Autoblog

Our friendly neighborhood Toyota/Lexus spokesman, Curt McAllister, dropped us a note with an official announcement of what's coming to the Lexus booth at next week's LA Auto Show, and as expected, the big reveal will be the reworked RX luxury crossover. Like the current crossovers, the RX will come in two prescription strengths: the conventional RX350 with a 3.5L V6 and the hybrid flavored RX450h. The bump in nomenclature from the current RX400h likely implies some enhancements to the powertrain including a bump from the current 3.3L V6 to the 3.5L engine used in the 350. It's assumed the RX400h will also boast enhancements to the hybrid drive system with tech pulled from the 2010 Toyota Prius. The photo above, taken of the Japanese brochure, appeared online showing an evolution of the current design rather than a revolutionary redesign. In addition to the RX, LA will host the North American debut of the all-wheel-drive equipped LS460 and the IS 250C Convertible.

[Source: Lexus]

Lexus is set to invade the Detroit Auto Show in January with a duo of dedicated hybrid models. One of these machines will be a Lexus-ified version of Toyota's latest third-gen Prius, while the second model is still shrouded in mystery. A Japanese magazine known as Mag-X has rendered what they think the new Lexus hybrid sedan will look like, along with providing a few helpful hints on what we could expect to see underhood. The rumors suggest that the model will be badged the HS250h, which would normally indicate an engine displacing around 2.5-liters, but Lexus has a history of inflating the assumed displacement of its hybrid car's names, so we wonder if the Japanese mag got it right when they metnion a 2.4-liter engine.

Mag-X also suggests that the 2011 Camry hybrid will get a new Hybrid Synergy Drive system inherited from the new 2010 Prius. We're looking forward to a hybrid sedan face-off between the new Ford Fusion and the revised Camry. Early bets?

[Source: VW Vortex]

Lexus is really getting into this whole SEMA thing. Besides the IS F, plenty of which we'll be showing you shortly, there was this slick GS 460 done up by long-time Toyota collaborator Five Axis. The Project GS is Troy Sumitomo's follow-up to last year's sweet IS F. It features a Five Axis widebody conversion slathered in PPG custom formulated Satin Titanium Pearl paint with onyx and papaya accents, a custom fabricated exhaust with dual finishers by Five Axis, Five:AD ONYX 20-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan concept tires, sport shocks, performance lowering springs and a high-performance Big Brake Kit. While the front fascia is a bit too Mazda concept-ish, the overall look is slick and stealth. Matte finishes are probably just at the end of their useful lifespan, but these guys do it right. Hit the jump for official details from Lexus and check out the gallery for more live shots in hi-res.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Brad Wood/Weblogs, Inc.

Thanks to an astute Autoblog tipster, we have our very first look at the upcoming redesigned 2010 Lexus RX ahead of its official unveiling at the LA Auto Show next month. As you can see in the gallery below, which show shots from what appears to be a Japanese brochure, the new RX will retain the same basic shape and styling cues as the current model, but has been gone over with some fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges. In traditional Lexus fashion, while the new RX may look similar to the old one, we're absolutely certain every body panel is all new. The redesigned interior also features a seriously swoopy dash.

The new RX is also rumored to be larger than the current model with a longer wheelbase that may accommodate a third row of seating for the first time. We expect a revised version of the current model's 3.5L V6 to be offered, probably with more power and better fuel economy, as well as a new version of the RX400h hybrid. Take a look at the sneak preview in the gallery below and let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks for the tip, Stan!

Lexus decided that its presence at SEMA should revolve around its most tuner-friendly models, specifically its range of IS sedans. So in addition to the Five Axis IS F that's been making the rounds since late last year, Lexus has tapped some notable names in tuning, along with a few magazines, to create a handful of bespoke vehicles to populate its booth. But the IS 350 and four tweaked IS Fs won't stand alone. They'll be joined by another Five Axis creation built around the GS 460, along with an LX 570 SUV created by the crew at Icon 4x4 Design.

Click here for our take on each model, along with official details on each IS F, the Lexus' F-sport-tuned IS 350 and the big 'ute.

