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Lexus RC F police cruiser set to patrol Australia's highways

Planning a trip down to Australia? Better keep an eye on the speedometer. Because with this latest set of wheels, the local cops should have little trouble chasing you down. It's a Lexus RC F coupe that's been specially outfitted to join the police motor pool in the southern region of New South Wales. Details on how it's set up for official duty are scarce, but as you can see, it features special graphics as well as flashing lights on the dashboard and rear shelf. There's probably special communications equipment installed as well, but we doubt the Aussie bobbies will be trying to squeeze any perps into the back seat. The Japanese performance coupe is slated for use in a number of applications, one of them being to promote road safety. We're not sure how a 467-horsepower V8 luxury coupe gets that message across, exactly. But even though it's not quite as impressive as what they've added to the fleet in Dubai, the RC F ought to garner some attention at events like the Bathurst Six Hour race and the MS Sydney to the Gong bike ride where it'll be on display. And just in case it's put on highway patrol, we'd suggest locals and visitors exorcise their speed demons on the Stuart Highway up north and keep their right feet light on the streets in NSW. Related Video:

Lexus fans vote Solar Flare for new RC F hue

What's in a name? When it comes to model nameplates, quite a lot, and automakers go to considerable lengths to find just the right one. Same goes for the names of the colors in the catalog (save for maybe the Rape Yellow in the extensive Bugatti palette), but every once in a while, an automaker will open it up for suggestions from the public.
SRT did that when it introduced a new shade of blue for its Viper, as did Chevy for the pale green on the Volt. And last month, Lexus followed a similar path when it asked fans on Facebook to come up with a name for the new shade of orange for the RC F.
Fans suggested names like Tangerine Flame, Outrageous Orange and Fiery Orange, but ultimately the winning submission that Lexus selected was Solar Flare. The name was suggested by five individuals and will now enter the catalog of colors for the new luxury muscle coupe with its 450-horsepower 5.0-liter V8.

Pontiac Aztek enjoys rebirth thanks to Millennials

Apparently, Millennials – those between 18 and 34 – aren't afraid to look different on the road, and they like performance, too. A new study by Edmunds is discovering some surprising vehicle choices by this group. Among them, the long-derided Pontiac Aztek is getting a new day in the sun with 25.5 percent its buyers coming from this generation in the first half of 2015. For comparison, Millennials represent an average of 16.8 percent of used car purchases. The Aztek is slowly shaking its reputation as a styling abomination, which seems tied to its appearance on Breaking Bad. The show premiered in 2008, and the Pontiac has been on this list for four of the past five years, according to Edmunds. It even led the pack in 2010. A recent Retro Review from MotorWeek also showed that the crossover wasn't always so hated. While it's still a shock to see the Aztek on any popularity list, the awkward-looking crossover only ranks sixth among Millennials. The vehicle with the biggest portion of buyers from the generation is the Dodge Magnum with 27.6 percent. According to Edmunds, the bluntly styled wagon is especially popular in Detroit and Chicago. The Chrysler Pacifica comes in a close second at 27.3 percent. When it comes to used cars, value and utility appear to trump just about anything else for many Millennial buyers," Edmunds analyst Jeremy Acevedo said in the report. Young buyers aren't afraid of sporty rides, either. The Subaru WRX has 26.4 percent Millennial buyers to rank third place on the list, and the Volkswagen R32 takes fifth at 25.7 percent. Just a few points lower in seventh place is the Nissan GT-R at 25.4 percent, and the final performance machine in 10th place is the Lexus IS-F with 24.7 percent. Related Video: