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This LED-covered Lexus IS doubles as a display

Why would you put 41,999 LEDs on a 2017 Lexus IS sedan? Well, for starters, because you don't have 42,000 LEDs available, but also to get attention. This car was built as a mobile programmable screen to be featured in a music video by Dua Lipa. (No, we hadn't heard of her either, but that's cool.) It's called the LIT IS, because, well, you know, and it is featured in Dua Lipa's new music video for "Be the One." Lexus says it used a mile of wire to connect all of those light sources (how much must that weigh?) and that together they put out 175,000 lumens, or about the amount of light emitted by 100 100-Watt bulbs. They're even stuck inside the spindle grille. It sort of reminds of the Swarovski crystal headlight option on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe, only if the entire car were a headlight. And the headlight could change color. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. You can see the lighting system in action in the promotional video above. And in the vein of of one-off Lexus IS sedans, don't forget about the Sriracha IS that was shown at the LA auto show. For some reason. Apparently Lexus wants us to pay attention to this car. Related Video: Auto News Celebrities Design/Style Lexus Luxury Sedan lexus is

Toyota will race C-HR CUV in 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hours

There won't just be traditional racecars competing in the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hours; Toyota Gazoo Racing will take the bizarre route of prepping the C-HR crossover for the grueling event. The squad will enter more conventional machines, too, including a Lexus RC and RC F for the race that will run from May 26-29. Details about the C-HR Racing are scant at the moment. "We decided to take on the new challenge of creating ever-better cars using a crossover rather than a pure sports car," the company's announcement said. It makes no mention of the vehicle's specs, but the included photo show the CUV with a more aggressive front fascia, vents along the hood, and a big wing at the rear. The driver lineup includes Masahiko Kageyama, Kumi Sato, and another person to be announced later. Toyota will reportedly introduce the production version of the C-HR at the Geneva Motor Show, and the final one will allegedly carry over the current rakish shape and hybrid powertrain. The company also showed it with Scion badging at the 2015 LA Auto Show to suggest a likely arrival in the US. This year will mark a decade of Gazoo Racing's competition in the 24 Hours of the 'Ring. The squad notably raced the LFA there for several years, but it showed a willingness to bring weirder vehicles too like a Lexus CT 200h in 2011. Nothing has been quite as odd as racing a crossover there, though. Toyota GAZOO Racing Celebrates Decade of Participation in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring with Triple Entry for 2016 Race Toyota City, Japan, January 15, 2016-Toyota GAZOO Racing announces the entry of three vehicles-a Toyota C-HR Racing*, a Lexus RC, and a Lexus RC F-in the 44th 24 Hours of Nurburgring endurance race to be held in Germany from May 26 to 29, 2016. The 24 Hours of Nurburgring plays an important role in Toyota's motorsports activities for building ever-better human resources and vehicles under intense racing conditions. Beginning in 2007, the 2016 event marks the 10th year of Toyota's participation in the race under the banner of GAZOO racing. When asked to look back over the last ten years, team representative Akio Toyoda said, "I remember GAZOO Racing first taking on the challenge of the Nurburgring in 2007 in an Altezza like it was yesterday. There are so many memories running through my mind–the interaction with the roads of the Nurburgring, whose characteristics seem to change with each shift in the weather, the meeting and parting with new and valuable friends.

2021 Lexus IS makeover will reportedly include V8 model

Come next year, things may get interesting for the Lexus IS, a car that currently is not the first to jump to mind when one thinks of compact, rear-wheel-drive sports sedans. The IS is rumored to be getting a major makeover for 2021, the most notable element of which is said to be the arrival of a V8-powered version. Don't call it an IS F, however; the model instead will be known as the IS 500. None of the above is official — the source of the V8 rumor is an Instagram post from allcarsnews, as surfaced by thedrive.com. As has been previously reported, the IS is going in for a major makeover for 2021, one that this outlet characterizes as being less than a complete redesign. It will, however, bring revised sheetmetal mirroring the look of the Lexus LS as well as a new interior. While the current engine lineup is said to carry over, this report says it will be joined by the brand's naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8. That engine powered the IS F, which was dropped after the 2014 model year, but in the 2021 car it, strangely, will be sold as the IS 500. That's the rumor, anyway. In the IS F, Toyota's 5.0-liter V8 made 416 horsepower and 371 lb-ft of torque. Currently, in the RC F coupe, it's putting out 472 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. The IS 500 and its V8 would join an IS engine lineup that consists of a 2.0-liter turbo four with 241 horsepower and a 260-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the IS 300, plus a 311-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the IS 350. Today's sportiest variant is the IS 350 F-Sport Blackline Edition (pictured). If true, this could be a brief last hurrah for Toyota's 5.0L V8. Previous reports have claimed that by 2022, Toyota and Lexus plan to eliminate V8s from any vehicle costing less than $90k, and as part of that move, Toyota will drop its 5.7-liter truck engine as well. Related video: