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Lexus teases its fourth flagship model

Out of nowhere, Lexus has dropped a teaser for a new vehicle to be revealed very soon. And it sounds like it's not just any model addition. The company describes it in press releases as its fourth flagship and as a "one-of-a-kind." The other flagships the company refers to are the LS sedan, LC coupe and LX SUV. Unfortunately for us, it's darn difficult to tell what the teaser is of. All we can really make out are the colors of a dark bronze and piano black. There's also a silver cylinder just standing at the edge of the image. There aren't any lights or door handles or other visible vehicle parts. Still, since Lexus refers to it as a new flagship, we presume this teaser is of a new vehicle. While the brand may seem to have a full flagship lineup among the three aforementioned models, one of them is increasingly an outlier: the LX. While it is indeed a top-rung SUV, its body-on-frame construction and off-road capabilities make it less of a real on-road competitor to new flagship crossovers such as the new Audi Q8 and upcoming BMW X7. As such, we have a feeling the teaser could be to a flagship crossover, and it will probably be based on the LF-1 Limitless concept shown at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. The company has already expressed a strong desire to produce something like it. It seems like a pretty safe bet unless this all turns out to be a corny branding exercise in which Lexus launches a cologne or stereo system inspired by its flagship cars. At least we won't have long to learn what the mystery product is, since the company said more information would come 24 hours after the teaser dropped. Related Video: Image Credit: Lexus Lexus Luxury lexus lf-1 limitless

Lexus LC Coupe and Convertible add a bevy of official TRD parts

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, but that doesn’t stop the performance division from developing parts for Lexus products, too. One of those Lexus products it just released a set of performance parts for is the LC 500. The two-door coupe is our favorite Lexus for sale right now because of its excellent driving dynamics and stunning looks, so adding more performance is a good thing, right? WeÂ’ll stop short of saying itÂ’s a great thing for appearances in this particular instance. The parts shown here tend to muss up and clutter the LC's otherwise gorgeous design. That large rear wing, aero cowling above the rear seats and aero mirror cover all notch the aggressiveness up a level, but it makes the styling look a bit messier in photos. TRD does claim real performance gains from the parts, though. The modified side skirts reduce the amount of wind flowing to the rear tires, which makes the car slipperier through the air — TRD also claims a benefit in fuel economy and reduced wind noise. There are three new wheel designs, all offering a reduction in weight over the stock wheels and an improvement in rigidity. The wheels pictured on the car are the Lunanium Gun Metallic option. TRD says the giant aero cowl reduces wind noise in the cabin for the LC Convertible, and the big rear wing improves vehicle stability. Other available parts include a front spoiler (adds downforce, lowers front clearance by 30 mm), rear diffuser (adds moderate downforce, says TRD), smaller rear spoiler (improves stability at speed), and a “performance damper.” Details are short on this damper, but we can assume itÂ’s slightly stiffer than stock and could offer a noticeable handling improvement. ThereÂ’s a 3-D mini configurator you can play around with on TRDÂ’s site, too. You can only choose between the exterior color, interior color and aero cowl cover, but itÂ’s worth it to see what the mods might look like on your particular LC. Interestingly, the aero cowl sitting above the rear seats can be had in either black or white. Availability of the parts in the U.S. is still unclear, but weÂ’re reaching out to TRD and will update with any news we might hear.  Related video:

Lexus RC F police cruiser set to patrol Australia's highways

Planning a trip down to Australia? Better keep an eye on the speedometer. Because with this latest set of wheels, the local cops should have little trouble chasing you down. It's a Lexus RC F coupe that's been specially outfitted to join the police motor pool in the southern region of New South Wales. Details on how it's set up for official duty are scarce, but as you can see, it features special graphics as well as flashing lights on the dashboard and rear shelf. There's probably special communications equipment installed as well, but we doubt the Aussie bobbies will be trying to squeeze any perps into the back seat. The Japanese performance coupe is slated for use in a number of applications, one of them being to promote road safety. We're not sure how a 467-horsepower V8 luxury coupe gets that message across, exactly. But even though it's not quite as impressive as what they've added to the fleet in Dubai, the RC F ought to garner some attention at events like the Bathurst Six Hour race and the MS Sydney to the Gong bike ride where it'll be on display. And just in case it's put on highway patrol, we'd suggest locals and visitors exorcise their speed demons on the Stuart Highway up north and keep their right feet light on the streets in NSW. Related Video: