1996 Lexus Ls400 Base Sedan 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Growing demand could bring more body-on-frame off-roaders to the Lexus range

Car-based crossovers are outselling truck-derived SUVs by a wide margin, but Lexus still sees a strong demand for models that offer true off-road capability. It hinted that it could soon increase its presence in this segment. Toyota's luxury division entered 2021 with two body-on-frame SUVs in its range: the Land Cruiser-based LX (pictured) and the smaller, more affordable GX. Neither is a high-volume model, but both fared shockingly well in 2020. LX sales in the United States fell by 4.4% to 4,512 units, which is a great result in a year when double-digit declines were common, and GX sales increased by 9.9% to 28,519 units. Clearly, off-roaders are in demand. "What we have seen at Toyota is that there's so much of an appetite for [off-roading] that I see that [moving into] the Lexus brand as well. There is an appetite, a customer desire, a customer push to see all brands giving them more options. I think it would be silly for Lexus not to travel down that path," explained Jack Hollis, the head of automotive operations for Toyota's North American division, in an interview with Automotive News. He added that his team has identified a "white space" in the Lexus range that could be filled with an additional body-on-frame off-roader. He didn't reveal precisely what he has in mind, but there are a few possibilities we can rule out. We know Toyota is wrapping up the development of the next-generation Land Cruiser, even if the SUV might not be sold in America, and seeing a next-generation LX seems like a given, but we don't think that's what Hollis was referring to. Moving into the space above the LX with an even bigger truck is highly unlikely. Similarly, the idea of a Lexus-badged SUV aimed at the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco is neat but unrealistic. Ford's hotly-anticipated born-again off-roader has captured the attention of executives, however. "Holy cow! They sold out that thing, and I think there's a strong market out there for authentic off-road chops and credibility. We're seeing that with [the Toyota] 4Runner as well. I don't think it's any secret that [the 4Runner] is not all that new, but it continues to set records, and it continues to grow volume," pointed out Lexus brand head Andrew Gilleland in a separate interview with Automotive News. Could we see a Lexus-specific version of the 4Runner? We certainly wouldn't rule it out, especially because making an upmarket variant of the SUV would help Toyota leverage the benefits of economies of scale.

Lexus IS F avoids cancellation, priced from $63,350*

Ever since the redesigned Lexus IS hit the scene, we've been wondering about the 416-horsepower IS F model, and now we finally have some answers. For 2014, the IS F carries over with the previous bodystyle, and Lexus gives its sport sedan some small changes to go with a higher starting price of $63,350 (*not including $910 for destination) when it goes on sale in October. Compared to the 2013 model (shown above), the price has risen by $1,600.
For that extra money, buyers will get a couple styling changes like the new carbon fiber decklid spoiler and LED fog lights, as well as some minor interior updates like headrests embossed with the "F" logo, Alcantara trim added to the door panels and center console cover, semi-aniline leather replacing the black leather and black Alcantara seat-inserts added to cars equipped with the red leather seats.
The price hike for the IS F is considerably higher than the rest of the 2014 IS lineup such as the $885 increase for the new IS250 and the $855 drop for the IS350 while pricing for both IS Convertible models (IS250C and IS350C) went up by $100 each. Speaking of price increases, Lexus has also increased its destination charge slightly from $895 up to $910.

Toyota's fuel pump recall now covers nearly 6 million vehicles globally

Toyota expanded a worldwide fuel pump recall to a total of 5.84 million vehicles for a defect that could cause the part to fail. In the United States, the total number of vehicles involved in this safety recall is now approximately 3.34 million vehicles. On January 13, 2020, Toyota announced a safety recall for 695,541 Lexus and Toyota models. In March of 2020, the Japanese automaker added an additional 1.1 million vehicles to the previous recall. Now, the largest Japanese automaker adds another 1.52 million U.S. vehicles to the recall that was first announced in January and covers numerous models built between July 2017 through September. Here is a full list of vehicles that are now included in the expanded recall: 2013-2015 Model Year Lexus LS 460; 2013-2015 Model Year Lexus GS 350; 2014 Model Year Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus IS-F; 2014-2015 Model Year Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570; 2015 Model Year Lexus NX 200t, RC 350; 2017 Model Year Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t GS 200t; 2017-2019 Model Year Toyota Highlander; Lexus GS 350; 2017-2020 Model Year Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX 350 2018-2019 Model Year Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GS 300, GX 460, IS 300, IS 350, LS 500h, LX 570, NX 300, RC 300, RC 350; 2018-2020 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra; Lexus ES 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, RX 350L 2019 Model Year Toyota Corolla Hatchback and Lexus UX 200 2019-2020 Model Year Toyota RAV4 Toyota said the vehicles that have a fuel pump that may stop operating and could result in a vehicle stall, and the vehicle may be unable to be restarted. Dealers will replace the fuel pump with an improved version. Toyota's customer support is available to owners with affected vehicles by calling the Toyota Brand Experience Center at 1 800 331-4331. Related Video: Recalls Lexus Toyota Truck Coupe Crossover SUV Sedan