What Grinds My Gears about the Recent Developments in Toyota's Unintended Acceleration-Saga

.fullpost { display: inline; } A few things happened in the past 24 hours that grind my gears on the subject of Toyota Motor Corp.'s "unintended acceleration" saga. The first thing that ticked me off were some smart-ass headlines for the findings of NHTSA-NASA study from the same sources that were bashing the Japanese company with Daily Mirror-like titles a little over a year ago. That's

Lexus LFA Nürburgring to get its First Public Outing in Geneva

.fullpost { display: inline; } Nearly 3 months after the start of production of the standard LFA, Lexus will debut the more track-focused Nürburgring Edition at the Geneva Motor Show in March. While we've known about the bespoke version of the LFA since May, 2010, according to the Japanese automaker, this is the first time that the supercar will be shown in public. Available as a special

Lexus Offers Special Driver Lessons to LFA Owners [with Video]

.fullpost { display: inline; } Owning a supercar like the Lexus LFA is not always a walk in the park. With 552HP on tap, it has enough oomph to get you in serious trouble and, given the $375,000 price tag and limited run of just 500 units, it would be a shame to wrap this beast around a tree. So, it’s definitely good news that Lexus will offer a driver development program for LFA owners

Chicago Preshow: Lexus CT 200h Concept Tune by Five Axis

.fullpost { display: inline; } Lexus will be showing off a wilder CT 200h prepared by parent company Toyota's tuning partner Five-Axis at the upcoming 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which runs for the public from February 11 to 20. The highly-modified Five Axis Project CT will be dressed in a custom made wide body kit with hybrid's bad-boy appearance further enhanced by the JDSU “Dark Passage”

Lexus LFA Sports Car

 The 2012 Lexus LFA is an awe-worthy piece of Japanese sports car. Only 500 of these mid-engined cars are to be hand-assembled by skilled automotive craftsmen in Japan. The engine output from the 4.8 liter 10-cylinder powerplant is home to 562 total horses.Helping to attack the winding curves as well as maintain traction on straight roadways, high-grip tires and sport-tuned suspension will

Lexus Issues Voluntary Recall on 245,000 GS and IS Models in the U.S.

.fullpost { display: inline; } Lexus has issued a voluntary safety recall involving some 245,000 cars in the U.S. because of a potential defect that may cause fuel leakage. The models affected by the recall include the GS300 and GS350 from the 2006-2007MY, the IS 250 from the 2006-2009MY, and the IS 350 from the 2006-2008MY. The company said that due to insufficient tightening, the

Lexus Launches CT 200h in Japan to Boost Domestic Sales

Lexus has added the new CT 200h dedicated hybrid model to its Japanese line-up in an attempt to boost flagging sales in its home market. The company's first entry in the premium-compact segment is also its cheapest offering with prices in Japan ranging from 3.55 million yen to 4.33 million yen (about US$42,600 to US$52,000).

Originally designed with European customers in mind, the CT 200h has also made its way to North America as well as China, with more countries to be added to the list. In the U.S., the CT 200h is priced from $29,120.

The five-door hatchback from Lexus features the same hybrid powertrain as the Prius mating a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine with an electric motor, nickel-metal-hydride battery and a generator. Lexus said that using the 10-15 test cycle of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the CT 200h returned a fuel efficiency of 34 km/lt (equal to 79.9 mpg US or 2.9 lt/100km).

The company said it plans to sell around 1,500 units a month of the CT 200h in Japan.

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China's BYD Debuts Lexus RX-Inspired S6DM Dual-Mode Hybrid at Detroit Motor Show

Chinese automaker BYD marked its fourth consecutive appearance at the North American International Auto Show with the world premiere of the S6DM hybrid, with the DM in the name standing for "Dual-Mode".

The gasoline-electric hybrid is based on the Chinese firm's S6, a mid-size SUV model first introduced at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2009. And no, you're not the only one to find the overall styling of the S6 reminiscent of the previous generation Lexus RX.

The Warren Buffett-backed battery and car maker claims the S6DM is "the world’s first independent 4WD dual-mode electric SUV". Under the hood, the Chinese model is equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and three electric motors. Two 10-kilowatt electric motors drive the front wheels while a more potent 75 kilowatt motor powers the rear wheels. A six six-speed dual clutch transmission handles power transfer.

Despite the "Dual-Mode" moniker, BYD says the system offers three driving modes including electric only, hybrid gasoline-electric and gasoline engine only. In detail, here's how the Chinese automaker describes each mode:

THREE DRIVING MODES

Fully electric (BEV) mode: At normal speeds, the vehicle can operate in its all-electric mode, with the electric motor (M2) propelling the rear wheels.

Hybrid gasoline-electric (HEV):

1. 2WD: The gasoline engine not only directly powers the vehicle, but also drives the electric motor (M1) at the front wheels to charge the battery pack.

2. 4WD: When more power is needed, the gas engine and the electric motor (M2) power the vehicle together. If the combined power is enough, the gasoline engine will also drive the electric motor (M1) to charge the battery pack. As speed increases, the gasoline engine can take over seamlessly with support from the 6-speed DCT; when braking, the gas engine automatically shuts down and the electric motor (M2) takes over.

3. 2WD: When battery power is low and not much driving power is required, the gasoline engine drives the electric motor (M1) to charge the battery pack and the electric motor (M2) powers the vehicle by itself.

