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2018 Lexus LC 500 Prototype First Drive

Chief executives aren't normally as candid as Akio Toyoda was last week. At the launch of hot new Lexus LC 500 coupe at the Detroit Auto Show, the chief executive of Lexus and Toyota and grandson of the company's founder, said that he'd received letters telling him that his Lexus luxury brand cars were dull and boring and that he agreed. "I took them to heart," said this tiny and forceful boss, "and I'm ensuring that the word 'boring' and 'Lexus' will never occupy the same sentence ever again." But boring has been an ongoing problem for Lexus. And for the last year I've been involved in trying to help solve it. Let me explain. Akio has made his extraordinary "Lexus is Boring" speech before. That was five years ago on the windswept golf courses at the Pebble-Beach Concourse d'Elegance at the launch of the fourth-generation GS sedan. With its new-look spindle grille, basking-shark air intakes, and razor-edged curves, GS was the first of the new-look Lexus models, but Akio still wasn't happy. In 2011, after 11 consecutive years of premium market leadership in America, Lexus had lost it to the Germans. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi didn't just build better looking cars, but more interesting and more fun-to-drive cars. "We're not just making a coupe, we're creating a new generation of Lexus." Lexus' shtick of reliability, immaculate-quality, hybrid gas-efficiency, golf-bag trunk optimization, and specification-adjusted value didn't cut it anymore. Akio, a keen race driver and petrolhead enthusiast, knew his cars needed a dynamic shot in the arm and a smoldering love affair with right-brain desirability. In short, he wanted Lexus engineers to build a car to bring a smile to drivers' faces. A tall order, then. And one which Koji Sato, deputy chief engineer on the LC had to consider carefully. As he says: "Akio's Pebble Beach speech was the starting point; we're not just making a coupe, we're creating a new generation of Lexus." With such a brief, and Akio's legendary peppery opinions in mind, Sato came up with a radical idea. Reckoning that sometime in-house teams can look so much in-house that they become blinkered, he decided he needed to open things up and recruit a team of outsiders. So, for the last year I, along with a small team of hand-picked journalists, race drivers, and keen-driving dealers, have been part of Sato-san's 'irregular army'. Why me? It's a good question.

Toyota recalling 20k 2014 and 2015 cars and CUVs with 3.5L engines

Toyota has announced a recall of roughly 20,000 vehicles covering the 2014 Avalon, Camry, Highlander (pictured) and Sienna, as well as the 2015 Lexus RX luxury crossover. The affected vehicles are all powered the 2GR-FE engine, which in layman's terms, is Toyota's well-regarded 3.5-liter V6.
According to Toyota's statement, a parts supplier might not have welded "the end cap on the right-hand fuel delivery pipe in the engine compartment" correctly, meaning fuel could leak. Leaking fuel, of course, increases the chance of an engine fire. That said, no fires, crashes or injuries have been reported due to the issue.
Owners will be notified to report to dealers, where techs will check the fuel delivery pipe and fit a replacement part as necessary.

Toyota amalgamates motorsports divisions under Gazoo Racing

Toyota has more racing divisions than we could wave a checkered flag at, with the company's various motorsport activities all coordinated by different operations. But the Japanese industrial giant is now bringing most (if not all) of them under one roof. From here on in, any racing that was done under the Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing or Gazoo Racing banners will now be united under the latter. That includes the LFAs it races around the Nurburgring, the TS040 Hybrid it fields at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship, the Yaris it will soon throw at the World Rally Championship, the Lexus racers that compete in the Super GT championship back in Japan... the works. The move does not appear to affect Toyota Racing Development, the automaker's American arm that handles its NASCAR racing activities, but from here on out, any Toyota or Lexus you see racing on most anything but a speedway will be competing under Gazoo Racing. The move appears to be more than symbolic and semantic, putting its racing vehicle development, technical support and marketing activities in the hands of the new Motor Sports Group. In announcing the consolidation, Toyota highlights in particular the benefit its various racing programs bring to its talent pool, if not the direct effect they have on the company's vehicles themselves. Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing Unite Under GAZOO Racing Toyota City, Japan, April 9, 2015-Starting April 11, Toyota will unite all motorsports activities under GAZOO Racing. The move will clarify the role of Toyota's motorsports in its efforts to make ever-better cars and foster new generations of car enthusiasts. Until now, Toyota has participated in competitions around the world-including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Super GT in Japan, and the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race-through the separate Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing teams. Of those, GAZOO Racing in particular was created to expand the role of promoting motorsports beyond that of traditional automakers, and carry out grassroots activities aimed at creating new and ever-growing generations of car enthusiasts. Concerning today's announcement, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: "Our founder Kiichiro Toyoda once said that motorsports are vital to the evolution of car making and the entire auto industry.