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Lexus might introduce an all-electric successor to the CT hatchback

Despite sales of the Lexus CT hybrid hatchback ending last year in the U.S., Lexus isn't planning to abandon the hatchback segment in favor of the new compact crossover, the UX. The CT remains on sale in some countries, and Lexus's European boss is adamant the brand has to keep offering hatchbacks. Talking to the British AutoExpress, Lexus's Pascal Ruch says the CT has an important purpose, which is introducing new customers to the Lexus brand. Ruch told AutoExpress that the CT has a high "conquest ratio" of 70-75 percent, and that a CT customer is different from the envisioned UX customer. "I believe that all the segments we are now in, it's important to stay there," added Ruch. AutoExpress says the CT could be replaced in 2020 with a model that would be offered both as a hybrid and as all-electric, built on Toyota's new TNGA global platform. The hybrid is likely to be the 177-horsepower 2.0-liter unit seen in the new European Auris, which corresponds to the new U.S. market Corolla Hatchback. The CT's successor could be sold as both a conventional hatchback and a more crossover-like version, much like the new Ford Focus and its Active trim level; Ruch says Lexus is thinking through a new approach for the CT. The CT was introduced way back in 2011, selling some 15,000-17,000 examples per year in the U.S. until its first really weak year, 2016, which saw less than 9,000 cars sold. The following year, which proved to be its last model year in the United States, sales dropped under 4,700. In Europe, it's different for Lexus: The brand overall sells only some 45,000 cars per year, and the CT's steady sales of more than 8,000 cars per year are quite important for it. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus RC F police cruiser set to patrol Australia's highways

Planning a trip down to Australia? Better keep an eye on the speedometer. Because with this latest set of wheels, the local cops should have little trouble chasing you down. It's a Lexus RC F coupe that's been specially outfitted to join the police motor pool in the southern region of New South Wales. Details on how it's set up for official duty are scarce, but as you can see, it features special graphics as well as flashing lights on the dashboard and rear shelf. There's probably special communications equipment installed as well, but we doubt the Aussie bobbies will be trying to squeeze any perps into the back seat. The Japanese performance coupe is slated for use in a number of applications, one of them being to promote road safety. We're not sure how a 467-horsepower V8 luxury coupe gets that message across, exactly. But even though it's not quite as impressive as what they've added to the fleet in Dubai, the RC F ought to garner some attention at events like the Bathurst Six Hour race and the MS Sydney to the Gong bike ride where it'll be on display. And just in case it's put on highway patrol, we'd suggest locals and visitors exorcise their speed demons on the Stuart Highway up north and keep their right feet light on the streets in NSW. Related Video:

Lexus RC F glows with your heartbeat

It's not uncommon to see all manner of sensors being installed inside new cars these days, monitoring everything from ambient noise to our levels of alertness. The question is what the automakers will do with the information gathered by those sensors, and we've seen some fairly novel innovations. This latest solution from Lexus may not be the most useful, but it's definitely one of the most interesting we've seen to date. The Japanese luxury automaker's Australian division cooked up this special RC F show car with a heart-rate monitor and a special electroluminescent paint job. The sensors detect how fast the driver's heart is beating, and displays it accordingly down the side of the car's flanks. In daylight it looks like it's painted plain old ordinary silver, and otherwise it's the same luxury muscle coupe we know, with a 5.0-liter V8 churning out 467 horsepower in resolute defiance of the downsizing/turbocharging trend that's sweeping the industry. The project was cooked up by creative agency M&C Saatchi and uses glow-in-the-dark paint from American specialist Lumilor. The vehicle is set to be unveiled over the weekend, but you can scope it out now in the images below and the preview video above. Is it pointless? Almost entirely. Does that make it any less cool? Of course not. 22 July 2015 LEXUS GETS PULSES RACING WITH WORLD'S FIRST HEARTBEAT CAR Lexus Australia has developed the world's first vehicle to display a heartbeat on its exterior in a demonstration of advanced technology and the connection between man and machine. The Japanese luxury marque collaborated with creative agency M&C Saatchi to produce a one-off RC F V8 coupe that integrates a series of technologies to display a person's heartbeat in the vehicle's bodywork. The first stage of the system works by transmitting the heartbeat of a connected person from a heart rate monitor to a bespoke electrical system in the RC F. The on-board system captures and processes the data before sending an electric charge through the RC F's body panels that are painted in electroluminescent paint developed by US-based specialist Lumilor. This innovative paint finish glows when the electrical charge runs through it and displays the person's heartbeat via a real-time animation sequence. Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley said the heartbeat car comes in the wake of other innovative brand activities in 2015 and an ongoing commitment to the development of high performance Lexus F vehicles.