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Flower petal-covered Lexus UX 250h wins art car competition

We confess not to know the first thing about art, so perhaps we don't quite get why anyone would want to cover every inch of a Lexus UX250h with flower petals. It's not as if it's an easy thing to do. But not only has someone done it, the resulting car has actually won an art car competition sponsored by the luxury marque. Without the flower petals, the Lexus UX is actually a pretty sharp looking compact premium crossover. It wears the Lexus design language with its many crsip creases and angled lines better than most of its fellow L-badgers. In fact, we can think of others whose sheetmetal would look better under a veil of paper blossoms. The winning entry, created by a design outfit called Clap Studio out of Valencia, Spain, beat five other Lexus UX art cars to win the contest. It took artists Jordi Iranzo and Angela Montagud a month to attach the thousands of paper cutouts to the body. "Our concept is a Zen garden that represents a state of mind: calm, pure consciousness,” they explained. The duo also point out that the car looks very different depending on the light, as the petals reflect and cast shadows in varying directions. Other entrants included more traditional art cars, with elaborate paint jobs, textures, or random objects affixed to them. At least one appeared to be covered in actual, not abstract, flora. Only the winning proposal was actually built, it seems, so in real life only one UX was defiled (or beautified, depending on your taste). Again, we don't know much about art. Related video:

Krafcik says US Gov. shutdown is slowing Oct. auto sales

The government shutdown is eroding consumer confidence in the auto market, says John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai's US sales unit, and could lower October sales by as much as 10 percent, Automotive News reports. "It's that anxiety that keeps customers, potential buyers, on the sidelines when making a big purchase like an automobile," Krafcik says, adding that industry sales could be off by five to 10 percent in October compared to September.
The fourth quarter, which started October 1, usually consists of increased auto sales as dealerships clear their lots to make room for the next year's models. Leading up to the fourth quarter this year, the auto industry was doing well in the fragile, recovering US economy, although September deliveries decreased by 4.2 percent, due in part to this year's Labor Day sales being recorded for August.
To help its customers, Hyundai announced it is deferring new-car loan and lease payments for furloughed federal workers until they're called back to work and also offering them a three-month payment deferral if they buy a new Hyundai in October. "We have already had requests from over a thousand people to have their payments deferred," Krafcik says.

Lexus to offer no-haggle policy at dealers

The automotive world hasn't seen no-haggle pricing in the US since Saturn collapsed in 2009, but Lexus is about to bring it back. The idea originated in company discussions with dealers two years ago, with dealers saying that a segment of potential buyers didn't enjoy negotiating a price. In order to find out how firm pricing will alter the landscape, 12 Lexus dealers will begin the pilot project at the beginning of 2016. That means new and used cars, parts, and service will come with fixed prices, according to the Detroit Free Press. Jeff Bracken, general manager of the Lexus brand, held up a Phoenix Toyota dealer as a success story, noting that the dealer's no-haggle strategy has worked for 12 years. Outside consultants will train employees at the selected outlets, and its effectiveness will be examined nearly every week. Prices can be changed, "but the expectation is that they remain unchanged for months at a time," and any incentives can still be deducted from that set price. The key to getting usable results - whether the program sticks around or not - is that those 12 dealers have to accept that some customers are going to walk out the door if they can't get the deal they want. Bracken said he expects sales and market share to decline some once the project begins, but only for a few months. After customers get accustomed to it, Bracken said he expects the initiative to be a success and expand to other company dealerships in 2017, even if not all Lexus dealers sign on. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Mike Windle/Getty Images for Pandora Media, Inc. Lexus Car Buying Car Dealers Used Car Buying Luxury