2021 Lexus Es on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: 1M Lexus hybrids, Best Buy Geekmobile goes Prius

Cummins is developing a plug-in hybrid system for heavy trucks. Its plug-in system for Class 6 trucks (those with a gross vehicle weight between 19,000 and 26,000 pounds) is expected to improve fuel economy by 50 percent. Funded in part by a $4.5-million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE), the system will use a battery pack and some form of range extending internal combustion engine. The system will employ various drive cycles in order to help commercial fleets save fuel based on their needs. Read more at Gas2. German automaker Borgward, LG Chem, Bosch, and software firm SAP have joined forces to form an electric mobility partnership. Borgward recently revived its brand with a new model, the BX7. Borgward has also announced that two other models, the BX5 and BX6, will be available as plug-in hybrids. SAP will provide software services, and LG Chem will supply battery technology to Borgward. Bosch will supply and help develop a number of components for Borgward cars. Read more at Inside EVs. Lexus has sold its millionth hybrid. The luxury automaker began selling hybrids with the electrified RX in 2005, and the millionth hybrid was a NX 300h sold to a customer in Milan, Italy. "This is my first Lexus," says the customer of that vehicle in a Lexus release, Aldo Pirronello. "... and I am honored to celebrate this important milestone with Lexus!" Lexus currently sells 10 hybrid models worldwide. Read more from Lexus. Best Buy's Geek Squad is switching from Volkswagen Beetle Geekmobiles to the Toyota Prius C. As part of an update to the home electronics chain's house call service, the Geeks will be driving more eco-friendly cars with a refreshed logo. More than 1,000 Prius C Geekmobiles are being deployed nationwide. With the Geek Squad answering more than 5 million house calls a year, the fuel savings from switching to a more efficient hybrid cars means reduced emissions over the 12.6 million miles they'll drive per year. Read more in the press release below. Vehicle of Choice for Geeks? Toyota Prius c An armada of agents is about to roll out in Toyota Prius c. Their mission: to help people across America get the most from their technology. Starting today, Best Buy's Geek Squad will dispatch more than 1,000 of the vehicles – fully decked out as the new Geekmobile – nationwide.

Autoblog fan favorite car ads from Super Bowl XLIX

Super Bowl XLIX is in the books, and the New England Patriots emerged victorious. Of course, if you're like us, the big game wasn't so much about the battle between the east coast and west, so much as a fight between the world's automotive advertisers. We collected and collated all of last night's new ads and put them together for you to vote on. And yes, we're limiting this year's contest to last night's new features. That's why you aren't seeing Dodge's epic Wisdom among our collection of commercials, and it's a similar story with Chevrolet's Truck Guy Focus Group series, which highlights the new Colorado. You can still vote for your favorites. We won't be closing the voting on our Super Bowl page, so while the winners and losers are correct as of this writing, it's entirely possible that there could be some changes in the rankings as time goes on. So, without any further ado, here are the winning ads based on your voting. Nissan: With Dad Fiat: Ready For Action Jeep: Beautiful Lands BMW: Newfangled Idea Mercedes-Benz: Fable NASCAR: America Start Your Engines As for those ads that failed to impact you, loyal readers, Toyota was the absolute, undisputed loser. The Japanese brand ran four ads in total – two for Toyota and two for Lexus – and all of them have negative tallies as of this writing. Lexus' Make Some Noise and Lets Play and Toyota's One Bold Choice and My Bold Dad both had very weak showings among the commercials that aired, although they weren't alone. Neither Mazda nor Kia scored particularly well, despite featuring celebrity magic act Penn and Teller and former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, respectively. Chevrolet was the winner of the losers, as of our writing, recording the fewest downvotes for its audience-punking The Big Game ad. If you want to take a second look at the losing ads, you can head back to our Super Bowl page for the complete collection. But for now, head into Comments and let us know what you think of the results.

2023 Lexus ES gets new touchscreen infotainment, F Sport packages

Toyota might be finished with the Avalon but Lexus isn't finished with the ES. The 2023 ES sedan acquires features to please a range of buyers, from a new infotainment system to new F Sport packages similar to those added to the IS sedan range. The benefit for every buyer will be Lexus Interface infotainment with touchscreen and voice controls. Oddly, Lexus didn't include a photo of the reworked interior, said to get a redesigned center console, a new sunglass holder, a new cup holder location, and an "available wireless charger." We believe the redesign jettisons the trackpad previously used to control the infotainment system, placed on the center tunnel next to the shift lever. If other recent Lexus offerings are the guide, we'll expect the cupholder to move to next to the shift lever instead of behind it — and hope Lexus forgot to make "cupholder" plural instead of giving front-row occupants two receptacles. The ES already offered a wireless phone charger, so we expect the news here is that it's also moved.   The touchscreen will be easier to control and also comes with a higher resolution. The system can be controlled by voice when given the "Hey Lexus" command to attention, and features dual microphones, seat detection, and speaker location capability. The standard screen continues to be eight inches across, the optional screen maxes at 12.3 inches. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included. For sedan shoppers seeking a bit more spice either cosmetically or dynamically, the ES adopts the F Sport Design Package and the F Sport Handling Package that came to the IS last month. Any ES (250 AWD, 350, and 300h) optioned up to Premium trim can add the F Sport Design bundle with its unique front bumper and grille surround, rear spoiler, and exclusive 19-inch, gloss black split-five-spoke alloys. It also adds Intuitive Park Assist to the convenience feature list.   ES 350 and ES 300h buyers who stump for the F Sport Design Package can further add the F Sport Handling Package. This gets two extra drive modes, Sport+ and Custom, to manage the F Sport adaptive suspension, plus a heated F Sport steering wheel, Hadori aluminum trim, aluminum pedals, and a black headliner.