Lexus Gx470 Suv 4x4 V8 Low Miles 3rd Row, Nav, Dual Dvds And Mark Levinson Sound on 2040-cars

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Lexus IS commercial made with Instagram photos

Facebook was so 2010, so it's no surprise that automakers are taking advantage of newer social media applications for their marketing purposes. Most recently, Lexus invited more than 200 followers on Instagram ("Instagrammers"), along with their smartphones, to make a commercial of the 2014 Lexus IS using hundreds of their photos of the car strung together into a video.
Instagram, taking advantage of smartphone cameras, is an application that allows users to shoot, edit and share photos or video online with friends and strangers alike. Lexus's stop-motion Insta-commercial is unique as far as commercials go, with each photo in the sequence sporting a personal touch thanks to the app's photo editor. But, even more impressive is the ability of social media to bring people together for, and involve them in, a commercial shoot. All of which you can watch below. Stay tuned after the commercial to get a look behind the scenes at the making of it all.

Lexus builds a one-off IS 350 with a record player in the glove box

The latest Lexus to undergo modification for the company's marketing efforts is called the Lexus IS Wax. That's because it's for vinyl lovers, and contains an actual car-mounted record player that, Lexus claims, does not skip. Earlier this month we saw a sneaker homage to the Lexus IS. It, and now the IS Wax, are part of Lexus's "All In" campaign that lets influencers in creative fields loose on a luxury sedan. The goal is to put the Lexus brand in front of others in that field, even if they are largely unrelated to anything automotive. Just last month, the company presented a gaming-themed IS built with input from the Twitch streaming community.  As such, the press release for the Lexus IS Wax does not once mention that the car was based on a Lexus IS 350 F Sport. We can only deduce that because it wears the more aggressive fascia, 10-spoke wheels and F Sport badge that comes with the higher performance version. On the other hand, the press release does mention the names MC Madlib and KAYTRANADA, which we guess have some meaning to people in the music world. Lexus claims that the record player will not skip, even on a bumpy road. The record player was partially 3D printed and modified with carbon fiber and machined aluminum. It had to be a custom job to fit into the car's glove box. Impressively, it actually plays a 12-inch record and emerges and retracts into the glove box with some sort of motorization. Very little is revealed about how they dealt with the skipping, except to say that a rotating stepper motor helps stabilize the turntable when the car' in motion, and a silicone cushion underneath it helps absorb some of the bumps.  Oh yeah, it was wrapped in matte black as well. Helpfully, Lexus provided a few quotes from its collaborators. Said Madlib, I take [music I've created] to the car, test it out. Every time. That’s the big test. To have the turntable in a Lexus? ThatÂ’s beyond.” Said KAYTRANADA, "When Lexus said they wanted to build this car, I didnÂ’t think it was possible. It was amazing to see and hear vinyl playing while cruising in a car." Presumably, the target audience will be more impressed with the 1,800-watt, 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system than the 311-horsepower V6 and 280 lb-ft of torque. If you're curious about how the Lexus IS Wax was created, you can watch the two-part video. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota to enter modern turbo four-cylinder era with Lexus crossover

Toyota has sat quietly on the sidelines as many of its competitors have armed themselves in recent years with lower-displacement turbocharged four-cylinder engines in an effort to gain better fuel efficiency numbers and flatter power curves. It's a strategy largely shared by fellow countryman Honda, who turned away from offering forced-induction four-cylinder models in North America after its first-generation Acura RDX failed to find buyers. Toyota itself has no lack of experience with turbo fours, having built some humdingers for cars like the MR2 and Celica All-Trac back in the 80s and 90s. It's also offered factory-warranted turbos through its TRD performance parts division more recently.
Now, Automotive News is reporting that the world's largest automaker is finally poised to rejoin the turbo-four production-car fray in North America, but it won't be a sports car that delivers the first force-fed punch, it will be a new small crossover model for Lexus. We first showed you spy shots of the NX last week in mule form, and Automotive News says the small softroader will carry a 2.0-liter turbo four in its engine bay when it rolls on to world markets in 2014 or early 2015. That model, the NX 200t, will be joined by the NX 300h, a hybrid variant. It isn't immediately clear when US buyers will see the turbo model, however, it's possible that the hybrid could bow first - the story quotes an anonymous company source suggesting that Americans might not see the engine offering until sometime in 2015.
AN further posits that the new 2.0-liter will likely supplant the company's 2.5-liter V6 in the IS sedan and the same-displacement four-cylinder in the Toyota RAV4, but does not indicate where the new engine will be built.