this Lexus IS in Sunrise: The IS in Sunrise is the only design we’ve seen previously, and it features a decidedly oceanic color scheme: …

Kevin · August 25th, 2010

More Black Lexus LFA Videos

It’s now time for our weekly look at the black Lexus LFA that’s being tested in Japan — this time it’s three videos, and in an exciting development, we get our first glimpse of the front end: Here’s a freeze-frame: I wonder when we’ll see this LFA’s first public appearance — can not wait for …

Kevin · August 6th, 2010

Lexus Manufacturing Master of Paint

Lexus Magazine has published a fascinating article on Kimihiro Sakakibara, one of the 10 Lexus Takumi Masters that oversee factory production: For anyone still unfamiliar with the term, Lexus Takumi are the automotive equivalent of a 10th Dan black belt. Each of the ten Takumi specializes in a key area of the vehicle—and each commands …

Kevin · August 4th, 2010

RHD Lexus LFA Spotted

Here’s something new — a right-hand-drive edition of the Lexus LFA showed up at a Japanese event last week to perform some donuts: It’s getting difficult to keep track of all the LFAs out there, time for a list: White LFA from Tokyo Auto Show introduction now in Europe Matte Black (now white) LFA from …

Kevin · August 3rd, 2010

Black Lexus LFA, Take Two

We saw a quick glimpse of the glossy black Lexus LFA a couple weeks back, and now here’s another brief look at the latest edition of the supercar: Is this the best looking LFA so far or is it just me?

Kevin · August 2nd, 2010

VIP Lexus LS & GS Together

Been going through a lot of old files lately, and I stumbled on this brilliant photo of a VIP’d Lexus LS & GS prowling the streets together: This has to be one of my all-time favorite Lexus shots, I wish I knew who took the shot and where it came from. Has anyone seen it …

Kevin · July 28th, 2010

New Black Lexus LFA Spotted!

A shiny black Lexus LFA has been spotted in Japan: I’m thunderstruck — that’s one sinister supercar.

Kevin · July 21st, 2010

Lexus LX 570 ASI Invader Video

A couple months ago, we saw our first glimpse of a super-modified version of the Lexus LX 570, the ASI Invader, and now we have video of the extreme SUV (Warning: turn down your volume, extreme wind noise): It still looks absolutely insane, but the black exterior mutes it somewhat as compared to the earlier …

Kevin · July 14th, 2010

Lexus Confirms Engine Recall

Toyota has announced that there will be a recall on 270,000 Lexus (and one model Toyota) worldwide — from The New York Times: Toyota will recall a total of 90,000 Lexus and Crown sedans in Japan, and is “making preparations to take similar, appropriate actions” for 180,000 more cars that carry the same engine worldwide, …

Kevin · July 1st, 2010

Potential Lexus Engine Recall

Toyota has announced today that they may be recalling 270,000 Lexus cars after discovering a problem with the 4.6L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines used throughout the lineup — from the Wall Street Journal: The auto maker has found a problem with the valve spring of 4.6 liter V8 engines and 3.5 liter V6 engines …

Kevin · July 1st, 2010

Blue Lexus LFA Photos

We saw a video of this Pearl Blue Lexus LFA a couple months back, now here are some new photos: Best of all, this black & blue interior is a knockout: Absolute madness — what a color combination. [Via: Club Lexus]

Kevin · June 28th, 2010

Akio Toyoda on the Passing of Hiromu Naruse

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has shared his grief over the passing of mentor Hiromu Naruse on his blog — and even though I’m only able to read a rough Google translation, his message shows not only a deep sadness, but a strong resolve to continue on in Naruse’s spirit. Read the translated text (Original Text)

Kevin · June 24th, 2010

Lexus May 2010 Sales Report

USA USA May sales are in — here’s a full model-by-model breakdown: MONTH Year to Date (*DSR) 2010 2009 % CHG* 2010 2009 % CHG* ES 5,115 4,125 24.0 18,643 16,445 14.3 HS 1,360 0 N/A 5,889 0 N/A LS 944 830 13.7 4,911 4,051 22.2 SC 34 93 -63.4 147 403 -63.2 GS 771 …

Kevin · June 2nd, 2010

Red Lexus LFA @ Japanese Auto Show

Not only does this video from a Japanese auto show feature the red Lexus LFA, it also demonstrates a couple details about the supercar that I haven’t seen before (skip to 5:23 to get to the goods): The two things I noticed were the turn signal and the massive, single-blade windshield wiper — admittedly, these …

