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How Lexus, Infiniti plan to win back luxury buyers from Germans, Tesla

DETROIT — Japanese luxury auto brands Lexus and Infiniti have used the Detroit Auto Show to test new ways to regain momentum against Germany's prestige automakers and Tesla. The Japanese are fighting to gain ground in the U.S. luxury market as Audi and Mercedes-Benz have expanded sales and Tesla has provided a fresh alternative to established brands. Last year, Lexus suffered a 7.6 percent slide in U.S. sales. Acura's 2017 sales fell 3.9 percent from 2016. Infiniti pushed up sales by 11.3 percent — but by selling almost twice as many sport utility vehicles as cars. However, Infiniti's total 2017 sales of 153,415 vehicles put it behind the leading Germany luxury car brands, as well as Acura, Lexus and Cadillac. The Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept SUV model, with its futuristic looks and "Chauffeur mode" semi-autonomous hands-off driving capabilities, signals that Toyota's luxury brand may start to focus more on SUVs than traditional large sedans. The LF-1 also previews a futuristic navigation technology that anticipates where the driver is going based on driving habits and history, and provides hotel recommendations or other concierge services. View 13 Photos "We don't want to be the 'race car' brand; we don't want to be the 'quiet ride' brand. We want to be the brand which is emotionally connected with the customer," said Cooper Ericksen, vice president of U.S. marketing for Lexus. Lexus, Infiniti and Acura launched in the U.S. market in the late 1980s and took advantage of quality problems at Audi and a lack of innovation at the then-leading luxury brands, Cadillac and Lincoln. Now, the structure of the U.S. luxury market has changed. Four brands — Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus — dominate. Tesla delivered 103,000 vehicles in 2017, its best year ever, though that total is still a small fraction of the overall luxury market. Tesla, meanwhile, is trying to overcome "production hell" and increase output of its more affordable compact Model 3 sedan. The highly anticipated car is just starting to reach customers — but with 400,000 preorders, 2018 could be a breakthrough year for Tesla. View 19 Photos In Detroit, Infiniti showed the Q Inspiration Concept sedan powered by a unique, high-efficiency variable-compression gasoline engine. While the prototype is not electric, its exterior might appeal to customers of the Tesla Model S.

2020 Lexus RX and RXL get refined front face, new tech

Lexus is updating its RX and RXL lineup of luxury crossovers for 2020 with tweaks to its steering and driving dynamics, interior and exterior, new Android Auto integration and standard Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 technology. The changes also boost the RX 350 starting price to $45,175, including a $1,025 destination charge. On the outside, Lexus changed the look of the front by updating the spindle grille, which had previously featured horizontal slats, and adding more prominent surrounds to the fog lights that echo the grille. Also echoed are the hand-drawn angles of the grille surround at each corner of the bumper to harmonize the visual flow. Lexus says the RX line is its first to get Android Auto integration, joining the existing Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility. The touchscreen — both the standard 8-inch display and available 12.3-inch split-screen version — has moved almost 5.5 inches closer to the driver and now offers control over both audio and climate systems, plus display for the rearview camera when backing up. There are also two new USB ports, bringing the total to six, plus a new designated mobile phone storage area near the front of the center console. If you opt for the 12.3-inch display, you get dynamic voice command, which Lexus says is capable of recognizing millions more phrases, is more accurate and offers expanded points of interest searches than its conventional voice-recognition systems. And finally, you get a three-year trial with Lexus Enform Remote to remotely start the car from your smartphone. Lexus is also adding its Safety System+ 2.0 as standard across the lineup, which adds daytime bicyclist detection and low-light pedestrian detection, plus road-sign assist and lane-tracing assist, which works in conjunction with dynamic radar cruise control. On the driving side, Lexus added hollow front and rear stabilizer bars to reduce weight, but theyÂ’re thicker in diameter and feature reinforced bushings to help reduce body roll and improve response on steering. The shock absorbers were re-turned to work with the stiffer roll bars, and there are upgraded dampers with a new friction control device to better control high-frequency vibrations and smooth out the ride. Further refining the ride is a stiffer suspension design, to reduce noise and vibration from the road, and added active corner braking to help prevent understeering by braking the inner wheel and providing more stability to the vehicleÂ’s handling.

New Toyota Supra may get a twin-turbo Lexus V6

We've heard endless rumors that a successor to the much loved and much missed Toyota Supra is in the works. Toyota hasn't done much to deny these conversations. On the contrary, the FT-1 concept from two years ago and the partnership with BMW have only fueled the fire. Now, talk of a new Lexus engine has led to speculation about the supposed Supra's powertrain. To be clear, this is mostly heresay. Few things have actually been confirmed, but based on what we know a few conclusions can be drawn. We know that BMW and Toyota are working on a joint product. We've seen mules testing out in the wild. In BMW guise, the possibly Austrian-built car will more than likely powered by turbocharged inline four and six-cylinder engines. Unless Toyota wants to use Bimmer power, they'll need to shoehorn one of their own under the hood. That leads us to this rumor of a twin-turbocharged V6 that will presumably power the new Lexus GS and LS. Japanese automotive publication Mag-X first reported on this engine. It was then picked up by YouWheel and Car Keys. Mag-X cites Toyota insiders and even gives an engine code, 943F. This engine allegedly will make more than 400 horsepower and more than 300 lb-ft of torque. While unconfirmed, this makes sense for Lexus. Nearly every luxury competitor has a six-cylinder engine with forced induction. While Toyota has previously had turbocharged inline-sixes, they've never produced a factory turbo V6. Every automaker is downsizing engines in an effort to meet fuel economy and emissions regulations. Toyota and Lexus will follow suit. Taking that V6 and tuning it for a performance application is a solid, if unverified, possibility. Related Video: