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Is now the time to snap up a Lexus LFA?

If you missed out on getting a Lexus LFA when it was new, the time might be near to start looking for a less expensive used one. Listings indicate that the cost for the Japanese supercar is finally starting to drop below the original $375,000 sale price. Lexus built just 500 units of the LFA between 2010 and 2012, and around 200 of them came to the US. The supercar's major highlight was the 4.8-liter V10 with 552 horsepower and a 9,000-rpm redline. It's among the best sounding engines to ever hit the street. Since production stopped, LFA prices have generally remained higher than the original $375,000, but as CarBuzz recently found that trend has shown signs of changing. The site discovered a black 2012 example on Craigslist with 2,797 miles for sale in the San Francisco for $369,000. It's quite a beauty, too. Further research shows you can find an LFA even cheaper. AutoTrader currently lists eight of the supercars for sale, including the one in San Francisco. However, another black 2012 example in Florida is just $349,000 with 2,005 miles on it. If you wait around for the right auction, there are even better deals out there. Sportscar Market reported that a White Pearl 2012 LFA went for $335,000 at a Russo and Steele auction in California in June 2015. The buyer got quite a deal because the Japanese supercar had a mere 140 miles on it. Buying a vehicle for over $300,000 is still well out of the reach for most customers, but these listings hint that LFA prices are beginning to fall. The Lexus will never be at the neighborhood used car lot, but if this trend continues, it could make for some interesting shopping. For instance, if the Japanese supercar drops into the $250,000-range, would people consider spending a little more to buy one instead of a well-optioned new Acura NSX? The Lexus' engine certainly sounds better, and the company has no plans for another supercar of that caliber. Related Video:

Lexus NX, BMW i3 to get Super Bowl commercials

At this point last year, we'd been getting news on automotive-focused Super Bowl commercials for more than two months. The teasers hadn't come out yet, but manufacturers lined up for the super-expensive spots were making their intentions known. This year? Almost nada, until this week. BMW has said it will air a 60-second spot promoting the i3 during the first quarter of the game, the Munich firm returning to The Big Game after a four-year absence. BMW says, "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." We say that pitching a tiny range-extended hatchback during the beer-iest American sports orgy of the year should make for some neat commentary afterward. Lexus is putting its new NX crossover in the second Super Bowl commercial it's ever aired, eschewing the glitter of celebrities and glamor for a straight-shooting spot and the tagline, "Be seen, be heard, make some noise." Joining those two are Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota. The six confirmed carmakers are down from eleven last year, when car spots made up a quarter of the total ad time. The price to do business for 30 seconds this year: reportedly around $4.5 million, up a stacks from last year's $4 million. You can watch the Lexus commercial in the video above, and beneath that, the BMW press release below has a bit more information on its effort. BMW to Advertise All-Electric BMW i3 during Super Bowl XLIX. The all-electric BMW i3 is featured in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 15, 2015... Today, BMW announced plans to feature the all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with a commercial during the first quarter. "As one in three Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we are thrilled to use this platform to educate viewers on the importance of electric mobility," said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." BMW i is BMW's forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world's most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber.

Lexus launching new Crafted Line special editions at Pebble Beach

Over the course of the past 25 years, Lexus has done one heck of a job winding its way into the luxury automobile market previously dominated by the Germans. And now it aims to take another step into the luxury arena with The Crafted Line by Lexus.
Set to debut at Pebble Beach later this month, the Crafted line offers the Storm Trooper treatment with high-contrast white paint and black trim. The interiors are done up in two-tone black and red, and Tumi has done up a special set of luggage to match.
The special edition will be available on the ES350 as well as the F Sport versions of the LS460, GS350, IS250 (in both rear- and all-wheel drive) and RX350 AWD. Each will be limited to around 1,000 examples (give or take, depending on the model), with pricing set to start at around $42,000 for the ES pictured above. Scope out the full details in the press release below.