1997 Lexus Ls400 Salvage Title For Parts Or Perfect For Overseas Starts And Runs on 2040-cars

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Japanese earthquakes send ripples through auto industry

The earthquakes since April 14 in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu are having aftershocks on the US auto industry, particularly for Toyota. The company shut down most of its factories in the country due to parts shortages, and the plants will be closed at least through April 23. "Decisions regarding recommencement of operation at plants in Japan will be made on the basis of availability of parts," the company said in a statement. According to Automotive News, Toyota's closed factories include a vast range of popular models in the US, including the Toyota Prius, Mirai, RAV4, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Lexus ES, LS, IS, GS, RC, NX, RX, GX, and LX. The company's only sites in Japan that are still open build Hino trucks, Daihatsu models, and the Toyota Century limo. Toyota isn't yet sure whether these shutdowns could lead to vehicle shortages in the US. "As you can imagine, we are still reviewing the situation and working to learn more," company spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. "While we know that production will be suspended in stages at most of our vehicle assembly facilities in Japan between April 18th and the 23rd, we do not know if they will continue production suspensions. Also, any effects to our inventory and/or sales have yet to be determined." He expects the automaker to know more in the coming days. Many of the affected Toyota plants aren't even in Kumamoto Prefecture, but major suppliers have factories in the region. For example, Aisin Seiki and Renesas Electronics both had to shutdown operations at plants in the area, according to Automotive News. Toyota isn't the only automaker affected. Nissan experienced a brief slowdown but was back to work on Monday, and Honda has suspended a motorcycle plant in the region until Friday. Mitsubishi had to close a production line due to the parts shortage, according to The Japan Times, but it didn't affect US models. "A supplier to our Mizushima plant has been impacted but they only supply an engine part for our mini car line. That line has been temporarily shut down due to that situation," spokesperson Alex Fedorak told Autoblog. "That same plant builds the Lancer and i-MiEv and there has been no impact to that line and production continues uninterrupted." Two major quakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture around Kumamoto city in the past week. The first on April 14 measured 6.4 magnitude, and a second on April 16 measured 7.3.

Why the Lexus GS death rumors aren't surprising

For months, rumors have persisted that the Lexus GS is dying, to be replaced in the lineup by the ever-growing ES. After spending some time with one, we can't really figure out why it hasn't happened sooner. For a long time, the smaller, less expensive, more efficient front-wheel-drive Lexus ES has been growing in size and dominating the rear-wheel-drive GS in sales. As customers move from sedans into crossovers, Lexus' five-car lineup of the CT, IS, ES, GS, and LS is looking a bit too crowded. We shouldn't lament the loss of another rear-wheel-drive sedan. Lexus customers sure as hell haven't. There are better options available. Outside of the GS F, the Lexus GS isn't a car that encourages you to drive in a way that would take advantage of a rear-wheel setup. In the rain and the snow, the front-wheel drive ES is likely to be a more stable and sure-footed car. If you want power, the less expensive ES 350 actually has a more powerful engine than the base GS 200t. It's nearly a second quicker to 60 mph as well. Stepping up to a GS 350 puts a nearly $12,000 divide between the ES and the GS. Yes, you can get the GS with all-wheel drive, but how many people well and truly need it? Size-wise, the ES is nearly identical to the GS, with the ES being longer but narrower by just over an inch in either direction. Being front-wheel drive, the ES has better rear packaging, meaning a roomier rear seat. The GS does beat the ES on cargo capacity, but on nearly every other measurement the ES is roughly identical or better. Another editor noticed the exact same thing when the current ES debuted nearly four years ago. That goes for pre- and post-refresh models. The ES isn't quite as handsome as the GS (as long as you ignore the spindle situation up front). From some angles, the ES looks like nothing more than the tarted up Toyota Avalon it is. From behind the wheel, the GS fails to convey any sense of excitement or occasion. It's simply a shoulder shrug of a car. When competition like the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class offer both refinement and a decent infusion of fun, it's hard to make a case for the Lexus. The ES isn't any better, but with a base price of $39,895 it's a far more reasonable proposition than a $47,305 GS. Our test car was starting to show its age, as the competition has long sailed by when it comes to noise, vibration, and harshness. Lexus quiet this GS 200t was not. All that said, it seems that customers have already spoken.

Lexus customizes 10 cars as characters from 'Eternals'

Lexus has vanda — uh, customized — ten cars to go along with "Eternals," the latest movie in the Marvel cinematic universe. Each vehicle has been chosen to represent one of ten heroes from the story, wrapped in colorful designs that Lexus says reflect their costumes and powers. We suppose that if you're an immortal being that needs to be embodied in automotive form, a Lexus isn't a bad choice given their reputation for long-term reliability. But, if you've been living among Earthlings for 7,000 years and are trying to lay low, maybe a brightly colored car with gold underglow isn't the most effective stealth mode. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Some of the cars are quite appropriate. Thena, incarnated as a white and gold Lexus LC500, seems like a perfect embodiment of Angelina Jolie's character's power and elegance. Similarly, the red RC F Track Edition representing Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff, is a good fit for what is described as the fastest Eternal. And the hulking Land Cruiser-based Lexus LX570 makes a good Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee, the biggest and strongest of the bunch. However, we then get into questionable territory when Phastos is also represented by a second LX570 because, per Lexus, "The LX is technologically advanced, making it an ideal fit for Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, the technological guru of the team." Uh, okay. That claim would make more sense if the SUV was a 2022 Lexus LX600, but images show the Phastos car based on a current-gen LX, which is 14 years old. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We don't know enough about the rest of the "Eternals" characters to know if the cars are fitting, but for the sake of completion, here we go. Salma Hayek's Ajak and Barry Keoghan's Druig are represented by Lexus GX460s, Richard Madden's Ikaris is a Lexus LS sedan, Gemma Chan's Sersi is a non-Track Edition RCF, Lia McHugh's Sprite is a Lexus NX, and Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo is an IS350. Again, that last one is an odd choice since Nanjiani drove an IS500 in a recent ad (that also features a pretty cool looking right-hand-drive Mitsubishi Pajero). "Eternals" opens on November 5, 2021. The Lexus cars will be used at promotional events and at the red carpet premiere. It is the second time Lexus has been the official car of a Marvel movie, following 2018's Black Panther.