2008 - Lexus Gx on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Lexus GS gets eight-speed auto, other enhancements

The Lexus GS was totally redesigned for the 2013 model year, but Lexus is already tweaking its midsize luxury sedan. While a handful of small changes are being made, the big news for the 2014 model year is that rear-wheel-drive GS350 models will be getting a new eight-speed automatic transmission for improved fuel economy and performance.
Official EPA estimates have yet to be released, but Lexus expects this new transmission to return 19 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway - an improvement of 1 mpg highway. The GS450h still uses a continuously variable transmission, but Lexus says that it has been optimized to mimic the shift points of an eight-speed automatic. The final powertrain change made to the 2014 Lexus GS include tweaks to the GS350's engine intake and exhaust systems, which should help give the sedan a sportier feel.
Inside, Lexus has added Siri Eyes Free inside both the GS350 and GS450h, which allows drivers to use their iPhone's Siri voice assistant simply by pushing a button on the steering wheel. Other changes include a new full-color head-up display, and an available power trunk opener. A new Luxury Package adds LED fog lights, 18-inch "superchrome" wheels on the GS350 and 18-inch graphite-finish wheels on the GS450h. Interesting, the optional Lexus Night View system has been dropped.

Lexus regrets not doing 3-row CUV before RC coupe [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The source clarifies that rather than planning new small cars and crossovers, Lexus intends to rely on the ones it already has in its lineup. The text below has been revised accordingly. Automakers try to give its dealers (and by extension, their customers) the vehicles they're asking for. In Lexus' case, that's come down to a sport coupe and a three-row crossover. The Japanese luxury automaker ended up prioritizing the former with the launch of the RC coupe, but in retrospect, it feels it should have gone with the seven-seater instead. This according to Toyota's North American chief Jim Lentz in speaking to Automotive News at its provisional headquarters in Plano, TX. "In hindsight, if I was making this decision 10 years ago, seeing what I see today, the three-row [crossover] probably would have been the better play to come out first," Lentz to AN. "Strategically that's a more important vehicle to have than necessarily a lower volume, higher priced image product." Crossovers and SUVs represent big business for Lexus, whose five-seat RX (pictured above) is its biggest seller. The more compact NX is off to a solid start as well, but the brand's only three-row offerings are truck-based sport-utes like the GX and LX. Even without the three-row crossover, however, Lexus has been performing admirably. Rising sales have it trailing only BMW and Mercedes in the US market for luxury automobiles. Adding a three-row crossover to target the likes of the Audi Q7 and Mercedes GL will evidently be the next top priority for Lexus, but it's not the only plan the luxury brand has for the near future. Lentz indicated that the company plans to rely on its lineup of near-luxury and entry-level luxury sedans and crossovers moving forward, but isn't interested in going after the Mercedes CLA and Audi A3. "Luxury cars cost a certain dollar amount for a reason," said Lentz. "I don't want to cheapen my cars just to offer a lease that's $20 a month less."

Toyota adds 1.6m cars to Takata inflator recall list

As part of the Takata airbag inflator recall expansion announced by NHTSA earlier this month, Toyota has listed an additional 1.6 million cars that will need to have inflators or airbag assemblies replaced. This brings the total of recalled Toyota, Scion, and Lexus vehicles to 4.73 million. Other automakers will announce their expanded recall lists this week as well. This round of recalls affects some but not all vehicles with the following model names and years: 2009–2011 Toyota Corolla and Matrix 2006–2011 Toyota Yaris 2010–2011 Toyota 4Runner 2011 Toyota Sienna 2008–2011 Scion xB 2007–2011 Lexus ES 2010–2011 Lexus GX 2006–2011 Lexus IS To see if your specific vehicle falls under recall, write down your VIN and go to toyota.com/recall; you can also check any recalls, Takata or otherwise, at safercar.gov/vin. Toyota will inform owners of affected vehicles by mail. Depending on the model, either the inflator or the entire airbag assembly will have to be replaced. Due to the number of vehicles that have already been recalled, it may take some time for the necessary parts to be available. A total of 11 deaths have been attributed to the faulty Takata inflators, and federal investigators now know why the parts are prone to failure. The state of Hawaii was the first to sue the auto supplier, with more states expected to follow. The 17 other automakers are required to announce their additions resulting from the May 4 expansion this week, so expect more of the 35 to 40 million vehicles to be listed soon. Related Video: Image Credit: Reuters Recalls Lexus Scion Toyota Takata airbag recall lexus is toyota sienna toyota 4runner toyota matrix lexus es lexus gx