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2021 Lexus NX 300h F Sport Black Line adds flair and luggage

At the beginning of the year, Lexus introduced a Black Line Special Edition trim on the NX 300 F Sport, produced in a run of just 1,000 examples. In April, the Japanese luxury maker showed the GS 350 Black Line Special Edition that came with a pair of Zero Halliburton cases as a last hurrah for the GS line, the sedan even more exclusive with just 250 units made. The 2021 NX 300h F Sport is next to pick up the baton, earning F Sport upgrades and snagging a set of that Halliburton luggage, too. Three colors are available: the brand-new deep blue of Grecian Water and the familiar Ultra White and Obsidian. Unlike the NX Black Line shown earlier, the hybrid paints its black wheel arch liners in body color and omits the faux carbon fiber side graphic, and the 19-inch chrome wheels replaced by 18-inch rims in "dark sputter" finish. Inside, blue stitching on the seats, door panels, armrest, center console. and floor mats accents the black interior. The F Sport treatment includes headlights, a larger mesh grille to replace the standard spindle grille with horizontal slats, a tuned suspension and sharper body kit. Lexus has made normally optional features like park assist and the foot-operated tailgate standard for the Black Line. Under the skin, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder assisted by an electric motor sends its 194 horsepower to all four wheels. The Lexus Black Line Zero Halliburton luggage duo starts with Halliburton's Edge Lightweight Collection. The 22-inch Continental Carry-on and 26-inch Medium Travel Case feature linings embroidered with Intersect by Lexus spindle grille art, interior compression panels with a Lexus embossed leather logo badge, and chrome badges laser-etched with "Zero Halliburton for Lexus" outside. Naturally, they come in black. Lexus will build 1,000 examples of the NX 300h Black Line Special Edition over the next 90 days, with availability as of now. Pricing starts at $47,835 after destination, $300 more than the standard top trim, the NX 300h Luxury AWD. Related Video:    

2018 Technology of the Year Award | We chat with Lexus about the LC 500h's hybrid system

Every year, Autoblog editors test dozens and dozens of the newest vehicles available, sometimes even before they're available. From those vehicles, we select the ones we think provide the most innovative technology in the industry. Then we pare the list down to the very best, test them again, and vote on our winner for Technology of the Year. This year, Lexus's multi-stage hybrid system — as tested in the LC 500h — came out ahead of the rest of the finalists. We chose the 2018 Detroit Auto Show to hand over the award to Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Jeff Bracken. He was kind enough to sit down with Autoblog Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Green Editor John Snyder at the Lexus stand to talk about the hybrid system, what it does, and what it means for the future of Lexus and Toyota. Check out the video above, and follow along for all our coverage from the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where we are taking a look at all of the new cars and technology that we'll see in the near future. Perhaps the next winner of Autoblog's Technology of the Year award is sitting somewhere on the Detroit show floor. Related Video: Green Detroit Auto Show Lexus Toyota Fuel Efficiency Green Automakers Technology Technology of the Year Coupe Hybrid Luxury Performance Videos Original Video 2018 detroit auto show

See the resemblance? This sneaker is inspired by the 2021 Lexus IS

We can all rest easy at night, now that one of the world's great questions — What would a Lexus IS look like if it were a shoe? — has been answered. Lexus has collaborated with streetwear brand RTFKT to make a sneaker inspired by the 2021 Lexus IS. The project is part of a Lexus campaign called "All In" that celebrates people who are passionate about their craft. For the cynical, you can read this as a campaign that uses influencers in non-automotive fields to put the IS in front of a new audience and attract younger customers to the Lexus brand.   RTFKT calls themselves the first sneaker company to spring from the world of gaming. Their footwear leans towards the fanciful and futuristic styles typically found in video games, and a quick glance at their website presents the shoes as digital items of varying rarity that you might find in a game. RTFKT's creative director Chris Le said, “We wanted to make sure when the audience looks at the sneaker they instantly know it is the IS.” We're not so sure about that, though. If it weren't for the Lexus F Sport logo on the side, Lexus badge on the Velcro strap and the model name embossed across on the back, we'd have a hard time guessing it had anything to do with a now-472 hp Japanese sports sedan. RTFKT explains that certain design elements inspired by the car. The chunky sole in black evolved from a tire, for example. The front of the shoe is said to be a version of Lexus's trademark spindle grille (though we're not really seeing it). A 3D-printed carbon fiber-pattern "spoiler" on the back of the sneaker gets closer to the Lexus's actual decklid wing.  The sneaker's sides use the Black NuLuxe material of the car's interior with light gray stitching from the seats. The middle silver stripe was "inspired by the details of the headlights," though given the "L" shape of the "L" DRLs on past Lexus IS sedans we're surprised the collab isn't with Nike. To be fair, the new IS's DRL integration is much more pleasant to look at. Lastly, the Grecian Water blue color, one of the signature paints on the new IS, features throughout the shoe. “All the intricate design elements come together, and at a first glance itÂ’s a neckbreaker,” said RTFKT CEO Steven Zaptio. We are probably in no place to comment the veracity of that statement, but then neither is anyone else. As it turns out, no one will ever wear it, because it's a one-off that will never go on sale. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.