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Mazda and Lexus crowned with KBB 5-Year Cost To Own awards

We report on a lot of awards, some of which are given out based on more solid criteria than others. This one, the Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own awards, seems like one that new car shoppers should pay attention to.
The cost of a car goes far beyond what you pay for the actual metal, leather and rubber at the point of purchase. Fuel, insurance, maintenance and repair costs, and the cost of fees from the state and financing will all weigh on your wallet while you own the car. That's not even taking into account the biggest cost: depreciation, or the amount of money you lose based on what your car is worth years from now versus the day you bought it.
KBB tracks these sorts of things, and they've compiled a list of winners for 2013 models. On the brand level, Mazda and Lexus earn the 5-Year Cost to Own award for having the lowest overall projected five-year totals (though, curiously, we note that Mazda and Lexus each had only one segment winner). There are lots of winners for all the various segments, so we'll just pick out a few surprising ones to share and you can view the rest here.

Lexus spotted testing LF-LC coupe for production

Lexus has been preparing a production version of the LF-LC concept for some time now. The coupe would fill at least part of the void left by the culmination of the LFA's production run, albeit at a much lower market position. And judging by these latest spy shots, it looks like it's finally getting down to it. Spotted undergoing testing in Germany around the neighborhood of the Nurburgring, this camouflaged prototype provides us with our first glimpse at what the production LC will look like. It's still hard to tell with all those swirls encircling its bodywork, but the production version looks poised to adopt a form derived from the concept first seen at the Detroit Auto Show way back in 2012. Just don't expect the details to be quite as extreme as those on the show car. It may also be too early to determine what's under the hood, but the signs point towards implementation of the 5.0-liter V8 from the RC-F. A twin-turbo version of the same engine in the form of an LC-F could follow with even more power, while a hybrid V6 is also said to be in the cards. If you're having trouble imaging what it would go up against in the marketplace, though, our spy photographers on the ground inform us that Lexus has been benchmarking this prototype against a BMW 6 Series, Porsche 911, and Maserati GranTurismo. That'd put it in good company, and we're looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Related Video:

Lexus apologizes for anti-EV ad, Plug In America calls it 'outdated'

Anyone who's spent any time learning about the alternatives to the standard fossil fuel-burning internal combustion engine knows that there are arguments to be made for and against all of the main options. They also know that there is barely any refueling infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell cars in the US, aside form a handful of H2 stations in California and one in South Carolina. Somehow, though Lexus, recently said there was an "established infrastructure" in 20 states in an online video ad on the company's official site. Another part of that site also made unfair negative comments about battery-powered electric vehicles, saying that it takes too long to charge the cars. Read our original post on the matter here. In the ongoing discussion about how the US moves away from inefficient gas and diesel engines, this was seen as a real muck up of the facts. Upon seeing the videos, pro-electric vehicle group Plug In America released a statement to AutoblogGreen (Lexus is owned by Toyota): Hey, Toyota, the 1990s called. They want their outdated anti-EV attack ad back. Plug-in electric vehicles charge while you're sleeping at home, far more convenient than making a trip to a gas station and coming away smelling like carcinogens. Driving on electricity costs about one fifth what it costs to drive the average gas car and about a third what it costs to drive the most efficient hybrid. An electric drive has smooth, instant acceleration which can't be matched by any gasoline engine. If you don't believe me, just ask anyone driving a Toyota RAV4 EV. The videos were produced by Team One, Lexus' ad agency. Exactly where the information came from and how it made it to the website is unclear, but Lexus spokesman Moe Durand said that Lexus apologizes for offending anyone and has taken the incorrect videos down. The company will review all the materials and alter and adjust the campaign as necessary, he said.