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Lexus electric concept car teased ahead of reveal next week

Lexus released another teaser for its upcoming unnamed concept car and also gave us an official release date. A digital world premiere is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. EDT. No new information was revealed, but the new teaser photo and video (found on Lexus’ site here) give us a better idea of what's coming. The shadowing makes it difficult to pin down, but this concept's silhouette already has us intrigued. It has the body shape of a sportback, but the ride height of a crossover.  Its nose is rather upright, and the quick view of the front reveals that the spindle grille is gone. However, some semblance of the spindle grille shape might remain — itÂ’s tough to tell in the dark shadows Lexus left us to look through, but there are jagged edges aplenty. Any kind of a massive front opening wonÂ’t be necessary for cooling, though, because this Lexus is electric. Lexus is showing off its LED lighting skills in this concept, as we can easily see some seriously exotic headlights and a light-up Lexus badge in front. Around back, thereÂ’s a similarly intriguing dashed taillight design. The gently sloping greenhouse looks like an aerodynamic design, hinting more at the electric nature of the car than we picked up on previously. We can still see the little spoiler in the back that the previous photo revealed, and the strange fin is in place, too.  Make sure to swing back in a weekÂ’s time to see the future of Lexus be fully revealed and learn all the details of what electric machine is coming our way. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Lexus to reveal new concept in Geneva

When Lexus rolls in to the Geneva Motor Show this year, it will have some exciting metal to show off to the Old World crowds. Both the GS F performance sedan and the LF-C2 concept will be marking their European debuts at the Swiss expo. But it will have a new concept to showcase, as well. Just what form that concept will take is anyone's guess at this point, and Lexus isn't saying. The Japanese luxury marque's lineup consists primarily of sedans and crossovers, with the RC coupe and CT hybrid hatchback thrown in for good measure. The likelihood is that we'll be looking at either a new compact model or a large crossover, but that's all up in the air at the moment. Recent show cars from Toyota's upscale brand have included the RC F GT3 racer, the aforementioned LF-C2 convertible, the LF-LC sports coupe and the LF-NX concept that previewed the new NX compact crossover. Watch this space for more. Related Video: 03 Feb 2015 LEXUS AT THE 2015 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW • European Premiere of the new Lexus F-performance model, the 477PS GS F • European Premiere of the LF-C2 concept • World Premiere of a new Lexus concept Brussels, Belgium - The 2015 Geneva Motor Show will host a European introduction of the recent addition to the Lexus high-performance F-brand, the new GS F. World Premiered at this year's Detroit MS, the GS F is a refined four-door coupe with the speed and agility of a premium sports car. Equipped with a normally-aspirated 5.0l V8 engine, the GS F produces maximum power of 477PS and maximum torque of 530Nm. The GS F is the first Lexus to include the new comprehensive Lexus Safety System +. World Premiered at 2014 Los Angeles Motor Show, the LF-C2 concept will also have its European Premiere at this year's Geneva MS. The concept is a design study in the form of a 2+2 roadster that explores key styling themes involved in the Lexus brand's future, bolder styling direction. The LF-C2 is a luxury Grand Touring concept inspired by Lexus' passion for driving. Its open-air design derives from a pure sports coupe idea. Finally, during the Lexus press conference, a new Lexus concept will have its World Premiere. The Lexus Press Conference will take place on March 3, at 12:30 at the Lexus stand (number 4211) in Hall 4.