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2019 Lexus NX F Sport gets the Black Line treatment

Lexus is debuting a limited-production NX F Sport Black Line edition at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. Set to be sold for the 2019 model year only, the Black Line is essentially an appearance package with some added equipment as well — Lexus previously made a Black Line version of the RC coupe with similar results. The package takes a normal NX 300 F Sport and jazzes it up a bit. The NX in this spec is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Forged 19-inch chrome wheels and a faux carbon bodyside graphic are the main exterior changes. Only three colors will be available for the Black Line, including black, silver and the white you see here. The interior gets colors to complement the exterior, with two-tone white and black seats. A black headliner is standard, as are unique Black Line floor mats, cargo mats and key fob gloves. Extra equipment comes in the form of a new Mark Levinson 14-speaker, 835-watt audio system. This audio setup isn't available on any other version of the NX crossover. Beyond that, the Black Line is a fully-loaded NX with nearly all of the available option boxes checked. Notable upgrades include navigation, blind-spot monitoring, heated/cooled seats, an auto-dimming mirror and moonroof. Lexus is limiting production to 1,000 units for this special edition, which will be arriving in dealerships in February — as in, right about now. It's available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The front-drive version goes for $49,600, while all-wheel drive will run you $51,000 including destination charges. Related video:

Luxury car brands scrambling to avoid a blue Christmas

DETROIT — When financial markets surge to new records, sales of luxury cars usually rise, too. Instead, October U.S. auto sales reports on Wednesday showed that a collapse in sales of luxury sedans is accelerating. Consumers have gradually shifted over to luxury sport utility vehicles from sedans in the past decade, but the trend — which has occurred in both the non-luxury and luxury sedan segments of the auto market — was particularly pronounced in October. Sales of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz S-Class, long a global benchmark for large, premium sedans, plunged 49 percent in October, and are down 24.8 percent for the year to date. General Motors' Cadillac brand said it sold just 779 of its CTS sedans in October. Demand for that car, designed to compete with German luxury sedans, is down nearly 33 percent for the year. "There's still a significant portion of the market that wants a car, but I'm sure there were people who preferred a horse to a car at one point." Cadillac's best-selling model this year is the XT5 compact SUV, which has more than doubled sales from a year ago. The shift within the luxury vehicle market away from sedans toward SUVs of all sizes is forcing some of the most prestigious brands to scramble to add SUV models to their lineups or boost SUV production to meet demand. "In the short term, there will be pressure to add (consumer) incentives, cut production or both," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. "And we just don't see an end in sight to this trend." The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trading at all-time highs, usually a good sign for luxury sedans, but as major automakers reported new U.S. vehicle sales for October on Wednesday, sales for passenger cars continued their slide while luxury SUV and crossover sales rose again. According to Kelley Blue Book data, in 2007 luxury sedans made up 7.6 percent of U.S. new vehicle sales, while luxury SUVs made up 4.2 percent. Through September this year, luxury SUVs made up just over 7 percent of the market, compared with 4.9 percent for luxury sedans. In the short term, luxury brands could use holiday season sales promotions to clear slow-selling sedans off dealer lots, analysts said. Toyota's Lexus brand said on Wednesday it will launch its "December to Remember" year-end sales promotion for the 18th straight year.

2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport snarls in Switzerland with darkened demeanor

Lexus is finally ready to return to the coupe market with the new RC, and while we already saw it in Detroit, it brought the new RC 350 F Sport version for the Geneva Motor Show.
The car packs 306 horsepower and 277 pound-feet from its 3.5-liter V6 and is meant to sit between the standard RC 350 Sport Coupe and the full bore RC F.
Most obvious when you glimpse the coupe is the more aggressive spindle grille with a new mesh treatment and dark, 19-inch F Sport wheels. The interior also receives a host of upgrades with Rioja Red leather and Silver Performance trim, plus perforated leather trim on the steering wheel and shift knob. There is a bit of LFA inspiration as well with the F Sport getting its moving center ring instrument display. It is not all about better style though because the coupe also gets adaptive dampers and an optional four-wheel steering system.