2006 Lexus Lx470 on 2040-cars

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Lexus' LFA Works now making carbon fiber bicycles... kind of

The LFA Works that produced the Lexus LFA hasn't had too much to do since the 500th example of the V10 supercar left the plant on December 15, 2012. So what are a bunch of carbon fiber experts meant to do with their time when they have some of the world's most advanced CFRP machinery but no engine to wrap it with? Why, make a bicycle, of course - and not just any bicycle, but the kind that costs one million Japanese yen ($10,000 US) and of which only 100 will be made.
Only they didn't really "make" it - the carbon fiber frame was sourced from Takumi, in Taiwan. On the face of it that's a shame, but it makes sense; when you've got a company like McLaren assisting bike manufacturer Specialized produce a road bike, it's clear that 'pushies' have got so advanced that a company can't just hop in and mold a $10K bike in six months. Beyond that frame it's got a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group with electronic shifters, and it weighs 15 pounds.
However, the Lexus crafstmen did polish each frame for three hours, and the bike is said to embody the "principles and philosophy" of the supercar, while the brochure for the bike says it represents "a new chapter in Lexus history." That chapter is still all about rarity, though, since there's only one bike headed for Canada and two for the US.

Lexus reportedly working on two different successors to the LFA

The successor to the Lexus LFA is beginning to take shape — in unofficial rumors, at least. The firm's next supercar will reportedly make its debut in the coming years with a V8 under the hood, and it will be followed by a battery-electric model due out at the turn of the decade. Citing anonymous inside sources, Japanese magazine Best Car wrote that the long-awaited car that will take the torch from the limited-edition LFA will land in showrooms in 2025. As we've previously reported, it will be powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a mysterious 4.0-liter V8 engine fitted with two turbochargers. The publication adds that the coupe, whose name hasn't been confirmed, will be launched as a regular-production model and that it will be built on a version of Toyota's TNGA-L platform. This is the same architecture found under the LC and the LS, among models, and using these foundations should allow Lexus to keep the car's cost in check. Engineers could peg the hybrid system's total output at around 700 horsepower, and Best Car reports that the car's front end will borrow styling cues from the Electrified Sport concept (pictured) introduced in December 2021. If the report is accurate, sales will start in 2025. Speaking of which, the Electrified Sport will make its debut with a battery-electric powertrain in 2030 at the earliest. Its design will evolve over the next eight-plus years; it sounds like what we saw in December 2021 more accurately previewed the hybrid supercar than the electric one. It could hit 60 mph from a stop in under 2 seconds, and it could offer a maximum driving range of over 430 miles. Interestingly, the same report points out that the Electrified Sport might use solid-state batteries. That technology's not ready, but Lexus has plenty of time to fine-tune it. Toyota GR GT3 Concept View 8 Photos On the Toyota side of the family tree, the GR GT3 concept unveiled in January 2022 is allegedly on its way to production (in one form or another) as well. It will initially spawn a race car built to GT3 specifications, as its name implies, and it will benefit from the lessons that engineers learned while designing a road-going, Le Mans-inspired hypercar that Toyota consigned to the automotive attic in August 2021. Whether the GR GT3 will be related to the LFA's successor is up in the air, though it doesn't take a significant stretch of the imagination to speculate that some parts will be shared.

2016 Lexus GS 200t First Drive

Last year, Lexus rolled out an ad for its GS that featured several luxury rivals swinging on pendulums, with a hypnotic voiceover that derides the BMW 5 Series' standard four-cylinder engine. The ad then asks viewers to, "Open your eyes to the six-cylinder, eight-speed Lexus GS." Oh, how times have changed. Consider the facelifted Lexus GS 200t and its four-cylinder turbocharged engine an admission that maybe the Germans are on to something. It's good to see Lexus getting with the times, but after a drive in Southern California, we find the first turbocharged GS comes up short in a lot of ways. This is the same engine Lexus uses in the NX, IS, and RC with 200t designations. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder uses a twin-scroll turbo, direct injection, and Toyota's most advanced continuously variable valve timing to produce 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That's 70 horsepower short of the GS 350's 3.5-liter V6. But torque is down only 22 fewer lb-ft, and the 200t's broad peak torque, from 1,650 to 4,400 rpm, promises ample usable power. The 200t offers little reward for the slower acceleration. As for that previously-mocked BMW 5 series, the Lexus has nearly identical output. But a 7.0-second 0-60 time is nearly a full second slower than the BMW's claim for the 528i, a car that weighs practically the same as the Lexus. Fuel economy is another head-scratcher. Lexus estimates the GS 200t F Sport returns just 20 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, three and four mpg less than the 5er. This brand-new 2.0-liter turbo is hardly more efficient than the three-year-old GS 350. The V6 model nets 19 mpg city and 28 mpg on the highway, and is 1.3 seconds quicker to 60 mph. A smaller engine almost always means sacrificing performance for economy, but based on the figures the 200t offers little reward for the slower acceleration. At least the 200t is better from behind the wheel than on paper. We weren't that impressed by the low-end grunt of Lexus' 2.0-liter turbo when we drove it in the NX, but different gearing in the GS means snappier off-the-line behavior. Once the turbo catches up you're well into the heart of the torque curve, and the GS feels quicker than a seven-second jog to 60 mph. Mid-range punch is the engine's most endearing quality. Passing moves are easy and entertaining, even when you're already traveling at or above freeway speeds. Unfortunately, the engine gasps above 4,400 rpm.