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Toyota Mirai, Lexus LS show off Advanced Drive assists with OTA updates, AI

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp unveiled on Thursday new models of Lexus and Mirai in Japan, equipped with advanced driver assistance, as competition heats up to develop more self-driving and connected cars. Toyota's latest launch comes as automakers, electric car startups and tech giants invest heavily in so-called active safety features. The Japanese carmaker's new driving assist technology, or Advanced Drive, features a level 2 autonomous system that helps driving, such as limiting the car in its lane, maintaining the distance from other vehicles and changing lanes under the driver's supervision on expressways or other motor-vehicle-only roads. The system can even handle lane merges, and when passing trucks its lane system will move the car further to the opposite side of its lane. The car will recommend a course of action to a driver before executing it. The system also features a camera to monitor the driver's actions and level of attentiveness, and if the driver seems unresponsive or incapacitated, the car will pull itself over. The luxury sedan Lexus LS will be on sale from Thursday, costing between about 16.3 million yen ($148,600) and 17.9 million yen ($164,000), while the second-generation Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car will be offered on April 12 at between 8.4 million ($76,900) and 8.6 million yen ($78,750). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The new models are Toyota's first products brought to the market that provide over-the-air updates and utilize AI technology centered on deep learning, said Toyota executive James Kuffner, who is also the head of Toyota's research unit Woven Planet. "This is really an important first step in our journey towards software-first development," he said at an online briefing on Thursday, adding that the company has tried to design the software to be truly global and to provide re-usability. In the future, software features on cars will be "upgradable" and "more customizable" much like how people personalize their smartphones, Kuffner added. Fully self-driven cars are still likely to be years away, but rival General Motors early this year made a splash at the virtual Consumer Electronics Show with a fully-autonomous all-electric flying Cadillac concept, while Chinese search engine operator Baidu unveiled a partnership with local car brand Geely.

MT digs deep, learns more about hot Lexus RC coupe

As we patiently wait for the all-new Lexus RC to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November, Motor Trend has dug up some tasty info on the Japanese automaker's new coupe for us to discuss. While we already knew some speculative, but credible, details on the upcoming two-door Lexus, MT reportedly has the dish on some details of the hotter RC F coupe (shown in the spy shots above).
The article says that the F will carry a six-figure MSRP and use a 455-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 with cylinder deactivation, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Carbon fiber body components will help reduce curb weight, and the scooped hood is said to optimize aerodynamics as the car will reach a top speed of around 186 miles per hour. Specific high-speed handling improvements include specially developed Brembo brakes, a beefed-up suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires and an automatic decklid spoiler.
As for other RC models, MT mentions the hybrid and V6 variants we already heard about, but it also says that the car could get a 2.0-liter turbo engine. This will probably be the engine used in the base model, which is expected to start at around $40,000. Head on over to Motor Trend for the full article, including a rendered image of the RC F.

2020 Lexus GS 350 F Sport Black Line Special Edition makes two cases for itself

The new 2020 Lexus GS 350 Black Line Special Edition brings a dark edge to the brand's mid-size luxury sedan. This offering follows in the tire tracks of the Black Line in the Lexus NX and IS ranges—the cosmetic package appeared first on the NX300, then the IS 300 F Sport, then the IS 350 F Sport over the past couple of years. The enhancements are available on the rear- and all-wheel-drive GS sedans, but will be offered only with two exterior colors, either Utlra White or Caviar, the latter being a rich dark brown. Visual changes outside include gloss black F Sport grille inserts, gloss black mirror caps, and a gloss-black decklid spoiler. The RWD version gets gloss black F Sport wheels with orange brake calipers, while the AWD model does without the flashy stoppers. Output of the 3.5-liter V6 doesn't change from 311 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.  Inside, the black leather interior sees contrasting textures in Alcantara on the instrument panel, console, and armrest, and carbon fiber trim on the doors, instrument panel, and center console. Rioja Red panels provide contrast as does red stitching on the doors, steering wheel, seats, and center console. The special edition GS gets accessories as well: a two-piece Lexus Black Line Zero Halliburton luggage set. Starting with Zero Halliburton's Edge Lightweight Collection, the 22-inch Continental Carry-on and 26-inch Medium Travel Case feature linings embroidered with Intersect by Lexus spindle grille art, interior compression panels with a Lexus embossed leather logo badge, and chrome badges laser-etched with "Zero Halliburton for Lexus" outside. Naturally, they come in black. There will only be 200 of the special edition GS sedans produced, available starting this summer. Prices won't come until closer to the on-sale date, but the same package on the IS added about $5,000 to the price, and Zero Halliburton charges $1,000 for the luggage. With the rear-wheel-drive GS 350 F Sport starting at $53,785, we think $60,000 is a likely price tag.