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Lexus Bladescan is another new headlight safety breakthrough U.S. won't get

Lexus is back at it with innovative lighting technology. The BladeScan headlights available in Europe on the 2020 RX utilize a new mechanism for throwing light further down the road, aiming that light more precisely, and doing so without blinding other road users. Lights from other OEMs with the same capabilities have increased the number of LEDs inside the housing for finer control. The BladeScan module inside the Lexus lights holds the number of LEDs down to 10 on each side of the RX, which Lexus says is a more cost-effective solution. In fact, BladeScan uses fewer LEDs than Lexus' most recent adaptive high-beam system, which has 24 LEDs on each side. The LEDs in the new module are arranged in two rows, eight on top, two on bottom. The diodes are fed information about objects ahead, and adjust their intensity to dim light aimed at an oncoming car, or illuminate a pedestrian by the roadside. However, the LEDs don't shine their light down the road, they shine their strobing light onto two blade-shaped mirrors — hence the name BladeScan — that rotate at high speed. The light reflects off the mirrored blades and into a lens, which orients the beam down the road. Not only is the reflected light easier to handle for oncoming drivers, the system has aim accurate to 0.7 degrees. Lexus' current adaptives are accurate to 1.7 degrees, making BladeScan a 143-percent improvement. That means the new feature can throw even more light into areas that are hard to reach with current lights — Lexus says pedestrian recognition at night has increased from 105 feet to 184 feet. Buyers of the 2020 RX will be able to take advantage when the new crossover goes on sale in Europe later this year. Naturally, U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 means we won't get BladeScan — that goes for you, too, Canada. The now-52-year-old U.S. law mandates a single low beam and a single high beam setting, with no intermediate settings and no activation of high and low beams simultaneously. Toyota, Audi and BMW have been trying for six years to get FMVSS 108 changed to permit new and potentially lifesaving headlight technologies. The automaker wrote in a statement to Carscoops, "Last December, Lexus submitted a petition to NHTSA to allow ADB in the United States. Currently, we await the Agency's decision and hope to see an amendment in FMVSS 108."

Lexus puts that vivid yellow LC500 concept into limited production

Back in August, Lexus crafted a vibrant yellow LC Inspiration Series concept car for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, complete with a lightly customized interior and carbon detailing. For the Chicago Auto Show this year, Lexus is bringing a limited edition production version with the same recipe. The Flare Yellow cars are offered in a series of 100 units, with an inscription on the carbon fiber door sill covers marking each car as part of the limited run. The semi-aniline seats have yellow stitching, like on the concept car, and the interior also has similar yellow door inserts. However, the 21-inch wheels were dark cross-spokes on the concept, and the production Inspiration Series wears a different, split five-spoke design in the same size. But it has same carbon fiber roof and grille insert as the concept car. As for the powertrain, it remains stock with a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing 471 horsepower and coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The 0-60 time is disclosed as 4.4 seconds. Lexus prices the Inspiration Series at $106,210 without destination fees (those are $1,025 for a typical LC). The 100 cars will be made available beginning in April. A stock LC500 starts from $92,300 plus destination. Related Video:

2013 Lexus LS460 F-Sport AWD

Gary Approved
There's a guy that goes to my gym who can't get enough of the Lexus LS - let's call him Gary. Gary's the guy - you've probably got one at your gym, or coffee shop, or some other public but quasi-social location - who talks to everyone he meets. Sit next to him on the rowing machine or run by him on the track, and he's almost certainly going to bend your ear for a minute or 20. Gary is in his mid-60s, a business owner, and the super-proud owner of a 2013 Lexus LS.
Not being a shy man, Gary will be the first one to tell you that he didn't do much comparative shopping (he "drove by" the BMW dealership, and looked at a 7 Series "on the computer"). Being a satisfied former owner of multiple Lexus RXs, there was probably only a tiny statistical chance that Gary wouldn't end up in an LS when it came time for him to treat himself to the tricked out luxury car that he'd wanted for a long time. Still, when I found myself chatting with Gary about his new LS, right after I had spent a wintry week in the 2013 LS460 F-Sport AWD, I figured that he'd have some light to shed on the car.