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2022 Lexus NX gives a peek with Japan's highest peak

Lexus is nearly ready to introduce the second-generation NX. It released a postcard-like preview image of the crossover with the planet's seventh-highest peak located on an island. "The future of Lexus is just on the horizon," the company explained in a release accompanying the image. That's a little misleading; the photo shows Mount Fuji, a 12,388-foot high volcano in Japan, on the horizon. It's what's in the foreground that's about to break cover. One of the biggest visual changes made to the NX (which was the second-best-selling Lexus model in 2020) is the addition of a light bar that stretches across the hatch. It connects the rear lights, and it's underlined by "LEXUS" lettering written in bold capital letters. This styling cue marks a major departure for the brand. Nearly all of the cars it has released since its inception in 1989, including the V10-powered LFA, have worn its L-shaped logo out back. It's not unreasonable to assume this is a styling cue that will spread to other members of the range, like the popular RX. Beyond that, it's difficult to tell how the next NX will stand out from the current model introduced in 2014. We're not expecting a revolution. The crossover's silhouette won't drastically change, and its spindle-shaped grille isn't going anywhere. It might grow, if stylists follow recent design trends, though hopefully not to Fuji-like proportions. Bigger updates will likely be found in the cabin, where a raft of new tech features will trickle down from bigger models. Lexus will unveil the next-generation NX online on June 11. It will stream the event on a dedicated website starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time, which is 8 a.m. in Los Angeles. Sales will start nationwide shortly after. 

Toyota fills in details about its future design direction and global platform

"In the future, out of 100 customers, we want to excite ten of them instead of not offending all 100."
Almost all of the details about the Toyota New Group Architecture (TNGA) strategy have come out since the initiative was first reported on in March of this year, but Autoblog did learn a few new things about it on a recent trip to Japan. Probably the second-most important detail is that each new segment platform will be based around a common hip point to create an "optimal driving position architecture."

Toyota profits up 23% on high US sales, despite mounting legal costs

Toyota earned $9.3 billion in net income in the financial year that ends next month. The number beats earlier forecasts and marks a five-year high for the automaker, with both operating income and revenue up by 9.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Toyota saw quarterly profit enjoy a year-on-year jump of 23.4 percent, with the manufacturer earning more than $1 billion between October and December 2012. The good news comes in spite of the fact that the Japanese automaker actually endured an operating loss in North America, due in part to legal fees.
Toyota is set to pay more than $1 billion to owners who claim their vehicles decreased in value as a result of the company's recent spate of recalls. Even so, all three of the automaker's brands enjoyed a 13.5 percent sales increase in the US in the last quarter, beating the industry average. Toyota faltered in Europe, however, where it earned $99 million in operating profit last year, compared to $111 million in 2011. You can take a closer look at the company's full press release below for more information.