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Mazda and Lexus crowned with KBB 5-Year Cost To Own awards

We report on a lot of awards, some of which are given out based on more solid criteria than others. This one, the Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own awards, seems like one that new car shoppers should pay attention to.
The cost of a car goes far beyond what you pay for the actual metal, leather and rubber at the point of purchase. Fuel, insurance, maintenance and repair costs, and the cost of fees from the state and financing will all weigh on your wallet while you own the car. That's not even taking into account the biggest cost: depreciation, or the amount of money you lose based on what your car is worth years from now versus the day you bought it.
KBB tracks these sorts of things, and they've compiled a list of winners for 2013 models. On the brand level, Mazda and Lexus earn the 5-Year Cost to Own award for having the lowest overall projected five-year totals (though, curiously, we note that Mazda and Lexus each had only one segment winner). There are lots of winners for all the various segments, so we'll just pick out a few surprising ones to share and you can view the rest here.

Lexus still planning seven-seat crossover

In case you're thinking, "But Lexus already has a seven-seat crossover in the GX 460," that's actually a proper SUV - the body-on-frame kind with the massive footprint and floaty handling. A report in Automotive News says that Lexus is trying to figure out how to produce a true crossover with space for seven humans, with the options narrowed down to growing the RX (pictured) or sorting out a brand new model.
How badly does the brand want it? Its chief told AN that another row is first on the list of dealer requests, that the offering could be worth 35,000 more sales per year and they don't care if it eats into five-seater RX sales - "We want it." But hey, when 40 percent of monthly sales are made up of the RX, and Lexus moved more than 103,000 of them in 2013, it's understandable that the company wouldn't mind risking a small hit for the chance to increase sales by a third of their current levels.
Toyota applied to trademark the name TX and that's already been mooted in reports as a replacement for the GX, said to end its life in 2016. The latest report, however, suggests that the GX might not go away since it's "highly profitable for the automaker, even at low volumes," and that "TX coding could merely be for a seven-seat variant of the RX 350." AN also wonders if this larger hauler would stay on the recently lengthened Toyota Highlander platform, which offers meager third-row seating, or switch to the rear-wheel-drive platform used by the IS and GS for tauter responsiveness. With Lexus saying it will be at least two years before it could be brought to market, we have a while to wait yet to find out.

Lexus unveils first EV, the UX 300e

UPDATE: A Lexus spokesperson has provided Autoblog with the following statement concerning U.S. sales of the UX 300e: "The UX 300e has been designed specifically for the Chinese and European markets. The U.S. will not offer the UX 300e, however, we have committed to developing a dedicated BEV that is purpose-built to offer the benefits and features that U.S. luxury buyers demand." The original article continues below. Lexus has unveiled its first fully electric vehicle and — surprise — itÂ’s a crossover. The Lexus UX 300e is seeing its public debut in China, at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. Lexus tipped the world off to its next step in the luxury automakerÂ’s “Lexus Electrified” campaign with a trademark filing. Now it has followed through, in what appears to be a trend, as more and more automakers enter the EV arena with formats that are hot as all heck right now: crossovers. We only have a few specifications so far, but theyÂ’re interesting. The Lexus UX 300e has a 54.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that provides an estimated 248 miles of driving range based on the very generous and arguably outdated NEDC driving cycle — this would indubitably be rated much lower if tested by the EPA. The electric motor, located up front, is capable of a peak 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It has a DC fast charging capability of 50 kW, which lags behind a lot of what weÂ’re seeing nowadays (for instance, the Kia Niro EV is capable of 100 kW, and the Audi E-Tron can do 150 kW). LexusÂ’ press release doesnÂ’t specify the charging standard, but that 50-kW capacity corresponds with the current maximum speed of the CHAdeMo charging standard. The UX 300e promises a comfortable but exciting drive experience with a dual focus on NVH and driving dynamics. Drivers can control the experience with a number of driving modes, as well as paddle “shifters” that adjust the level of regen feel form the electric motor/generator. As for the sonic experience, Lexus says it has an “Active Sound Control (ASC)” feature that “transmits natural ambient sounds to allow for a greater understanding of driving conditions, and provides a natural feeling for the cabin's occupants.” We have no word on whether the UX EV will make its way to the U.S. Lexus says it will go on sale in China and Europe next year, with a Japan introduction in 2021. Again, this is just a first step, and weÂ’ll be curious to see what plans Lexus has for EVs here in the States.