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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:

2015 Lexus NX starts at $34,480*

Lexus has announced pricing for the 2015 NX crossover lineup, which goes on sale next month.
The NX 200t starts at $34,480, and the all-wheel-drive model adds a $1,400 premium to lift the sticker to $35,880 (*destination charges of $925 are not included in the prices). The 200t uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 235 horsepower, and it's Lexus' first-ever gasoline-fed turbo.
The hybrid version, the 300h, starts at $39,720, and all-wheel drive tacks on $1,590 for a price of $41,310. The hybrid teams a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor to generate 194 hp. Though power dips, Lexus anticipates this version will get a combined 33 miles per gallon with front-wheel drive when the EPA ratings are announced - a considerable leap when compared with the combined 24-mpg estimate for the turbo model.

Lexus previews LF-LC GT Vision Gran Turismo

Hot on the heels of the Alpine Vision Gran Turismo, the next in line to showcase its concept for GT6 is Lexus. Dubbed the LF-LC GT Vision Gran Turismo, the design is apparently based on that of the Lexus LF-LC concept that debuted at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in red, reappeared in blue at the Australian Motor Show and is tipped to reach production as the LC 500. The virtual reality concept appears to encompass many of the same design cues, but in racing guise – not unlike the treatment Lexus applied to the RC F GT3 concept last year and with a similar white paintjob. More than that we couldn't tell you, but Polyphony Digital – the game studio responsible for the Gran Turismo franchise – says the official unveiling will follow soon.