Toyota Sells One Million Hybrids

Toyota announced that they have now sold 1 million hybrid vehicles worldwide, ten years after the introduction of the Prius. Here’s a breakdown of the individual vehicle sales: As expected, the Prius was the biggest seller, making up 75% of the total. The entire Lexus lineup, which includes GS 450h, the RX 400h and the …

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Kevin · June 7th, 2007

Hyundai’s Azera vs. LS 460 Commercial

After the results of the Total Quality Index survey, I decided to do a little Hyundai Youtube surfing and found a recent Azera ad comparing it to the LS 460: My personal disdain of Kelsey Grammer notwithstanding, and the fact that there are far more differences than similarities between the Azera and the LS 460, …

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Kevin · June 7th, 2007

Total Quality Index: Lexus Results

Another study was released today, this one by San-Diego-based research firm Strategic Vision. Their Total Quality Index, or TQI, is considered the premier measure of new vehicle owner satisfaction, as it asks buyers to rate every aspect of the owner experience. Lexus made a decent showing, with the RX 350 placing first in the Near …

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Kevin · June 7th, 2007

Lexus Places Second in J.D. Power 2007 Initial Quality Study

J.D. Power & Associates published the results of their 2007 Initial Quality Study, and Lexus placed second in the overall rankings, behind Porsche: As you can see, it was a very close race, with Lexus owners reporting 94 problems per 100 Vehicles as compared to Porsche’s 91. The individual vehicle results were less flattering, with …

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Kevin · June 6th, 2007

Wald International Body Kit for the LS 460

Wald International, a Japanese tuning company, has been one of the premier body kit & modification developers for Lexus since the LS 400. The new LS 460 is their latest subject, which they treated with a very distinctive reverence: Save for the rims, the USF40 Executive Line body kit is nothing overly flashy, and is …

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Kevin · June 6th, 2007

RX Models Finish High in Consumer Reports SUV Rankings

Both of Lexus’ current RX models ranked in the top four of Consumer Reports latest SUV rankings, with the RX400h coming in second and the RX350 tying the Acura MDX for third. Considering that the Highlander Hybrid took the number one spot, Toyota practically swept the Consumer Reports rankings. Not a bad result, though they …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

Lexus Interiors Score High in KBB Research Study

KBB has released the “Interior Styling” results of their consumer automotive perceptions research study, and Lexus scored high in each of the luxury categories: Luxury Sedans 1. Lexus 2. Mercedes-Benz 3. Infiniti Luxury SUVs 1. Cadillac 2. Lexus 3. BMW Convertibles/Sports Cars 1. Mercedes-Benz 2. Porsche 3. Lexus From my own experience, I know Lexus …

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Kevin · June 5th, 2007

What would an LS 460 Coupe look like?

Photochopper CWW Cardesign has put together a virtual LS 460 Coupe and it’s a real beauty: Imagined to compete with the Mercedes CL-Class and BMW 6-series, it’s nothing but a pipedream to think Lexus would actually release such a vehicle. Of all the sedans, an IS Coupe is much more likely. [Source:Auto Spies]
Kevin · June 5th, 2007