The Lexus RX is one of the most successful luxury crossovers of the past decade, with sales doubling or even tripling that of its competition. Remarkably, the RX has achieved its considerable success without a major overhaul, but that will change when the next gen RX is unveiled this November in LA. Details on the new RX have been scarce to this point, but we can be sure that a hybrid version will continue to be available and that a plug-in version is a possibility.

The RX is also expected to grow by around five inches, just like its Highlander sibling, though Lexus will likely use the extra room to improve rear passenger leg room. We've seen spy shots showing more evolutionary styling changes, along with a few cues pulled from the LF-xh concept, with tweaks to the front and rear fascias and a curvier C-Pillar.


[Source: The Car Connection]

Europeans will get another premium compact car not bound for U.S. shores and this time it comes courtesy of Lexus. The automaker is targeting the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, vehicles that its rivals have offered in the United States market. Lexus, though, only plans the vehicle for markets outside the U.S. where sales of smaller cars outpace their larger siblings. Apparently, Lexus has set a goal to sell 150,000 vehicles in Europe by 2015 and believes the new model is necessary to meet that number. At this point, we have no idea what platform the compact car would be based on, but Toyota certainly has a number of options, most notably the Auris, which is offered in the European market in hatchback form. There is also the possibility that the new entry-level Lexus could be based on an upcoming small hybrid model from Toyota that would slot beneath the Prius, a version of which the automaker plans to debut in the Lexus line.

[Source: WirtschaftsWoche (Google Translated) via Motor Authority]

Lexus is gearing up for a big showing at SEMA. In addition to bringing four tuned IS Fs, including one from our friends at 0-60 magazine and another from Fox Marketing/Artisan Performance, long-time Toyota collaborator, Five Axis, will be debuting a heavily reworked GS 460 in Vegas.

Also on hand will be IS Fs from Import Tuner/Tein and MotorworldHype, along with an ICON-designed LX 570 sporting serious off-road upgrades, an IS 350 kitted out with F-Sport accessories and a prototype body kit, plus the 2009 IS F with a handful of upgrades and a new interior color. Hit the jump for all the details.

At the ongoing Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, the same show where Australian sportscar-maker Elfin took the wraps off its new Type 5 Clubman, Lexus unveiled a new version of its IS 250 sports sedan called the Sports Concept.

So what, you ask is the Lexus IS 250 Sports Concept? Think of it as IS F-light, but not quite as light on substance as appearance packages from its German rivals (think Audi S-line or Mercedes AMG sport packages). The show car has been outfitted with 19" wheels hiding cross-drilled two-piece rotors clamped by six-pot calipers up front and four-pots in the rear, painted trademark Lexus F blue. It also sports Billstein shocks and springs; sway bars and chassis braces; an enlarged air intake and cat-back exhaust; a new clutch and short-shift kit; a carbon fiber engine cover and an assortment of spoilers and skirts.

In short, what we're looking at is an IS F, only without the 5-liter V8. The revised breathing systems squeeze out a modest 1.5 percent increase in output from the 2.5-liter V6 for a total of about 213hp. The add-ons are currently being considered for the Australian market, but we're sure there are plenty of fans of the IS F on this side of the globe who don't need to hit 60 in the fours and wouldn't mind a more affordable alternative given the current economic climate.

[Source: Lexus]

This could be Japanese-only news, or just a case of bad translation, but Toyota Managing Officer Toshio Furutani has apparently told Japan's Nikkei Business News that Toyota wants every vehicle in the Lexus product line to offer a hybrid option, and that "in the medium to long term, Toyota was considering making the Lexus lineup hybrid-only."

That sounds like he could mean Lexus, period, all over the world. But our questions come from the fact that the same report said that the Nikkei listed only the LS and GS models as currently available with a hybrid option, neglecting to mention the RX. And the fact that for Lexus to offer only hybrids in the U.S. would be an eyebrow-arching brand decision. Not that there isn't anyone out there in the market for a hybrid IS-F, but would you really risk it? We'll wait for a follow-up from someone at Toyota, or we'll just assume Furutani's comments were meant for other ears than ours.

[Source: Reuters]