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Lexus ES350 confirmed for Kentucky production starting in 2015

Following Thursday's report, Toyota has confirmed that production of the Lexus ES will move to its Georgetown, KY assembly plant starting in 2015. To accommodate the extra 50,000 units of capacity that the ES represents, Toyota will be investing $360 million in the plant and hiring 750 new workers.
In the previous report, sources stated that the state of Kentucky had offered Toyota as much as $146.5 million to move ES production to the Georgetown facility.
The press release, posted below, specifies that only the ES350 will be built in Kentucky, so it's likely that the ES300h hybrid will continue to be built in Japan - where all ES models have been built since the car was introduced in 1989. Toyota's Georgetown plant, which currently builds the Toyota Camry, will also be getting an expansion to its engine plant to produce more four-cylinder engines at a cost of $30 million and will create an additional 80 jobs.

Lexus compact crossover based on the UX could debut in Geneva

We have but one line to go on, from Car magazine's section on Lexus in the rundown of Geneva Motor Show reveals: "Baby SUV not yet confirmed, but word is that a Lexus small crossover based on UX concept is due." Actually, there's a tad more than hearsay to add to that line: Lexus International EVP Yoshihiro Sawa said one year ago that the carmaker already approved a production version of the UX, and that it is "not so far away." The trail goes cold there, though, when trying to divine what a civilian UX would look like. The production model should borrow its platform and some organs from the Toyota C-HR, which rides on the TNGA bones also shared with the Prius. Yet the UX concept, shown at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, warped so many dimensions it belongs in the coming Avatar sequels or a " Time Bandit" reboot. Chapeau to the designers for compressing so much action in so little space; at 173.2 inches long, 74.8 inches wide, and 59.8 inches tall, on a 103.9-inch wheelbase, the UX concept was a smidge larger than an Audi Q3, a smidge smaller than the Mercedes GLA. A retail crossover based on the concept would need to give up 93 percent of the UX's character, but that remaining 7 percent would still be powerful — especially when you add a big ol' spindle grille. We expect the Lexus baby CUV to come to America, but that's not confirmed. Lexus did trademark the names UX 200, UX 250, and UX 250h with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2016, and Jeff Bracken, Lexus' North America group VP and GM, said, "Our dealers are all over us to produce that concept vehicle." And why not? Crossovers constitute the majority of Lexus' U.S. sales, and Lexus seriously seeks the younger buyers who can't get enough compact crossover bait. And the production UX would provide a new entry-level vehicle to challenge entrants in the GLA and BMW X1 class, where the Germans and other carmakers are minting money. Lexus has pledged not to sell a vehicle in the U.S. for under $30,000, but it's got room to play with between that floor and the $35,985 Lexus NX. Related Video:

2018 Lexus GX 460 Drivers' Notes Review | When dinosaurs roamed the earth

The 2018 Lexus GX 460 has been on sale since late 2009. There have been a few minor updates, but a 2018 model is essentially the same as one from 2010. It's based on the global Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and shares more than a little with the Toyota 4Runner. It slots between the Lexus RX and the big daddy Lexus LX. Despite its age, it's still a seller. Sales were up in 2017. In fact, the GX had its best year in the U.S. since 2005. Blame cheap gas all you want. Really, people just want SUVs. We have a base-spec model. The only option is navigation. There's no heated seats or upgraded audio or safety features like blind-spot monitoring or active cruise control. It's basic and honest, but it also highlights just how out of date the GX really is. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: The GX 460 is a body-on-frame, V8-powered, three-row grunt. It's comfortable and functional, but in a segment with more than a few options, this one struggles to stand out. The styling is polarizing yet somehow also vanilla. The spindle grille looks awkward and out of place — a dissonant interpretation of Lexus' latest design language — while the lightly flared fenders say almost nothing. The 4.6-liter V8 only puts out 301 horsepower but still slurps gas to the tune of 15 miles per gallon in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. Power delivery is fine via the six-speed automatic transmission, but the GX 460 feels sluggish from launches. The interior is nice enough with pleasing materials and an intuitive layout. Visibility is solid, you're certainly high enough up, so the command driving position is confidence-inducing. Not a fan of the eight-inch multimedia screen, which feels small and isn't the most informative system I've ever used. Overall, I'd give the GX 460 a C+ compared to other vehicles in this segment. Decent, but dated and lacking some compelling elements. That being said, if you're a Lexus loyalist and want a beastly three-row SUV, you will like this one. If you're more brand agnostic, there are better options out there. Associate Editor Reese Counts: Let's get one thing out of the way — the Lexus GX is old. Yes, it's been on sale essentially unchanged since late 2009, but that's not all there is to it. This is a traditional, body-on-frame SUV with a torquey V8 and a real four-wheel drive system. It's one of the last of its breed. Customers have shifted away from these behemoths, settling on more comfortable and more efficient car-based crossovers.