2003 Lexus Ls430 Luxury Sedan 4.3l V8 Auto Lthr Nav 98k on 2040-cars

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Lexus gets new boss, and he's a designer

A reshuffle in the uppermost ranks of Lexus could see the Japanese luxury brand further energize its recent focus on design. Tokuo Fukuichi, Toyota's global design boss, is the new head of Lexus International.
Fukuichi will retain his role as the overall head of design for Toyota, Lexus and Scion, and will assume his new position at the head of Lexus and on its board on April 1 (no fooling). This is going to be an interesting move for fans of design to watch, as Fukuichi has repeatedly been mentioned as a designer that enjoys pushing the edge of the envelope and experimenting. He is, after all, the man responsible for designing the most awesomely odd minivan of the 1990s, the mid-engined, rear-drive Toyota Previa, and more recently, he signed off on the controversial Lexus LF-NX concept, which is said to presage a new production small crossover.
"Regarding changes in design, no one has 100 percent confidence," Fukuichi told Forbes back in January 2013. "No one can really say with pure certainty that, 'In two years, this will sell well.'" As Akio Toyoda continues to demand more assertive, edgier designs, it's that point of view that should make Fukuichi a valuable addition to Lexus, as it continues to challenge the competition from Germany.

Chevy Camaro ZL1, Lexus LFA celebrate National Donut Day

Happy National Donut Day, everyone! While some of us may have already celebrated this high-caloric holiday at our local Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Horton's, Chevrolet and Lexus have taken the opportunity to offer us delicious donuts of a different sort. Using a "professional donut maker" and a 2013 Camaro ZL1, Chevy has released a video of its 580-horsepower coupe laying down some serious rubber. Lexus has countered with its LFA supercar and, oddly, LPGA pro golfer Natalie Gulbis.
Just like many of the donut chains across the country, Chevy and Lexus are giving away these donuts for free. Not only do their donuts contain zero fat, they're also easily enjoyable over the Internet, albeit nowhere near as tasty as a Krispy Kreme. Scroll down to enjoy both videos.

Lexus RC F GT500 is the Super GT car Daft Punk fans will appreciate [w/video]

Lexus Racing's booth designers at the Tokyo Auto Salon clearly loved a certain French electronic music duo when they decided to promote the new Lexus RC F racecar from the Super GT series. The Daft Punk-inpsired race team appeared ready for a pit stop in this promo photo, wearing custom double-breasted suits made from race gear as well as top hats, headphones and reflective sunglasses.
Lexus Racing showed the car in the summer when it was known as the LF-CC, but the Tokyo Auto Salon gave the public the first chance to see the renamed RC F in full race trim. It replaces the aging Lexus SC 430 GT500 car with a sharper, more aggressive racing weapon making 500 horsepower from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
The RC F, Nissan GT-R and Honda NSX form a trio of new models in the top-spec GT500 arm of Super GT, as the class goes through one of its biggest changes in its history. The GT500 class and DTM in Germany are unifying their rules for the new season. The cars have the same limits on exterior dimensions and weight. The only major difference between them is that the GT500 cars are using 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and the DTM is using naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V8s in its cars.