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2013 Lexus IS F

Sometimes fortune really smiles on even shiftless car-reviewing Dutchmen like myself, I must admit. I had come into Austin, TX the week before I was supposed to meet up with the good people at Lexus, who had graciously invited me to drive the 2014 IS. I flew in early because Austin is a pretty good place to eat, as well as being a place that my wife doesn't live. Let me say that a nicer way... while my stunningly attractive wife pretty much represents all things good and light in this world, she does occasionally shoot me a sideways glance when I dig in for my fifth Tacodeli breakfast taco. Thankfully, I leave most of my good sense and information about the effects of high-calorie diets on lifespan at home with Molly when I come to Texas, so I can better focus my laser-like attention on car reviews and TexMex. You guys are worth it.
Aside from all the tacos, I was also lucky to be visiting town the weekend before South By Southwest really kicked off in earnest, because it was that Sunday that my good old buddy John, and my new old buddy Pat, were headed up to the Circuit of the Americas to see the first ever SCCA Majors event there. It was lucky that I had planned to be out at CotA, which is east of Austin, because that made it very slightly easier for a very nice woman named Marcia to bring me a 2013 Lexus IS F from Houston, roughly 150 miles away.
Marcia brought me the IS F to replace another press car, which was having mechanical troubles; I didn't ask for the fire-breathing IS but when it was offered up I figured I couldn't do much better as a warm up for the 2014 IS program I was about to go on. See, lucky right?

Toyota investing $200M in Southern manufacturing

Over the past two years, Toyota has invested more than $2 billion at its North American production facilities, and it apparently doesn't plan on stopping there. To keep up with recent strong sales, Toyota is investing an additional $200 million at its engine plants in the Southern US to increase production capacity of its V6 engines.
The bulk of this money ($150 million) will go to expand Toyota's engine plant in Huntsville, AL, which is currently responsible for supplying engines - four-cylinder, V6 and V8 - to eight of Toyota's 12 domestically produced vehicles. That includes the best-selling Toyota Camry (shown above).
Toyota didn't say exactly what improvements are being made to the plant, but this follows last year's $80 million investment in the plant that is set to be completed by next year raising the engine capacity to 750,000 annual units including 362,000 V6s. The remaining $50 million will go to the casting plants of Toyota-owned Bodine Aluminum in Missouri and Tennessee, which supply engine blocks and cylinder heads to the Huntsville engine plant as well as others in Kentucky and West Virginia. Scroll down below for the official press release.

Google self-driving car badly damaged in accident but wasn't at fault

A self-driving Lexus RX 450h hybrid sport utility vehicle owned and operated by Google was involved in an accident in Mountain View, California, on Friday afternoon. Nobody was injured, though there was an occupant inside the Lexus at the time of the crash. Initial reports indicate Google's autonomous vehicle was not at fault. The accident happened when another driver in a commercial van ran a red light and hit the passenger side of the autonomous vehicle. Google confirmed that the vehicle was piloting itself at the time of the accident. When it became obvious a collision was imminent, the human driver applied the brakes, but it was too late. The car sustained significant damage in the crash and had to be towed away on a flatbed trailer. This isn't the first time one of Google's self-driving vehicles was involved in an accident, but it does appear to be the first time one of the tech giant's cars sustained serious damage. In a statement to 9to5Google.com, Google said, "Thousands of crashes happen everyday on US roads, and red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes in the US. Human error plays a role in 94% of these crashes, which is why we're developing fully self-driving technology to make our roads safer." The United States Department of Transportation earlier this week outlined a set of 15 safety assessment objectives for autonomous vehicle manufacturers to meet. The DOT said "automated vehicles hold enormous potential benefits for safety, mobility and sustainability." Related Video: News Source: 9to5Google.com, G4 via YouTubeImage Credit: G4 via YouTube Auto News Government/Legal Green Lexus Technology Crossover Autonomous Vehicles Hybrid accident lexus rx lexus rx450h