2006 Lexus Lx 470 on 2040-cars

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Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

2016 Lexus GS 200t First Drive

Last year, Lexus rolled out an ad for its GS that featured several luxury rivals swinging on pendulums, with a hypnotic voiceover that derides the BMW 5 Series' standard four-cylinder engine. The ad then asks viewers to, "Open your eyes to the six-cylinder, eight-speed Lexus GS." Oh, how times have changed. Consider the facelifted Lexus GS 200t and its four-cylinder turbocharged engine an admission that maybe the Germans are on to something. It's good to see Lexus getting with the times, but after a drive in Southern California, we find the first turbocharged GS comes up short in a lot of ways. This is the same engine Lexus uses in the NX, IS, and RC with 200t designations. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder uses a twin-scroll turbo, direct injection, and Toyota's most advanced continuously variable valve timing to produce 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That's 70 horsepower short of the GS 350's 3.5-liter V6. But torque is down only 22 fewer lb-ft, and the 200t's broad peak torque, from 1,650 to 4,400 rpm, promises ample usable power. The 200t offers little reward for the slower acceleration. As for that previously-mocked BMW 5 series, the Lexus has nearly identical output. But a 7.0-second 0-60 time is nearly a full second slower than the BMW's claim for the 528i, a car that weighs practically the same as the Lexus. Fuel economy is another head-scratcher. Lexus estimates the GS 200t F Sport returns just 20 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, three and four mpg less than the 5er. This brand-new 2.0-liter turbo is hardly more efficient than the three-year-old GS 350. The V6 model nets 19 mpg city and 28 mpg on the highway, and is 1.3 seconds quicker to 60 mph. A smaller engine almost always means sacrificing performance for economy, but based on the figures the 200t offers little reward for the slower acceleration. At least the 200t is better from behind the wheel than on paper. We weren't that impressed by the low-end grunt of Lexus' 2.0-liter turbo when we drove it in the NX, but different gearing in the GS means snappier off-the-line behavior. Once the turbo catches up you're well into the heart of the torque curve, and the GS feels quicker than a seven-second jog to 60 mph. Mid-range punch is the engine's most endearing quality. Passing moves are easy and entertaining, even when you're already traveling at or above freeway speeds. Unfortunately, the engine gasps above 4,400 rpm.

Lexus' Detroit reveal is RC F, will have 460-hp V8

Yesterday, we brought you the image above, sent out by Lexus, teasing its Detroit Auto Show reveal. At the time, all we knew about the car was that it's a coupe, and falls into the automaker's F performance line. But now, some more details have leaked.
An anonymous tipster passed us a link to this website, which Lexus is using to invite folks to an event at the Detroit show where the new RC F coupe will be revealed. But that same tipster also sent us a scan of the mailed-out invitation, shown at right (click the image to enlarge), which clearly states that the RC F will be powered by a 460-horsepower V8. The invite also says Lexus will show its 2015 RC 350 coupe in Detroit, following its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in November.
We cannot totally verify the authenticity of the scanned invitation, but with a corresponding website live on the web, it all looks pretty legit to us. Stay tuned for more details closer to the RC F's debut in January.