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Lexus to offer no-haggle policy at dealers

The automotive world hasn't seen no-haggle pricing in the US since Saturn collapsed in 2009, but Lexus is about to bring it back. The idea originated in company discussions with dealers two years ago, with dealers saying that a segment of potential buyers didn't enjoy negotiating a price. In order to find out how firm pricing will alter the landscape, 12 Lexus dealers will begin the pilot project at the beginning of 2016. That means new and used cars, parts, and service will come with fixed prices, according to the Detroit Free Press. Jeff Bracken, general manager of the Lexus brand, held up a Phoenix Toyota dealer as a success story, noting that the dealer's no-haggle strategy has worked for 12 years. Outside consultants will train employees at the selected outlets, and its effectiveness will be examined nearly every week. Prices can be changed, "but the expectation is that they remain unchanged for months at a time," and any incentives can still be deducted from that set price. The key to getting usable results - whether the program sticks around or not - is that those 12 dealers have to accept that some customers are going to walk out the door if they can't get the deal they want. Bracken said he expects sales and market share to decline some once the project begins, but only for a few months. After customers get accustomed to it, Bracken said he expects the initiative to be a success and expand to other company dealerships in 2017, even if not all Lexus dealers sign on. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Mike Windle/Getty Images for Pandora Media, Inc. Lexus Car Buying Car Dealers Used Car Buying Luxury

2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance brings back the V8

The 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance revives the dormant IS F formula, bringing V8 power back to the compact luxury Japanese sport sedan for the first time since 2014 and confirming rumors of a new series of V8-powered performance (small p) cars from Lexus. Very little surprises us these days, especially in the luxury segment, but if you'd told us a month ago that we'd be confirming a V8-powered Lexus IS and a new, all-four-cylinder lineup for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in the same week, we'd have called you crazy. Parent company Toyota's presence in Texas may have rubbed off on Lexus, though, because after a years-long hiatus, the V8-powered IS sedan returns. That's right. A V8. In a brand-new compact sport sedan. In 2021.  The new sport sedan will pack a 472-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 with 395 pound-feet of torque, making it the spiritual successor to the discontinued Lexus IS F. For those keeping track at home, yes, that's the same V8 Lexus has utilized elsewhere in recent years. It currently powers the RC F coupe and, until last year, was also found under the hood of the larger GS F sedan. Like the BMW M3 it matches for power, the Lexus will come standard with rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential, making it a true performance machine. Power will go to the rear end by way of the same eight-speed automatic Lexus uses elsewhere as well. Sorry, folks, there's no stick, but hey, the IS F didn't have one either, so let's not get too picky. The original IS F also offered just 416 horsepower and 371 lb.-ft. of torque, so remember, this is all upside here. The original also launched without the LSD, if you'll remember; that came later.  2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance View 26 Photos The other significant edge the IS 500 F Sport Performance will have over its two-generations-removed predecessor will be the benefit of almost a decade's worth of interior development. While the IS platform was not significantly overhauled for the 2021 "re-imagining" (as Lexus puts it; we prefer the term "remodel"), the interior was, and the IS 500 F Sport Performance will benefit from all of the base sedan's upgrades, including a thoroughly overhauled infotainment system, which is night-and-day better than what was offered previously.

Lexus LFA II could get TTV8 from LC500 endurance racer

We are thought to be three years away from the successor of the Lexus LFA arriving in showrooms. We are thought to be less than a month from the debut of a pre-production version of Lexus' coming supercar, which could take place at next month's Monterey Car Week. Persistent reports say Lexus is preparing two versions, one with a hybridized twin-turbo V8, one with a battery-electric powertrain; the former is thought to be the one on show in California in August, the latter not ready for primetime until around 2030. One of the many questions has been, "Where is that V8 coming from?" CarBuzz had its feelers out in Japan, picking up a report from Japan's Mag-X (translated) that Lexus will use the 5.0-liter TTV8 in the LC500 endurance racer for the super coupe being referred to as LFA II. This particular engine has been a specter, rumored for ages to make production but never seen. Way back in 2014, rumors that were already a year old posited a trio of engine options for the coupe still known as the LF-LC concept. Paramount among the powerplants was a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 with around 600 horsepower. The scuttlebutt continued even after the LC launched in 2016, we saw no truth of it on the street. Even when Lexus launched an endurance racing program with the LC500 in 2018, no one knew what was under the hood. It wasn't until a year later that the brand officially announced the TTV8 engine with a release that included one aim being "to complete the [Nurburgring 24-hour] race without any trouble by adopting a variety of new technologies, including a newly-developed V8 twin-turbo engine destined for use on future road cars such as sports cars." At the time, almost everyone expected the "sports cars" reference to indicate the coming of an LC F.  That could still be the case. But Mag-X says the racing engine will be used in the LFA II.