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Toyota, Lexus to build more CUVs to meet surging demand

What was the biggest takeaway from the auto industry's 2014? Besides the fact that recalls are now a sad and mostly unremarkable part of a vehicle's life, it's that you can't be a competitive, mainstream brand in the US without a really strong line of crossovers, SUVs or pickups. We saw evidence of this as recently as Monday, when Hyundai unveiled its HCD-15 Santa Cruz Concept, and now we're seeing it again with Toyota. The company already has a comprehensive lineup of both mainstream and luxury CUVs and SUVs, although surging demand – sales were up 16 percent last year, Bloomberg reports – has led the company to increase its production tempo at the plants responsible for the RAV4 and Lexus RX. "The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016," Toyota's Jim Lentz told Bloomberg during this week's Detroit Auto Show, referencing the production bump at the Japanese and Canadian factories responsible for the models. "That hasn't changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted." The increased sales are even spurring the brand to consider additional CUVs, including a compact that would slot in below the RAV4, Lentz told the business publication. Such a move would give Toyota a player in an increasingly competitive and important segment. In 2014 alone, mainstream brands, including Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Jeep, have announced brand new products destined for the compact CUV market. "We're going to have to look at how the market under RAV4 develops," Lentz told Bloomberg. "There's no question that it's going to. That's going to be the next growth spurt." Related Video:

Lexus LF-1 Limitless luxury crossover concept is an intergalactic flagship

A dressed-up Land Cruiser it is not. As most every manufacturer making cars in 2020 will be offering crossovers in varying sizes, Lexus has unveiled its new LF-1 Limitless concept, which has been penned at Toyota's Calty Design Research in Southern California. The vehicle is billed as a "flagship crossover," meaning it slots above the RX and offers more flair than the more truck-like GX and LX models. If the design of the concept seems sharp, it's at least in part due to the design approach Lexus calls "molten katana" — with the appearance of a Japanese sword in automotive form. The spindle grille that's been the centerpiece of recent Lexus front ends is now a three-dimensional design, which appears to mimic a "Star Wars" ship's shift into hyperspace, eschewing surrounding chrome in favor of LED lighting. The concept detailing includes slightly Tesla–like door handles, which reveal a Lexus logo in the negative space, and a roof spoiler split in the middle. Door mirrors have been shaved off, with the rear view delivered into screens around the instrument cluster, where they resemble motorcycle mirrors. The feel of hyperspace continues inside, with the perforated door trim allowing lighting through like a starry sky. There are four matching, individual white leather seats under the moonroof, and there's a dedicated light show on offer at the press of the start button, depending of the function mode selected. Most analog switches have been replaced by haptic controls grouped around the driver, or fitted in the steering wheel; all powertrain controls are either in the wheel or in the steering column. By "Limitless," Lexus appears to refer to the choice of propulsion. Reading between the lines, there doesn't seem to be a set powerplant for the vehicle, as by 2025 all Lexus model lines will be electrified in some fashion, and the production version could be a fuel-cell vehicle, a PHEV, all-electric, or gasoline-powered. There's also a hands-free driver assist level Lexus calls "Chauffeur mode." In addition, there's a fourth dimension to the concept's navigation system — time. The setup reads traffic information, anticipating possible stops on the way. The idea, according to Lexus, is that the navigation system should feel like a concierge, a virtual assistant instead of just a map screen.

Lexus RC F GT3 Racing Concept is green-flag ready

Lexus is hardly the first brand that comes to mind when comes to motorsports. In fact, it's not even the first Japanese brand. But Toyota's premium marque is showing new signs of understanding that it will need to at least pay racing further lip service if it wants to be viewed as a more emotionally connected brand with the wherewithal to challenge the Germans on every level.
Lexus has already made it clear it wants to race its RC F coupe, and at least philosophically, the new model certainly strikes us as a more appropriate racecar conversion than the SC 430 that preceded it. This just-unveiled RC F GT3 Racing Concept looks properly menacing sitting on the carpet at the Geneva Motor Show, and it while it's officially labeled as a concept, it's a model Lexus promises will be made available to racing teams in 2015.
Designed run in Group GT3 events, this 2,756-pound coupe has a front-mounted V8 derived from the production RC F tuned to deliver over 540 horsepower. Lexus' plan is to commit to a season's worth of testing this year before building them to order, and we expect to see them in the Japan's Super GT and Super Taikyu Endurance series, along with endurance events like the 24 hours of Nürburgring.