2009 Lexus Gs350 Awd 4dr Sedan on 2040-cars

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Lexus RC F sets the pace Down Under

A few months back we reported that Lexus was considering competing in V8 Supercars, Australia's premier touring-car series. And while it might not be ready to launch a campaign of its own, the Japanese luxury automaker has done the next-best thing. Starting this season, the Lexus RC F will serve as the series' official safety car. The eight-cylinder muscle coupe appears to be mechanically unmodified, as it is apparently suitable to the task right out of the showroom. It has, however, been enhanced with a special livery, emergency lighting and an interior likely to have been upgraded with bucket seats, racing harnesses, a roll cage and emergency equipment. The RC F safety car will be joined by an IS 350 F Sport that'll serve as the medical car and another GS 350 F Sport support vehicle, giving Lexus a strong presence on the circuit Down Under and potentially paving the way for a competitive assault on the series in the near future. Aussie racing fans can expect to see the trio on the track starting with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide later this month. It won't be the first time we've seen Lexus provide a safety car in Australia, but it's a definite step up in profile from the GS 350 that has served for the past few years at the same Sydney Motorsport Park where this trio was launched. 06 February 2015 LEXUS ROARS INTO V8 SUPERCARS WITH RC F SAFETY CAR The Lexus high powered performance RC F coupe will feature as V8 Supercars' official Safety Car in 2015 as part of a new partnership between the Japanese luxury marque and V8 Supercars, Australia's premier motorsport series. A Lexus GS 350 F Sport and an IS 350 F Sport will also be on track as the championship's official course and medical cars as part of the new agreement. The RC F, which is equipped with a 5.0-litre V8 that produces 351kW of power and 530Nm of torque, will feature at each of the 15 V8 Supercars Championship events in 2015 alongside the GS 350 F Sport and IS 350 F Sport. Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley said the partnership with V8 Supercars was a fitting match for the brand. "V8 Supercars is the world's leading touring car series and our involvement as supplier of vehicles reflects the new energy in our brand and our dynamic model lines," Mr Hanley said.

TMG's super Lexus LS Sports 650 gets track tested

The people at Toyota Motorsport GmbH have been responsible for the Japanese automaker's motorsports efforts since the 1970s, but since Toyota pulled out of Formula One after the 2009 season, the tuning shop has been developing a super sedan based on the Lexus LS called the Sports 650. Details on TMG's first road car have been scarce, but XCAR was recently invited to drive the 641-horsepower Lexus on track.
Here's what we know: the Sports 650 has enough power to sprint to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds, tops out at 199 mph, weighs over two tons and utilizes LFA brakes. Oh, and its twin-turbo V8 bellows like an AMG V8. That last part isn't surprising when considering TMG could become Toyota's in-house tuning arm - like AMG is to Mercedes-Benz. As for the bespoke body kit, fender flares and stacked exhaust pipes? They fit the car well and even remind us a bit of Lexus' other high-performance sedan, the IS F. Currently there are no plans for the Sports 650 to be made into a production car, but we doubt TMG is devoting this much effort developing the LS into a road-rocket for nothing.
Check out XCAR's video below to see the AMG-fighter wrung out on track, and then ponder what could be if TMG were let loose to fiddle with other cars in Lexus' lineup. Now that's something we could get used to!

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.