Kevin · May 24th, 2010

Lexus CT 200h Chief Designer Video Interview

Here’s two new Lexus CT 200h videos featuring the hatchback’s Chief Designer, Takeshi Tanabe: This HD footage really shows off the car in a very strong way, including our best look yet at the LED headlights. Top notch quality. For more from Tanabe-sama, you can check out my interview with him from the Geneva auto …

Kevin · May 11th, 2010

Lexus Takes Top Three Spots in Super GT GT500 Class

Missed this story last week, but Lexus took the top three spots in Round 3 of the 2010 Super GT series — from Road & Track: The GT500 class winner was the pole-starting MJ Kraft SC430 driven by Hiroaki Ishiura and Kazuya Oshima, who never lost the lead throughout the race. Joining them on the podium …

Kevin · May 10th, 2010

Lexus LX 570 Invader by ASI Tuning

Japanese tuner ASI has cut loose and created the craziest Lexus LX 570 you’ll ever see: Dubbed the ASI LX 570 Invader, ASI has tuned the LX to push out 600hp, which equals a 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds (the stock LX 570 need 7.4 seconds). Of course, there’s more obvious changes — the …

Kevin · May 6th, 2010

New Lexus Design Chief Announced

Following the semi-retirement of longtime Lexus and Toyota design chief Wahei Hirai in June 2009, company insiders and journalists have speculated on who his successor might be. This week, they got a rather novel answer, with the appointment of an Englishman, Simon Humphries, to the top spot. Humphries, who worked at Sony in product design …

Kevin · April 28th, 2010

Lexus LFA Display at Flagship Tokyo Dealership

Japanese blog レクサスとの道[LEXUS] made a recent trip to the flagship Lexus Takanawa dealership in Tokyo and snapped this photo of their new LFA display: Not only is there an actual LFA on display, there are color samples made from minature LFA models and examples of all the interior leather options—and check out the giant, fully …

Kevin · April 23rd, 2010

Lexus Global Executive Changes

Lexus parent Toyota Motor Corporation announced key executive changes, which will be formally enacted in June at the company’s annual shareholder meeting. Of interest to the luxury division, Toshio Furutani is retiring as Senior Managing Director on the corporate board of directors. Furutani has overseen Lexus’ worldwide operations in recent years, initially as Managing Officer …

Kevin · April 22nd, 2010

Blue Lexus LFA Spotted

A blue Lexus LFA has been filmed in Japan: This second video has some closeups, along with footage of the interior: Truth be told, I’m generally not a fan of blue, but on the LFA it looks super-fine—here’s the money shot: So we’ve seen white, black, matte-black, red & blue—what color’s next? (My guess: silver.) …

Kevin · April 21st, 2010

Lexus GX 460 Recall Remedy Demonstration

Lexus Japan has released a video demonstrating the stability control update: This video was accompanied by a press release which details the exact circumstances that caused the stability control issues discovered by Consumer Reports last week: The following conditions combine to cause the problem: In the GX 460 and Land Cruiser Prado, heavy components, such …

Kevin · April 20th, 2010

Stunning Red Lexus LFA Photos

Japanese website Carview has published some red Lexus LFA photos as part of an extensive review: I could post photos of that red LFA every day. These photos are part of a larger gallery that includes plenty of interior shots along with photos of an LFA in various stages of undress: Absolutely amazing—must see photos. …

Kevin · April 19th, 2010

Lexus LS 460 & Hideki Watanabe in Kyoto

There’s a wonderful photo-essay on Lexus Magazine by Doug Knox & Andrew Shaylor that takes you through Kyoto, Japan in a LS 460 driven by Chief Engineer, Hideki Watanabe—some example shots: Many miles later and comfortably at one with the LS, Watanabe patiently takes me to school, explaining how his team managed to eke out …

Kevin · April 19th, 2010

Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition in Black & White

We’ve seen photos of the limited-edition Lexus LFA Nürburgring edition in orange, and now here’s the track-optimized supercar in two other color options, black & white: The LFA Nürburgring package is limited to just 50 units within the total LFA production run of 500, in effect creating rare version of an already extremely limited supercar. …

Kevin · April 16th, 2010

More Video of the Red Lexus LFA

The red Lexus LFA is so fantastic, I don’t even care how shaky this video footage is: Great to see the LFA in such a classic supercar color—can’t wait to see it in yellow for the first time.

Kevin · April 12th, 2010

Lexus HS 250h Voluntary Recall Announced

A voluntary recall of the 2010 Lexus HS 250h has been announced by Toyota USA—from the press release: The ABS, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage. Some 2010 model year Prius and 2010 HS 250h owners have reported experiencing inconsistent …

Kevin · February 8th, 2010

Lexus Japan RX 350 & RX 450h Special Options

Lexus Japan is offering a two unique customization options for the Lexus RX 350 & RX 450h, starting with this aggressive under-spoiler: Hard to judge with only the front-end visible, but it’s similar to the LX 570 Sport Luxury package we saw last week in that it doesn’t seem to fit all that well. The …

Kevin · February 8th, 2010

Wald’s Executive Line Lexus LS 460

For the Tokyo Auto Salon, Japanese tuner company Wald International outfitted a 2010 Lexus LS 460 Sport with their Executive Line body kit and Renovatio wheels: Wald’s tendency to overcomplicate the simple Lexus design is too over-the-top for my tastes, especially with the front-fender vents and the massive 22” Renevatio wheels, but it isn’t hard …

Kevin · February 5th, 2010

Lexus HS 250h to be Part of Toyota Prius Brake Investigation

Taking the upmost caution in the face of increasingly ridiculous media attention, Toyota has announced that the Lexus HS 250h will be investigated alongside the 2010 Toyota Prius for a software glitch that is causing problems with Toyota’s hybrid braking—even though the two models don’t even use the same software: The mechanical parts that make …

Kevin · February 5th, 2010

Looking at the 2010 Lexus LS 600hL Instrument Panel

I really love the look of the new TFT instrument panel in the 2010 Lexus LS 600hL: There was also these images from yesterday’s L-Select LS 600hL photo gallery from Japan: {embed=“site/gallery” gallery_id=“1543”} The IP’s central circle theme is a much cleaner approach than the traditional two dial display, and brings to mind the LFA’s …

Kevin · January 28th, 2010

Lexus L-Select LS 600hL from Japan

Photos of the L-Select customization program offered by Lexus Japan have been hard to come by—that is, until I was sent the link to this absolutely massive LS 600hL gallery with one of the unique L-Select trims. Here’s just a small selection: {embed=“site/gallery” gallery_id=“1539”} Just look at these detail shots: I’m not sold on the …

Kevin · January 27th, 2010

Japanese Launch of Lexus CT 200h in May?

Japanese newspaper Chunichi Shimbun is reporting that the new Lexus CT200h will be on sale in Japan starting in May, adding credibility to rumors of a LF-Ch production model debuting at the Geneva Auto Show in March. The newspaper also claims the new hybrid hatchback will be powered by same hybrid engine as the third-gen …

Kevin · January 22nd, 2010

Lexus SC 430 to End Production, Japanese Special Edition Revealed

Lexus has announced that the SC 430 will cease production in July, ending the nine-year run of the second generation sports coupe. To mark the occasion, Lexus Japan will be offering a special, limited edition dubbed The Eternal Jewel, which will bring an extreme level of customization to both the interior & exterior color choices, …

Kevin · January 20th, 2010

VIP Auto Salon Lexus HS 250h @ The Detroit Auto Show

The modified Lexus HS 250h at the Detroit Auto Show was the centerpiece of the entire Lexus exhibit. Put together by Clark Ishihara and VIP Auto Salon, the HSh is decked out in Branew—front under-spoiler, side skirts, rear under-spoiler, trunk spoiler, stainless steel muffler, and the 20” wheels all come from the Japanese tuning company. …

Kevin · January 18th, 2010

Lexus IS F CCS Concept @ Tokyo Auto Salon

Marking the end of a two year rumor, Lexus has debuted the IS F Circuit Club Sports (CCS) concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon—a lightweight IS F with loads of carbon fiber, including the roof, hood, trunk, ground effects—just look at this wild rear wing: Along with the carbon fiber weight savings and a new …

Kevin · January 17th, 2010

Lexus Milan Design Week Retrospective

When Lexus’ L-Finesse design language debuted in 2005, it also marked the first year of the the company’s involvement with the annual Milan Design Week in Italy—and now, Lexus Magazine has posted a retrospective of the various exhibits over the last five years. It was at the Milan Design Week last year that the transparent …

Kevin · January 6th, 2010

Rumor: Lexus GS F to have LFA V10 Engine

Japanese magazine Best Car is reporting that Lexus is working on a GS F that would pair the current sedan with the LFA’s 4.8L V10 engine. It seems unlikely to be true, especially the idea that Lexus would be working on a variant of the oldest sedan in the lineup, and is probably wishful thinking …

Kevin · December 30th, 2009

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