Lexus Ls Ls430 Fully Loaded on 2040-cars

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Lexus RX replacement to debut in Detroit?

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be a big one for Lexus, with Group Vice President Jeff Bracken confirming to Ward's Auto that the Japanese luxury marque will have at least one, and possibly two, all-new-model introductions. Ward's seems to think that one of those vehicles will be the new RX crossover, one of the brand's most popular (and oldest) offerings. The complete and utter lack of spy photos of the new RX doesn't necessarily support Ward's argument, although if the new CUV ends up being based on the JDM Toyota Harrier, as previously reported, the absence of camouflaged images might make some sense. As for that other vehicle, it's hard to say what we might see. Were we to put our money on it, though, the long-awaited GS F would be a strong contender for a Detroit debut. The high-performance challenger to the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has been spotted almost completely undisguised as recently as October. On top of that, Detroit's reputation as a performance-focused show (last year's show saw debuts of the Ford Mustang, BMW M3 and M4, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Volkswagen Golf R and Porsche 911 Targa) makes the GS F's appearance there a fair bet. One thing we can count on at least hearing about when Detroit rolls around is Lexus' strong sales position. The company's 2014 sales should crest 305,000 units by the end of the year, marking the first time the company had passed the 300,000-unit mark since 2007. Bracken told Ward's that should be an easy task, particularly with the brand's "best month of the year," December, still to come.

Watch an Aventador, Viper and LFA play the songs of their people

Our friends at Road & Track recently stopped by Cars and Coffee in Irvine, California, with the 2013 SRT Viper and found themselves a place to park between a Lamborghini Aventador and a Lexus LFA. Those machines might as well be the three musketeers of ludicrous exhaust notes, and rather than keep those 24 raging cylinders muffled, R&T set about conducting an orchestra of internal combustion. On seeing these three lined up, we were more than prepared to call the Viper victorious when it came to tickling our ear drums, but the latest domestic V10 sounds down right civilized in this company.
If we're picking favorites, we have to say the LFA takes the cake. There's something about the noise of a street-legal V10 that can wrap it's tachometer all the way to 9,000 rpm that turns our knees to quivering dollops of jelly. Check out the clip below for a listen. We shouldn't need to tell you to get frisky with the volume.

2021 Lexus NX 300 and NX 300h stick to the formula

After placing the limited-run NX 300h F Sport Black Line Special Edition at the top of the range, Lexus has announced few changes for the rest of the NX lineup going into 2021. For its sixth year on the market, on the exterior of the compact luxury crossover, Blue Vortex Metallic slips off the color wheel, replaced by Nori Green Pearl. The deep forest hue dazzled recently on the 2020 Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series. Less visible to outsiders, NX models get low-profile windshield wiper blades, and power-folding, auto-dimming, reverse-tilt mirrors. Revisions to the standard interior have been confined to a revised horn pad, and a slightly different red zone on the tachometer, but Lexus didn't clarify what that last point means. Among the feature set, every NX will include blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert in the driver safety technology that's grouped under the Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 banner. Turning to the options sheet, ordering the Navigation package will include the HomeLink garage door opening system, and the Mark Levinson audio system comes with an updated amplifier.   After that, what we're already familiar with from the NX lineup carries on. That means three trims, the NX 300, NX 300 F Sport, and NX 300h, plus the NX 300h F Sport Black Line until they're all sold. Engine choices are a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on the non-hybrid models, and a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine in the NX 300h that works with three electric motors to produce a total combined output of 194 horsepower. The non-hybrid NX trims get a six-speed transmission, the hybrid employs a CVT. Related Video: