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12 new cars that will never go out of style

Some cars never go out of style. It’s rare, but it happens. They get old. They get depreciated. But they never stop looking cool.  Some might call them modern or instant classics. Within a few years theyÂ’re no longer the latest and greatest, no longer the flavor of the month, but they remain special. Eternally special. Timeless.  These cars arenÂ’t necessarily going to be worth a fortune someday. However, some may not depreciate as rapidly or as far as other models. But thatÂ’s not what weÂ’re talking about here. These are the cars that enthusiasts will always find desirable from the curbside. TheyÂ’re the cars you end up shopping on eBay late at night 10 years later because you canÂ’t get them out of your head. TheyÂ’re the cars that will forever excite you when you spot a clean one in traffic or in a parking lot.  There are plenty of recent examples over the past couple of decades that could count as instant design classics. But then we got to thinking, what 2021 models will be forever cool to stare at? Which new cars and trucks on sale today will we be shopping on eBay late at night in the 2030s? We kept supercars and other ultra-expensive cars off the list to keep things within the realm of attainability, and ended up with 12 total cars. Lexus LC WeÂ’re not applying a numerical ranking to any of the cars on this list, but if we were, the Lexus LC would be No. 1. There isnÂ’t another car design out there that can stir our emotions the way an LC can when itÂ’s just standing still. This car is a concept design come true in the most beautiful of ways, and itÂ’s a shoo-in winner for Concours events decades into the future. All of this heaping praise, and we havenÂ’t even gotten to the LC 500Â’s intoxicating 5.0-liter V8. It doesnÂ’t win drag races. It wonÂ’t be the fastest around the track against any similarly-priced competition. But none of that matters. ItÂ’s quite possibly the best car you can buy new, and that says it all when it comes to the LC. Chevrolet Corvette It might not be the stunner that the Lexus LC is, but the new C8 Corvette is and will always be a special vehicle. ItÂ’s the first mid-engine Corvette, which instantly cements it into an automotive hall of fame section of sorts. All of the performance stats and specs are there to back up its supercar-like looks, and it remains the best performance bargain on sale today.

Toyota to pay $17.35M federal fine for delayed Lexus RX recall

This summer, we brought you news that Lexus was recalling over 150,000 RX and RX hybrid crossovers tied to its massive pedal entrapment issue. An update to that story included word from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it was considering launching a federal investigation into potential delays by the automaker in notifying owners about the problem. Now comes news that parent company Toyota will pay a hefty $17.35 million in fines for delaying its recall of the 2010 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h. According to The Detroit News, the Japanese automaker is being forced to pay the maximum fine for delaying recalls - and this isn't the first time. In fact, this is the fourth time since 2010 that Toyota has been required to do so, including paying $48.8M in civil penalties in 2010 for failing to recall vehicles in a timely manner - in three separate campaigns.
In addition to the fines, Toyota has agreed to restructure the way it handles quality control and review "safety-related issues." Though the Japanese automaker has not admitted any wrongdoing, Toyota has agreed to meet with NHTSA for six months on the matter and may extend the meetings another six months.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he is counting on Toyota to improve its ability to address such safety issues: "With today's announcement, I expect Toyota to rigorously reinforce its commitment to adhering to the United States safety regulations," he said in a statement.

Stand out in the parking lot | 2017 Lexus NX 200t F-Sport Quick Spin

Timing is a funny thing. As I'm writing this mini-review of the Lexus NX 200t, which has been out for several years and used the brand's first turbocharged engine in America, a newly-revised NX just debuted in China. It doesn't have much bearing on my thoughts about the CUV, but it does go to show the growing importance of China for luxury manufacturers like Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. It's been almost three years since we drove the NX 200t for the first time. Back then, our reviewer was impressed by how different it felt from the RAV4 – the two vehicles share a platform, although Lexus claims 90 percent of the NX is distinct from its Toyota cousin. The biggest differences are styling and, more important, the powertrain. With turbocharging going very mainstream in the intervening years, how does the NX200t hold up? I spent a week in an F-Sport trim in a striking orange color to find out for myself. It took a little while for me to warm up to the powertrain. Even in Sport mode, things seem ... well, they seem a little sluggish. The NX has a funny way of expressing its slightly more than adequate horsepower and torque by requiring a hefty punt to spool up the turbo and get things moving along. Normal drive mode could pass for an economy setting. Back in 2014 when this thing was new, it was clear that the RAV4 connection doesn't matter as much as we, as enthusiasts, would think. It's easy for us to fixate on what vehicle is related to what platform, and which way its engine sits. And that's good! We need to do that. But Lexus determined that they didn't need it to sit on a rear-drive sportscar platform because of course not! It's a little crossover. From a packaging standpoint, that'd be idiotic, and from a marketing standpoint likewise. Not to say that buyers of the NX 200t aren't discerning. But I think their priorities and desires probably align with what Lexus decided to produce. This is good and proper. Also, it beats the heck out of a RAV4. I love the seats. Every body is different, sure. But these seats are completely spot on for what my body needs. They're sporty-looking without resorting to immense bolsters that pinch the torso, and they're very supportive. I wouldn't say they're the best seat's I've tried out of the hundreds of cars I've driven over the years, but they're probably the best small crossover seats I can recall. To put it in different terms, on some long road trips you need to stop just to stretch – that's not the case here.