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2016 Lexus GS gets 2.0L turbo engine, updated styling

The Lexus GS gets a number of enhancements for the 2016 model year, and the updated sedan makes its official debut in California during Monterey Car Week. The usual mid-cycle refresh styling nip/tuck is evident, but the bigger story is the addition of a new, rear-wheel-drive GS 200t model. Lexus' IS sedan isn't the only one getting turbo-four power for 2016. The GS 200t uses that same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It's paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive, and Lexus says the GS 200t should be able to achieve 33 miles per gallon on the highway. Not to be left out, the naturally aspirated GS 350 gets a small power bump for 2016. The 3.5-liter V6 now produces 311 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, up from 306 and 277, respectively. The GS 450h hybrid carries over with its powertrain unchanged, as well as its 29/34 mpg city/highway rating. Other changes for 2016 include standard bi-LED headlamps as part of the reworked front fascia, and a host of technology upgrades. The 12.3-inch central display screen now has full-width map capability, and the controller gets some extra "enter" buttons. Lexus also gave its Enform system some updates, with a Service Connect system. The ever-important Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features are missing from this update, though it's not exactly surprising. Have a look at the updated GS 200t in the gallery above, and scroll down for the full press blast. Related Video: Mingling with the Classics: Lexus Introduces 2016 GS During Pebble Beach Concours Celebrations New GS 200t RWD Model With 2.0-Liter Turbo Engine - More Power and Torque for GS 350 - Restyled Front End With Standard Bi-LED Headlamps - New Available Lexus Safety System + - Upgraded Multimedia Technology and for GS 350/GS 450h Standard Navigation - New Available Lexus Enform Service Connect - New Interior Colors and Wood Trim Selections MONTEREY, Calif. – Aug. 13, 2015 – The Pebble Beach Concours d' Elegance, the premier concours event in the United States, is an appropriate setting for the 2016 Lexus GS models to be introduced. The GS enters 2016 with a bolder design, a new GS 200t rear-wheel drive model and new luxury finishes that match the refinement of Monterey. The Lexus GS continues to feature impressive agility and sporty handling for turns along California Highway 1, as well as comfortable ride quality for extended highway driving.

Lexus' hoverboard 'is like floating on a cushion of air'

The Lexus hoverboard is real, folks. It's not computer-generated imagery you're looking at, and it's not smoke and mirrors. In fact, what looks a lot like smoke emanating from below the Japanese luxury brand's hoverboard is actually caused by the liquid nitrogen required to keep the 'board's insides cool. How cool, you ask? Put it this way: liquid nitrogen freezes at -346 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice cold, baby. If there is a bit of tricky deception in the video you see above, it's that the superconductors Lexus is using in its hoverboard will only cause the machine to lift off surfaces that are magnetic. In other words, a skatepark full of concrete won't work. For that matter, in true Back To The Future style, neither would water... even if you've got power. Does any of that techno mumbo-jumbo even matter, though? What we have here is a real-life hoverboard that doesn't look like a poorly conceived high-school science project (no offense to Hendo, featured in the video below). The Lexus hoverboard is beautiful, with bamboo decking, a carbon fiber base and, let's be honest, that awesome special-effects-style smoke. Ross McGouran, a professional skateboarder, seems to agree with our assessment of the merits of the Lexus hoverboard. In a new video from the automaker that you can watch above, McGouran compares the hoverboard to regular skateboards and says riding Lexus' invention is like floating on a cushion of air. Which sounds equal parts difficult and amazing. We look forward to more from McGouran and Lexus. Related Video: Related Gallery Lexus Hoverboard View 9 Photos News Source: Lexus via YouTube Design/Style Toys/Games Lexus Technology Gadgets Future Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Videos

Toyota, Lexus to build more CUVs to meet surging demand

What was the biggest takeaway from the auto industry's 2014? Besides the fact that recalls are now a sad and mostly unremarkable part of a vehicle's life, it's that you can't be a competitive, mainstream brand in the US without a really strong line of crossovers, SUVs or pickups. We saw evidence of this as recently as Monday, when Hyundai unveiled its HCD-15 Santa Cruz Concept, and now we're seeing it again with Toyota. The company already has a comprehensive lineup of both mainstream and luxury CUVs and SUVs, although surging demand – sales were up 16 percent last year, Bloomberg reports – has led the company to increase its production tempo at the plants responsible for the RAV4 and Lexus RX. "The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016," Toyota's Jim Lentz told Bloomberg during this week's Detroit Auto Show, referencing the production bump at the Japanese and Canadian factories responsible for the models. "That hasn't changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted." The increased sales are even spurring the brand to consider additional CUVs, including a compact that would slot in below the RAV4, Lentz told the business publication. Such a move would give Toyota a player in an increasingly competitive and important segment. In 2014 alone, mainstream brands, including Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Jeep, have announced brand new products destined for the compact CUV market. "We're going to have to look at how the market under RAV4 develops," Lentz told Bloomberg. "There's no question that it's going to. That's going to be the next growth spurt." Related Video: