2021 Lexus Rx 350 Awd Moonroof Premium Pkg on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota may return to F1 under Lexus banner

A new report in from the website Club Lexus claims to have insider knowledge about a return to Formula One racing by Toyota, this time under the auspices of the Lexus brand. Toyota competed in F1 from 2002 through the 2009 season. That final year saw the team return competitive, if inconsistent results, but the larger economic woes in the automotive market made a decision to pull the plug relatively easy at the time.
Now, citing recent interviews with Toyota executives and insider sources, Club Lexus says that the move to re-enter F1 for the 2014 season is "all but finalized." The choice to go with the Lexus nameplate over Toyota makes some sense, too, considering the success that rival Infiniti has had in recent years through its partnership with Red Bull Racing. Further, the emerging Lexus identity as a performance car builder, with a strong background in hybrid vehicles, could help the F1 move resonate with buyers.
A few technological factors and formula changes within F1 offer some credence to the Lexus rumor, too. F1 will increase the available capacity of KERS from 60kW to 120kW, a change that theoretically benefits the hybrid-savvy Toyota. What's more, 2014 will see a switch from the current 2.4-liter V8 engines to 1.6-liter turbocharged V6s. A Lexus team that goes racing in 2014 will be on a level playing field with the rest of the grid then, with all teams adjusting to and continuing to develop the new engines.

Lexus will build a production version of the UX crossover

It seems that Lexus's selection of crossovers is about to get bigger by going smaller. The Australian automotive news site Motoring says a Lexus representative confirmed that a production version of the UX concept is coming soon. A Lexus representative said it will help bring younger customers to the brand. As a refresher, the UX was a subcompact crossover shown at the Paris auto show, and it was quite striking. The exterior was a flurry of curves and angles, and the interior had crazy seats with elastic straps instead of cushions and a holographic user interface. The interior even had a weird, finned sound bar in the dash that could be removed and carried around. The futuristic interior features are practically guaranteed to be exclusive to the concept, and the exterior design will probably be toned down. Since the slightly larger Lexus NX borrows some bits from the RAV4, we expect the UX to utilize some underpinnings from another the smallest crossover in the Toyota line, the Toyota C-HR. Sharing with the C-HR would also mean the UX would also have some commonality with the current Prius, as both vehicles use the scalable architecture known as TNGA. This would also mean a hybrid UX is a strong possibility as well, since the Prius is only available as a hybrid, and the C-HR has a hybrid option in Europe and Japan. It's hard to say when the car will arrive, but considering the compact crossover craze we can't imagine that Lexus wants to wait too long. It's possible a near production-ready concept will appear at a show next year, and would likely reach dealers at the end of that year or the start of the following one. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lexus UX Concept: Paris 2016 View 17 Photos News Source: MotoringImage Credit: Drew Phillips Lexus Crossover Luxury toyota c-hr lexus ux

Toyota previews next Lexus RX with Tokyo-bound JDM Harrier

The Lexus RX shares much with the Toyota Highlander, but its more direct counterpart is the Toyota Harrrier. Never heard of it? That's because Toyota only sells it at home in Japan, and now it's revealed a new one. So if the Harrier is essentially a Toyota-badged version of the RX, then what's the big deal, you ask? The big deal is that the new Harrier which leaked in July, set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next week and which you see here isn't quite the same as the Lexus, and those differences could (and in most cases likely will) make their way over to the RX as well.
For starters, the styling is different. Granted that the Lexus version will almost certainly get a spindle-shaped grille, but even so, the Harrier's nose seems to protrude further than the RX's and the headlamps are a notably different shape. The greenhouse is also a different shape, coming to a sharper point at the back, and the mirrors are fixed to the A-pillar not to the door panel. The taillamps are revised, the tailgate has a new profile and there's a pseudo-diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper. Subtle changes, to be sure, but then Toyota and Lexus are known for their evolutionary approach to styling. The interior has apparently undergone some updates as well, with a more dynamically styled dashboard, a more symmetrical center stack and different seats, steering wheel, door panels... the works. The infotainment display screen has also moved further down from its position in the current RX.
Toyota will offer the new Harrier with a 2.0-liter four mated to a CVT and driving either the front wheels or all four, and a hybrid setup with a 2.5-liter married to a 140-hp electric motor. The RX is offered here with a 3.5-liter V6 either on its own or with an electric assist. We wouldn't expect Lexus to go swapping the larger engines for the smaller ones, at least not for the US market. There's plenty more to the Harrier, of course, than the similarities and differences to the Lexus RX, and if you're buying a premium crossover in Japan, you can delve into the full details in the press release below, together with the images in the gallery above.