Gasoline powered: When driving on the highway or in case the battery pack is depleted, the gasoline engine can power the vehicle on its own very efficiently.

According to BYD, the S6DM can travel over 38 miles (60km) purely on electric power (BEV) and over 500km (310 miles) combined when engaging the gasoline engine.

BYD said that the S6DM is amongst the models being considering for the U.S market. At the Detroit show, the company's Chairman, Wang Chuanfu, pushed back the brand's U.S. launch to the first quarter of 2012.

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______________VIDEO: BYD S6 from 2010 Beijing Auto Show ______________

Lexus IS F

Lexus IS FLexus IS F CarLexus IS FLexus IS F Wallpaper

Lexus UK Winters-up RX 450h with New SE-I Special Edition

A new special edition model has been added to the UK range of the Lexus RX450h hybrid crossover. Named the SE-I, the new model sports a host of accessories said to be suited for those "who love the great outdoors" - always according to Lexus.

On the outside the so-called Lifestyle model adds roof rails and a rear bumper protect, plus front and rear under-run plates. Interior features of the package include a tough boot liner, claimed to be designed to cope with muddy boots, and a warm / cold storage box.

Lexus says that if these features were to specified individually, it would cost buyers up to £1,500, but brought together for the new RX 450h SE-I Lifestyle they add just £499 to the on-the-road price of the crossover for a total of £48,899.

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2010 Lexus LFA SE Limited Edition

Will soon be inaugurated the Lexus LFA SE Limited Edition, will come with canards and a fixed wing in CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer). This car will be available in Black, Matte Black, “Whitest White”, or Orange.The engine of Lexus LFA SE Limited Edition’s power is said to get a boost from 560 to 570 horsepower (ECU work, most likely), and the suspension is “high-power-only”,

2010 Lexus LS 600h – Design Update

The 2010 Lexus LS 600h has been updated with the sporty style and provide more comfort to passengers and drivers.The re-design done according to the 2010 model starts from the bumper, revised grille, indicator repeaters in the door mirrors and new LED sidelights. The headlamps benefit from an automatic dipping system that uses a sensor in the rear view mirror to detect street lights and

2010 Lexus LX Invader by ASI

ASI is Japan’s tuning specialist this time handling the Lexus LX 570 full-size SUV needs a good ol’ bump in styling and performance. ASI has bigger plans than just the standard tune-job, though, with a nigh-600 horsepower package on the way. It should run to 60 in under 5 seconds.Before, the tuner’s Invader package takes care of the looks, although there has been no news yet of what engine

2011 Lexus CT 200h F Sport

Lexus CT 200h F Sport makes world premiere on this week’s Australian International Motor Show (AIMS). Based oh hybrid tech added a number of visual and performance goodies.Exterior, the CT 200h gets a sportier looking front bumper along with a honeycomb upper grille, beefier side skirts, and a reworked rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser. The larger alloy wheels in a gunmetal

2011 Lexus CT 200h F-Sport Concept

The Japanese firm’s lineup in Las Vegas will include the RX 450h SUV tuned by Paul Tolson, a race-spec GS 450h sedan, the VIP Auto Salon-prepped HS 250h sedan and two modified LS 600h L limos.That will also show off the Lexus CT 200h F-Sport concept fitted with 18-inch wheels shod in Pirelli P-Zero Nero 225/40 tires, a big brake kit with cross drilled rotors and an adjustable sport

2011 Lexus LFA

The new Lexus LFA marks an important moment in both the history of Lexus and the development of the supercar. A true “clean-sheet” design, the Lexus LFA was created by a small, passionate and dedicated team of engineers whose achievement has been to push the boundaries of technologies materials and engineering at every stage to produce a car like no other to have carried the Lexus

2009 Lexus IS C Custom

Fox Marketing is back for the 2010 SEMA show, following up last year’s tuned IS F with a supercharged 2010 Lexus IS350C. While Lexus’ hard-top cabrio may be an odd choice for a performance makeover, you can’t deny the equipment Fox used to create the lime green, 405 horsepower drop-top. Engine:Jashaan Autosports powered by ProCharger Supercharger System (405hp @ 6psi)ProCharger C-2

2011 Lexus CT 200h

The new Lexus CT 200h is the first five-door compact car, its size, packaging, full hybrid technology and low emissions fully address the requirements of discerning, environment-conscious customers in a key market sector. It’s entering production in late 2010 and set for sale worldwide.Stylish exterior aerodynamics with the strong front grille, directly referencing the LF-Ch concept

Tuner Cars: Lexus IS by Wald

Usually when tuning company’s tune cars like the 3-Series, they go out of their way to give it more power. Sometimes they even add so much power, that it would almost sit the car next to the M3. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Wald International, headquartered in Osaka Japan, recently got their hands on the Lexus IS and ended up just giving it some good looks. Wald’s IS250/350

Lexus CT200h Full Hybrid Luxury Compact Car

In mid-October will be announced prices and combinations of equipment and finishes, coinciding with the opening of the reservations of the first vehicles to be delivered in early 2011. Have already released the technical specifications of this hybrid type approved by the European cycle CO2 emissions of 96 g / km.It offers 134 horsepower from its combined petrol and electric motors that can