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Lexus back in luxury sales race after three-year absence

Think the only challengers for the title of best-selling luxury brand hail from der Vaterland? Wrong. Lexus outsold the likes of Mercedes-Benz for the second time in 2014 last month. In fact, the Japanese luxury marque's total sales this year are a mere 12,000 units behind BMW.
Lexus was able to move 26,921 vehicles last month, a year-over-year increase of 21.1 percent, respectively. Mercedes, meanwhile, was just barely beaten, moving 26,617 units in April. The difference, though, is that Lexus has made far bigger year-over-year gains than Mercedes, which recorded a YOY increase of just 4.13 percent.
This is particularly troubling for the Germans, as it marks a return to form for Lexus that we haven't seen since before the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that decimated Japan. Prior to that natural disaster, Lexus enjoyed nearly a dozen years at the top of the luxury heap.

Lexus readying hot IS F Coupe

The 2014 Lexus IS sedan has been turning heads and dividing public opinion since we first drove it. Then, as now, we knew that a revamped IS F would be in the offing at some point, but until today we had know idea what form the Lexus would take.
Our first ever batch of 2015 Lexus IS F spy shots has just come across the transom, and the camouflaged coupe - that's right, there are just two doors this time out - is awfully intriguing at first glance. A much more aggressive front end is prominent, as is the slinky roofline that finishes in a pert rear end. The signature IS grille is still in effect here, at least in terms of the shape, and while the headlamps are covered up, we'd expect some variation of the slash-like units on the 2014 IS.
Hinting at the car's performance intentions are large slotted brake rotors with significantly sized calipers, all tucked in behind dark-finish wheels. Quad exhaust tips and a retractable spoiler can be seen at the back of the car.

2016 Lexus GS F revealed ahead of Detroit debut

The last time we heard about Lexus' new Detroit Auto Show-bound performance car debut, all signs pointed to GS F. Now, the cat's out of the bag, and we've got the first official images and details of the Japanese automaker's latest performance sedan, and honestly, it's exactly what you'd expect – though that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Power comes from the automaker's 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 – the same eight-pot that powers the RC F – good for 467 horsepower at 7,100 rpm and 389 pound-feet of torque that comes on strong between 4,800 and 5,600 rpm. That force is sent to the rear wheels via Lexus' eight-speed automatic transmission. In order to make this F a significantly better-handling vehicle than the standard GS, Lexus is fitting its Torque Vectoring Differential from the RC F, which uses three modes – Standard, Slalom, and Track – to alter torque delivery to better suit different driving dynamics. Lexus has released a few preliminary specifications about the GS F, so we know the sedan tips the scales at 4,034 pounds and will ride on 19-inch wheels with 255/35-series tires up front, and 275/35 rubber out back. This all sounds pretty good, but we can't help feel a wee bit disappointed, especially considering the numbers being thrown down by competitors like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, not to mention the new 640-hp, 200-mph Cadillac CTS-V that'll also debut at next week's Detroit show. Still, if the Lexus RC F is any indication of the brand's future performance offerings, we don't doubt the GS F will, at the very least, be a super fun car to toss around. Stay tuned for the GS F's official unveiling, next week.