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Post-earthquake, Toyota prepares to reopen some plants in Japan

Toyota will restart vehicle production at most of its closed factories in Japan next week, but the factories that build the Mirai and many Lexus models will remain closed through at least April 28 and possibly longer. The earthquakes around the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu forced the automaker to stop most of its assembly throughout the country due to a lack of parts supply. Toyota will reopen the plants in phases from April 25 to 28. However, the Motomachi factory with its LFA works, which makes the Mirai, and the Miyata factory will remain closed. These sites also build the Lexus NX, RX, ES, GS, and CT, according to Toyota. The automaker didn't say when production would begin again or how this would affect vehicle supply. "In the update, we received this morning from TMC, they said that at this stage it is too soon to tell what the impact on production will be, so we can't say yet whether there might be vehicle shortages in the US," spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. While the quakes were focused on Kyushu, they damaged Aisin Seiki factories, which supplied parts to Toyota plants across the country. The automaker worked with its partner to import the necessary components from China and Mexico, and Aisin started moving molds from the damaged plants to operational ones in Japan, which gets production under way sooner. Automotive News Europe estimates the week of lost production cuts total assembly by 90,000 vehicles. It could cost Toyota the equivalent of $458.2 million to $641.5 million. The company could make up some of the losses through overtime. Toyota says these plans are subject to change because on ongoing tremors in the region, which could cause more damage. Reuters reported there was a magnitude 5.5 aftershock in the Kumamoto area on April 19. So far, the quakes have killed at least 47 people and around 100,000 people have moved to evacuation centers. Toyota to Restart Production on Vehicle Assembly Lines in Japan from April 25 Apr. 20, 2016 Toyota City, Japan, April 20, 2016-Between April 25 and 28, Toyota will restart production on most of its vehicle assembly lines in Japan. On April 17, Toyota announced that, due to parts shortages resulting from the severe earthquakes that struck Japan's island of Kyushu last week, production would be suspended on almost all of its vehicle assembly lines in stages between April 18 and 23.

Lexus LF-1 Limitless lights up like a Christmas tree in new teaser

We don't know much about the Lexus LF-1 Limitless Concept that's coming to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, but we do know it's going to have some crazy complicated headlights. Lexus released a second teaser of the oddly named Limitless, this time focusing our attention on the conceptual crossover's face. And let's just say there's a whole heck of a lot going on. As you can see in the animated GIF below, the show starts with a traditional Lexus badge in blue, followed by a few slashes of light in a shape that would make Zorro proud. And then things get really crazy. A yellow-hued set of slices carve through the fascia below the headlights, forming a sort of wide-set Fu Manchu, though this one was penned not by Sax Rohmer but by the designers at CALTY in California. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. via GIPHY We'll have all the details on the LF-1 Limitless on January 15, so stay tuned. Related Video: Detroit Auto Show Lexus Crossover Concept Cars

Lexus flagship spotted testing in the desert

Most of the Lexus line-up has been updated with the company's unique design language. Whether you love it or hate it, most of the company's cars are impossible to confuse for something else. But during this time of transformation, the flagship LS sedan has lingered with a very mild, sedate shape. These spy photos show the LS has gone under the knife. That being said, we can't really say how different the LS is going to look for sure because Lexus has employed some impressive camouflage. If we didn't know better we'd say it looks like the LS is going retro with round reflector headlights and some rear tailfins. But we do know better, so don't look for those features to make it to the production model. What we can make out is the lower half of the Lexus "spindle" grille. The camouflage wrapping is pressed up against a trapezoidal shape at the front reminiscent of what we've seen on other Lexus models. It looks like a large version of it as well. This Lexus seems to still be quite long, and based on where the rear passenger is in the photos, it still seems to have loads of space for rear passengers. It's difficult to tell if this is a long wheelbase model or a standard one, but if it is long wheelbase, it's proportioned quite nicely. It looks like there will be quite a large C-pillar on this LS too. Our spy photographer expects this car to be revealed next year as a 2018 model available with a V8 and possibly a hydrogen powertrain. So if you want one of the last low-key LS models, you'll want to get the current version because its days are numbered. Related Video: