2007 Lexus Es350 Base Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Toyota, Lexus to build more CUVs to meet surging demand

What was the biggest takeaway from the auto industry's 2014? Besides the fact that recalls are now a sad and mostly unremarkable part of a vehicle's life, it's that you can't be a competitive, mainstream brand in the US without a really strong line of crossovers, SUVs or pickups. We saw evidence of this as recently as Monday, when Hyundai unveiled its HCD-15 Santa Cruz Concept, and now we're seeing it again with Toyota. The company already has a comprehensive lineup of both mainstream and luxury CUVs and SUVs, although surging demand – sales were up 16 percent last year, Bloomberg reports – has led the company to increase its production tempo at the plants responsible for the RAV4 and Lexus RX. "The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016," Toyota's Jim Lentz told Bloomberg during this week's Detroit Auto Show, referencing the production bump at the Japanese and Canadian factories responsible for the models. "That hasn't changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted." The increased sales are even spurring the brand to consider additional CUVs, including a compact that would slot in below the RAV4, Lentz told the business publication. Such a move would give Toyota a player in an increasingly competitive and important segment. In 2014 alone, mainstream brands, including Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Jeep, have announced brand new products destined for the compact CUV market. "We're going to have to look at how the market under RAV4 develops," Lentz told Bloomberg. "There's no question that it's going to. That's going to be the next growth spurt." Related Video:

Lexus shows off gaming-themed IS built with input from Twitch community

Lexus has revealed the 2021 "Gamers' IS," which was built in collaboration with the Twitch community as an "ultimate gaming space." Based on a 2021 IS 350 F Sport, the Gamers' IS looks every bit the part of a crowdsourced promotion, with every element chosen by community vote.  "The Twitch community dives headfirst into their passion of gaming, just as we did in designing the new 2021 Lexus IS as a pure expression of a sports sedan," said Vinay Shahani, vice president of marketing at Lexus. "We asked for their help designing their dream gaming space, and they answered in spades. Together, we created the ultimate fusion of design and performance in automotive and gaming." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The interior design is based around a theme called "Neon Tokyo," which, yep, that's what that looks like. An acrylic layer was added to the cabin ceiling with resin rain drops formed into it. Backlit with RGB LEDs, the ceiling is meant to give the feel of driving through downtown Toyko at night during a light rain shower. Neat. The passenger seat is where the gaming ostensibly happens, and elements here such as the type of monitor, controller bling and even the drinks in the center console (aka "gaming fuel") were chosen by the Twitch audience too. We're talking about a showpiece here, as is plain from the detail work. This looks like the sort of thing Lexus would have set up at CES and later this year at E3 (the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo), but it may have made the auto show circuit as well. It's not really much of a car, nor would it make a very good gaming space, but hey, it's colorful.

Are you the 2015 Lexus RC F?

With less than two weeks before the start of the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, we're starting to get a better idea of what some of the hot debuts are for this year's installment of America's premiere auto show.
The latest leaked image to hit the internet is what purports to be the Lexus RC F, the Japanese premium brand's long-awaited return to the coupe market and the latest challenger for the upcoming BMW M4, a model that will also be arriving in Detroit. This image was reportedly originally leaked by a Chinese magazine, and was then picked up by our friends at AutoExpress.
The image fits with the teasers and spy shots we've seen of the car so far, meaning that this could very well be the real deal. As we've previously reported, Lexus is expected to offer the RC F with a 460-horsepower V8, while a lower-power RC 350 with two fewer cylinders will also be available. We'll have the full set of details on the RC F when it hits the stage in Detroit.