1996 Lexus Ls400, No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lexus LF-CC gets green light, Evoque rival under consideration

While wandering the floor at this week's LA Auto Show, we had a bit of an epiphany at the Lexus stand. The traditionally stodgy Toyota premium outlet is really starting to come into its own in terms of exciting design. And not just with production models like the excellent new GS sedan. At the front of the display, a triangular formation of plinths was a feast for the eyes - the head was formed by the LFA Nurburgring Package supercar, flanked on either side by the company's outré LF-LC and LF-CC concept cars.
So consider it welcome news on our end that the LF-CC concept shown above has apparently been given the production green light, with a projected arrival by 2015. So says Autocar, which quotes an unnamed source at Lexus willing to confirm that a senior engineer has been tasked with the project. The British publication suggests that the production version of the 2012 Paris Motor Show star will probably be built in both coupe and convertible formats and ride atop the automaker's new modular rear-wheel drive architecture. Power is expected to be an evolution of the GS 350h's hybrid drivetrain.
In other news, that same shadowy source at Lexus has reportedly confirmed that the Japanese luxury brand is "seriously studying" offering a small SUV in the mold of the stylish Range Rover Evoque from Land Rover, though no further details are given. Lexus' own RX crossover range has long been a massive hit for the brand, leaving many industry analysts scratching their heads as to why the automaker hasn't already expanded its crossover offerings to include both larger and smaller formats.

Post-earthquake, Toyota prepares to reopen some plants in Japan

Toyota will restart vehicle production at most of its closed factories in Japan next week, but the factories that build the Mirai and many Lexus models will remain closed through at least April 28 and possibly longer. The earthquakes around the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu forced the automaker to stop most of its assembly throughout the country due to a lack of parts supply. Toyota will reopen the plants in phases from April 25 to 28. However, the Motomachi factory with its LFA works, which makes the Mirai, and the Miyata factory will remain closed. These sites also build the Lexus NX, RX, ES, GS, and CT, according to Toyota. The automaker didn't say when production would begin again or how this would affect vehicle supply. "In the update, we received this morning from TMC, they said that at this stage it is too soon to tell what the impact on production will be, so we can't say yet whether there might be vehicle shortages in the US," spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. While the quakes were focused on Kyushu, they damaged Aisin Seiki factories, which supplied parts to Toyota plants across the country. The automaker worked with its partner to import the necessary components from China and Mexico, and Aisin started moving molds from the damaged plants to operational ones in Japan, which gets production under way sooner. Automotive News Europe estimates the week of lost production cuts total assembly by 90,000 vehicles. It could cost Toyota the equivalent of $458.2 million to $641.5 million. The company could make up some of the losses through overtime. Toyota says these plans are subject to change because on ongoing tremors in the region, which could cause more damage. Reuters reported there was a magnitude 5.5 aftershock in the Kumamoto area on April 19. So far, the quakes have killed at least 47 people and around 100,000 people have moved to evacuation centers. Toyota to Restart Production on Vehicle Assembly Lines in Japan from April 25 Apr. 20, 2016 Toyota City, Japan, April 20, 2016-Between April 25 and 28, Toyota will restart production on most of its vehicle assembly lines in Japan. On April 17, Toyota announced that, due to parts shortages resulting from the severe earthquakes that struck Japan's island of Kyushu last week, production would be suspended on almost all of its vehicle assembly lines in stages between April 18 and 23.

2023 Lexus LX 600 adds a few features, higher prices

With Lexus launching the all-new LX 600 here for the 2022 model year, and the brand selling every one it can make, there isn't much changing for the 2023 model year. The base trim benefits from a heated steering wheel as standard equipment. The F-Sport Handling finally gets a crack at the exterior Nori Green Paint option, to go with its exclusive Ultra White and Black Onyx. The Ultraluxury adopts Takanoha wood as the standard trim, a Japanese specialty engraved wood. Buyers at the top will also get the option of a Sunflare interior. And thanks to customer feedback, the rear seat entertainment system will come with covers for the screens next year. That's the extent of it. Prices are up across the range as well. After the $1,345 destination charge, MSRPs for the 2023 Lexus LX 600 and their changes from 2022 are: Base: $89,160 ($915) Premium: $97,110 ($765) F Sport Handling: $103,370 ($1,025) Luxury: $105,110 ($1,165) Ultra Luxury: $129,250 ($1,905) Next year's model is up on the Lexus retail site now, but deliveries won't begin until closer to the end of the year. Motivation holds steady from the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 with 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque shifting through a 10-speed automatic and providing acceleration we called "a bit boring" because it's so effortless. Since that's the only engine available until Lexus decides to include a hybrid option, swift travel won't need much more than $89,000. We still recommend the Luxury trim for buyers out to travel swiftly in the right amount of style for the right price, and warn all to test drive the F Sport Handling on home roads before signing on the dotted. Those 22-inch F Sport rims can be felt over just about every crack, seam and expansion joint.