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Award-winning Lexus Sport Yacht to get a production successor

Imagine driving along a coastal road in the evening sun, listening to Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald or some other very smooth singer usually associated with the tag "Yacht Rock". Perhaps a Lexus coupe could very well suit that soft rock mental imagery, with "Sailing" playing from its Mark Levinson audio as you cruise down the road in a laid-back fashion. But you could in fact be sailing in a Lexus-branded boat, too. Revealed a year ago, the Lexus Sport Yacht isn't just a badge-engineering job: it was created by Lexus Design, engineered by Toyota's Marine Division and built by the Wisconsin-based boat manufacturer Marquis-Larson Boat Group. The one existing example has just now been honored at the Yokohama International Boat Show, by Japan's Boat of the Year committee. As Toyota's Executive Vice President Shigeki Tomoyama accepted the award, he also announced production plans for a globally sold Lexus Yacht. "Based on our amazing experiences in engineering, building, testing and showing the Lexus Sport Yacht concept last year, we've decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new larger yacht that builds on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more comfort and living space," Tomoyama said. "We plan to start sales in the U.S. in the latter half of 2019, with sales in Japan following in the spring of 2020." The new, 65-foot yacht will be built in partnership with Marquis-Larson, and more details of it will be revealed later. Related Video:

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

Lexus considers additional powertrains for the F Performance brand

As the European hardcore competition integrates small-displacement engines and hybrids ( Mercedes-AMG), as well as pure electrification ( Polestar), Lexus' F Performance brand sticks to eight-cylinder guns. The IS F, RC F, and GS F all use the same 5.0-liter V8, the brand's hallmark all the way back to the 2007 IS F. Things could be changing, though, to hear Lexus president Yoshihiro Sawa tell it during his first visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He told Auto Express that "we cannot stick to the one solution when it comes to providing emotion." It sounds like a hybrid has the best chance of reality in the near-term. In April, Lexus said several powertrain options are "all on the table" for the primary brand, and we know Lexus is working on a more powerful hybrid system. Sawa broached the unexpected idea of "a pure F GT car, which could be a hybrid with an electric motor and a strong engine." Mention of a "pure F GT" has us wondering if Sawa means a version of the rumored LC F, or another vehicle above or beside that LC F. A trademark filing and heaps of rumor posit the LC F will have a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 pushing 600 horsepower or more. It's also possible Lexus plans to do something with the anticipated Gazoo Racing road-going supercar that reworks the hybrid powertrain from Toyota's LMP1 race car. An electric vehicle is under consideration as the F Performance brand works to "think of our own original way," and Lexus itself tries "to find a way to connect to the next era." Sawa knows performance buyers seek the feel and sound of an ICE, but says "we cannot stick to the one solution when it comes to providing emotion." The subcompact Lexus UX crossover will be half-electrified when it arrives later this year, one of its powertrains putting electric motors on the rear axle. The brand boss said "We will introduce an EV," but whatever they create needs to be both "lovable" and "have a luxury feeling," the former adjective leading us to believe the F sub-brand won't be going down that avenue just yet. The only reasonable candidate we've heard of so far as a battery electric version is the next-generation CT in Europe. Speaking of the CT, the compact hatchback has brought new buyers to the brand with a 70 to 75 percent conquest rate. Sawa said the spindle grille has done the same; sales have grown since the introduction of the polarizing face, so don't expect it to go away.