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TMG still developing Lexus LS Sports 650 [w/video]

If you're going to make a super sedan, you'd better do it in Germany. That's where Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz do it, along with third parties like Alpina, Brabus and G-Power, among others. Deutschland is the epicenter of the movement, regularly churning out the most powerful four-door rockets in the world. It's also where one of the racing divisions for Toyota has been hard at work on the TMG Sports 650.
Toyota Motorsport GmbH started with a Lexus LS and turned it into a 641-horsepower, twin-turbocharged super sedan it revealed late last year at the Essen Motor Show. But though we haven't heard much about it since then, the team behind Toyota's F1 and Le Mans efforts are apparently still hard at work on the project.
Speaking with Lexus' own UK blog, TMG chief Alastair Moffitt revealed that the project started way back in 2010, shortly after Toyota shut down its F1 program and left the racing team with nothing to do. The 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 was initially producing as much as 800 horsepower, but has since been refined to 650 so that it could theoretically be put into production and onto the road.

Genesis wins J.D. Power Tech Experience Study for third straight time

The results are out for the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study, which "focuses on the user experience with advanced vehicle technology as it first comes to market and is an early measure of problems encountered by vehicle owners." Its measurement metric is problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), same as with the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The takeaway this year isn't that owners aren't using advanced technologies, as was the case with the 2022 study, or that they're having more problems with them overall. It's that owners of battery-electric vehicles are having more problems with advanced tech than owners of ICE-powered vehicles. According to the study, 17 of 21 features that can be had on both propulsion types — such as remote parking assistance and gesture controls — get lower satisfaction ratings by owners of BEVs, in some cases nearly 20 PP100.  The survey organization says this tracks with what its found in the IQS, where total vehicle problems were "46% higher among BEVs (excluding Tesla) than ICE vehicles and satisfaction is lower among owners of BEVs across nine of 10 APEAL categories than among owners of ICE vehicles." Findings regarding biometric measurements are among those that go against the overall study findings. Whether a fingerprint reader or an eye tracker, car owners in general said "they do not consider them to be useful." In terms of ease-of-use and satisfaction, plug-and-charge capability on EVs gets good marks. This allows EV owners to plug into a public charger and have payment taken care of automatically; the vehicle communicates with any charging station compatible with an automaker's plug-and-play system, so the vehicle can automatically submit a bill for the charging session to a central owner account with no further action needed at the station. Survey respondents noted a mere 6 PP100 and an 88.9% satisfaction.    Among manufacturers, repeat winners took the top prizes. Genesis earned the highest rank for innovation overall and among premium brands for the third straight year. Hyundai not only won the tech innovation banner for mass market brands for the fourth straight year, ahead of Kia, GMC, Ram and Subaru, Hyundai finished in second in the overall standings. On that overall chart, the top five are Genesis, Hyundai, Cadillac, Lexus and BMW. On the premium chart, Genesis is followed by Cadillac, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the top five. It wasn't close from the first to the rest, though.

2022 Lexus RX L Black Line special edition darkens the three-row RX

The march of Black Line models continues for Lexus’ lineup. This time, itÂ’s the 2022 Lexus RX L Black Line special edition. It joins previous Black Line models from the NX, UX, GS, IS and ES. Yes, the Black Line special edition treatment has graced a massive chunk of the Lexus lineup already. Similar to past models, the RX LÂ’s Black Line package is all about aesthetics and exclusivity. Only 495 will be made in total. Lexus says that 389 will be of the 350L and 106 will be of the 450hL All Black Lines will have a blacked-out grille, black mirrors, black rear lower bumper and black badging. TheyÂ’ll also be fitted with unique 20-inch black wheels and black lug nuts. The standard exterior paint option will be a new-for-2022 Cloudburst Gray, but you can optionally have Eminent White Pearl to contrast all the black trim. The Black LineÂ’s interior includes black leather seats with blue stitching in the first two rows. Lexus doesnÂ’t specify what kind of treatment the third row receives, but itÂ’s likely less exciting than the first two. This blue stitching extends to the center console, gear lever, steering wheel and instrument panel. Your interior trim is done in black open-pore wood trim that looks rather nice in LexusÂ’ photos. Finally, Lexus finishes it off with special black floor mats and key gloves. Pricing for the 350L version begins at $53,055, and the 450hL at $56,315. Lexus says the Black Line models will hit dealerships at the end of July. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.