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Toyota amalgamates motorsports divisions under Gazoo Racing

Toyota has more racing divisions than we could wave a checkered flag at, with the company's various motorsport activities all coordinated by different operations. But the Japanese industrial giant is now bringing most (if not all) of them under one roof. From here on in, any racing that was done under the Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing or Gazoo Racing banners will now be united under the latter. That includes the LFAs it races around the Nurburgring, the TS040 Hybrid it fields at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship, the Yaris it will soon throw at the World Rally Championship, the Lexus racers that compete in the Super GT championship back in Japan... the works. The move does not appear to affect Toyota Racing Development, the automaker's American arm that handles its NASCAR racing activities, but from here on out, any Toyota or Lexus you see racing on most anything but a speedway will be competing under Gazoo Racing. The move appears to be more than symbolic and semantic, putting its racing vehicle development, technical support and marketing activities in the hands of the new Motor Sports Group. In announcing the consolidation, Toyota highlights in particular the benefit its various racing programs bring to its talent pool, if not the direct effect they have on the company's vehicles themselves. Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing Unite Under GAZOO Racing Toyota City, Japan, April 9, 2015-Starting April 11, Toyota will unite all motorsports activities under GAZOO Racing. The move will clarify the role of Toyota's motorsports in its efforts to make ever-better cars and foster new generations of car enthusiasts. Until now, Toyota has participated in competitions around the world-including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Super GT in Japan, and the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race-through the separate Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing teams. Of those, GAZOO Racing in particular was created to expand the role of promoting motorsports beyond that of traditional automakers, and carry out grassroots activities aimed at creating new and ever-growing generations of car enthusiasts. Concerning today's announcement, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: "Our founder Kiichiro Toyoda once said that motorsports are vital to the evolution of car making and the entire auto industry.

Lexus reveals spindly CT 200h facelift ahead of Chinese debut

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So goes the saying, and Lexus seems to be taking it to heart. In addition to the hybrid versions of the Japanese luxury marque's conventional cars, Lexus is intent on offering a dedicated luxury hybrid. The original HS 250h failed to gain traction, so to speak, in the marketplace, and was quickly withdrawn from just about every market but Japan's. Lexus followed up with the CT 200h, exclusively packaging a hybrid powertrain into a premium hatchback form, but while it's been more successful than its predecessor, there's still room for improvement.
That's what Toyota and its premium division are going for with a slightly refreshed take on the CT. Spied completely undisguised (and in F-Sport guise) less than a month ago, the facelifted CT 200h is now confirmed for debut not at the LA Auto Show or the Tokyo Motor Show but at the Guangzhou Motor Show that's set to take place at the same time in China.
Although Lexus hasn't revealed much in the way of details and only two images, it's plain to see that what we're looking at is a mildly refreshed version of the existing CT 200h. The front end is now dominated by the spindle grille that adorns the rest of the Lexus range, flanked by reshaped headlamps. The rear end has been updated as well, but whether the cosmetic changes are joined by any mechanical ones - or, for that matter, if the changes made will be enough to put the hybrid hatchback ahead in the sales curve - remains to be seen.

2013 Lexus ES300h

The Lexus ES lineup, the brand's bread-and-butter sedan, has been completely redone for 2013. With that tip-to-tail rework comes the model's first hybrid. We think the ES350 is better in every way than its predecessor, so a spin in the ES300h is warranted to see what it's like to live with the model sure to become the best-selling Lexus hybrid sedan. In particular, we wanted to see how the gas-electric luxury cruiser handled the battery-sapping realities of winter, so we ventured out into the slush and snow to file this report.
Driving Notes:
Peel away the slush, and this car sure is sharp-looking. It strongly resembles the excellent new GS, no bad thing. With the move to the longer Toyota Avalon underpinnings, the ES300h is long and elegant. Lexus has really upped its styling game lately.