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Lexus planning second flagship alongside LS sedan

Lexus is planning to launch another flagship to slot alongside the LS sedan, but we don't know if it will be a coupe or a crossover. The coupe has been the persistent rumor. Lexus showed the two-door LF-LC concept in 2012 and a production model could borrow its underpinnings from the LS sedan. It's tipped to wear the letters LC or to revive the SC nameplate. The previous SC launched in 1991 as a fixed-roof coupe and offered inline-six or V8 engines. It was replaced in 2001 with the SC430 that had a V8 and a folding hardtop. While the coupe idea may seem like the leading candidate, the company's ambiguity is leading to speculation that the new flagship could adopt a different body-style altogether. "We need a flagship," Lexus general manager Jeff Bracken told Reuters. "It doesn't have to be a sedan." "In addition to the LS, there could be another flagship in our lineup," Bracken said. "We'll define what it is in January." The comments suggest something will be revealed at the Detroit auto show and could open the door to a new flagship SUV or crossover. That position is currently held by the LX 570, which is closely based on the Toyota Land Cruiser. However, sales of the LX have been less than stellar. From the 14,000-plus units Lexus sold of the original LX 470 when it launched in the US back in 2000, annual sales have dropped to just over 4,000 the last few years. Mercedes regularly sells over 25,000 of its GL-Class crossovers each year in the US alone. Last year Audi sold 18,000 Q7s here despite its imminent replacement. Land Rover sold nearly 13,000 Range Rovers last year and another 18,000 Range Rover Sports. Meanwhile, Cadillac typically sells between 20,000 and 30,000 Escalades every year, down from the 50,000-60,000 it sold a decade ago. A facelift is due for the LX that ought to spike sales a little, but Lexus will need more than a refresh to catch up with those rivals. In the meantime, it reportedly plans to roll out a three-row variant of the new RX before its lifespan is over. "We don't want to wait for a next generation" to give the RX the added seating capacity many customers are demanding, said Bracken. Related Video:

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 Teammate advanced driver assist tech headed to 2022 LS 500h in the U.S.

Toyota showed off a new advanced driver assist system for the Mirai and Lexus LS in Japan on Thursday this week. At that time, there were details, but no indication of whether the system would make it to U.S.-bound Toyota and Lexus products. We have answers today. This Level 2 driver assistance system will be deployed in the U.S. in the 2022 Lexus LS 500h when it launches later this year. Lexus is naming it “Lexus Teammate,” making it obvious from the start that this is no fully autonomous vehicle. The system is your teammate; itÂ’s not taking over, and instead the two of you work together. With Teammate activated, the vehicle can accelerate, brake and steer to maintain the lane and follow/keep pace with other vehicles. ItÂ’s able to change lanes on its own to go around slower vehicles and can also navigate interchanges. Lexus says itÂ’s usable on “limited access highways,” and notes that itÂ’s only “partial hands-free” in operation. The company also notes you must keep your eyes on the road for it to work — thereÂ’s a camera that monitors the driver and makes sure of this. “We are very proud of Lexus Teammate, which is the culmination of five years of close collaboration between our technical centers in Japan and the U.S.,” says Derek Caveney, executive engineer at ToyotaÂ’s Integrated Vehicle Systems team. “We conducted simultaneous development and rigorous testing in both markets with the goal of achieving industry-leading advanced driver assistance functionality.” Lexus isnÂ’t saying what other vehicles we should expect this system to be in next, but both the LS 500h and LS 500 (sometime shortly after the hybrid) will have it this fall. In addition to the highway assist, Lexus announced a parking assistant. Named Advanced Park, itÂ’s able to assist in hands-free parking for parallel parking or backing into a space. ItÂ’ll control steering, acceleration and gear changes when parking itself, and youÂ’ll be able to watch how itÂ’s doing using the 360-degree camera tech. Just press a button, and your Lexus should park itself. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.