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Lexus builds final LFA supercar

Lexus has officially built the very last LFA. The 500th Lexus supercar rolled from the company's Motomachi facility on December 14th wearing all of the goodies of the Nürburgring package and white paint. Toyota's Lexus division started production on the car exactly two years ago on December 15, 2010 and built just one unit per working day. A total of 170 workers were hand-picked to handle parts manufacturing, assembly and painting for the LFA project. While Lexus has made it clear it will produce no more LFA models, lessons gleaned from the vehicle's construction may translate into other future products.
Specifically, Toyota says it may employ its carbon fiber reinforced plastic experience moving forward. As you may recall, the LFA made extensive use of CFRP and carbon fiber, and Lexus even created a special rotary loom to stitch together the supercar's A-pillars. Take a look at the brief press release on the last LFA below.

Toyota recalls 1.37 million more vehicles for Takata airbags

Toyota is expanding its passenger-side Takata airbag inflator recall campaign by an additional 1.37 million vehicles in the United States. The models covered under this broadened recall are the 2003-2007 Corolla, Matrix, and Lexus SC430; the 2005-2006 Tundra; and the 2005-2007 Sequoia. In total, Toyota says that this expansion brings the number of its vehicles covered under the Takata inflator recall in the US to 2.915 million. For these latest models, owners will be notified by mail soon. The move is similar to a recent decision by Honda to broaden its recall list. As with millions of other vehicles covered under these recalls, it's possible for exposure to moisture to cause the inflator to ignite too quickly in an airbag deployment. This can cause shrapnel to be sprayed at occupants. At least seven deaths have been potentially linked to these ruptures worldwide. TOYOTA EXPANDS TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL TORRANCE, Calif., June 16, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is expanding its recalls involving Takata front passenger airbag inflators. Based on recent information from Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota will recall approximately 1,365,000 additional 2003-2007 Corolla and Corolla Matrix; 2005-2006 Tundra; 2005-2007 Sequoia; 2003-2007 Lexus SC430 vehicles. This brings the total number of Toyota and Lexus vehicles covered by Takata recalls in the U.S. to approximately 2,915,000. In the involved vehicles, the front passenger airbag inflators could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed and seriously injure vehicle occupants. "Toyota's focus remains on the safety and security of our customers, and we will continue to respond promptly to new developments so we can resolve issues for them as quickly, conveniently and safely as possible," said Dino Triantafyllos, chief quality officer, Toyota Motor North America. Multiple investigations into the root cause of the potential for inflator rupture are taking place, including by Orbital ATK, an independent engineering firm commissioned by an industry-wide joint testing initiative comprised of the ten automotive manufacturers conducting Takata-related recalls. All known owners of the affected Toyota / Lexus vehicles will be notified by first class mail to return their vehicles to a Toyota / Lexus dealer. The dealer will replace the airbag inflator with a newly manufactured one.

Lexus: Let's Play

Lexus opted to air a second ad during the 2015 Super Bowl, this time featuring its 2015 RC350 coupe. There is much drifting, both with a remote-controlled RC (yes, an RC RC, which is kind of the whole joke) and the full-sized, 306-horsepower coupe. It's a fairly creative spot and entertaining spot, so give it a look. You can check out our impressions of the new RC in our comprehensive First Drive.