2007 Lexus Gs350 Base Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Refreshed 'exciting' Lexus ES takes a bow in Shanghai along with RX 200t

We were expecting a refresh and that's what we got. The 2016 Lexus ES, taken to "the next level of elegance and progressive luxury." A new front fascia design goes even bolder on the spindle grille, hiding the crossmember that separated the upper and lower sections, and rimming the whole thing with satin chrome. It's flanked by new LED projector headlights with the brand's pronounced "arrowhead" DRLs, and new triangular foglights laid into a matching sharp-edged motif. In back you'll find new taillights and chrome-tipped rectangular exhaust tips. In between those two ends, the body has been stiffened and gotten more sound-deadening material. The list of exterior hues grows to ten with the addition of Amber, Nightfall Mica, Caviar, and Eminent White Pearl. A new 20-spoke wheel joins the options list for non-hybrid models, whereas hybrids get a 10-spoke design. The cabin also broadens its tonal range in a variety of materials, with seats available in Flaxen, Parchment, Stratus Gray, and Black, and trim pieces in a choice of Illustrious Piano Black, Linear Dark Mocha Wood, Espresso Bird's Eye Maple with Shimamoku ornamentation, and matte Bamboo. Other touches include a new steering wheel, an embossed pattern on the seats, a leather boot for the gearshift, and a larger TFT display in the gauge cluster. Our engine options here won't change, but China, Russia, and Taiwan will be offered a 2.0-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder designed for China's emissions scheme. A new engine was also the news with the Lexus RX 200t rocking the dais at the Shanghai Motor Show, unveiled to the world next to its ES sibling. Available in certain international markets but not in the US, the RX 200t is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder working through a six-speed automatic transmission. Lexus hasn't released its official horsepower number, but says it's going for more than 228 horsepower; in the NX 200t it gets 235 horsepower 258 pound-feet of torque. You can check out the press release below for more details. Related Video: Refreshed 2016 Lexus ES Fuses Striking Design with Refinement and Safety at Shanghai International Motor Show Lexus RX 200t Also Makes Global Debut Active Safety Technology Integrated Into Lexus Safety System+ April 19, 2015 SHANGHAI, China (April 20, 2015) - As the best-selling sedan model in Lexus' impressive stable, the ES has come to define the very essence of near luxury sedan.

Earthquake causes most of Toyota's Japan operations to shut down

Toyota is idling a large portion of its Japanese assembly plants as a result of the devastating earthquake in Hokkaido, Japan. The earthquake had such a big effect on the carmaker's supply chain that a number of its plants will have to be shut down for an undisclosed period, starting on Saturday. The 6.7 magnitude earthquake occurred early on September 6 th, resulting in more than dozen casualties and hundreds of injuries, cutting power to the entire island; the powerplant supplying half of the island's power was located so close to the earthquake's epicenter that it shut down automatically, bringing down the rest of the island's grid with it. Tens of people were also reported missing, as reported by Reuters. The affected factories are the Kyushu, Tahara and Toyota Auto Body plants, according to Automotive News, and they manufacture vehicles such as different Lexus models and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Some of the models produced in these factories are exported to the United States, but a Toyota spokesman said that North American operations are not likely to be significantly affected by the plant closures. As well as the automobile assembly plants in Hokkaido, Toyota also has a facility there that manufactures transmissions and transfer cases. As it was also without power, Toyota could not confirm when the plant would be back online. Out of Hokkaido's 2.95 million households, 1.54 million had regained power by Friday afternoon. All in all, Toyota has 18 manufacturing facilities in Japan; spokeswoman Akito Kita said that from Monday on, the shutdown will affect all Japanese Toyota and Lexus lines — not including two Daihatsu facilities that are also used for Toyota products. The shutdowns come directly after Toyota also announced a recall for Japanese-built hybrid models, mainly Prius. Related Video:

Lexus GS 300 disappears from 2020 lineup

The seven-strong Lexus GS lineup will enter 2020 with only five models in the lineup. Cars Direct found out the entry-level GS 300 will not ring in the new year, the discovery explained by a Lexus spokesperson with, "the GS 300 represented a small percentage of GS sales in 2018." That will leave the standard GS 350 and the GS 350 F Sport, both offered in either rear- or all-wheel drive. With the $47,885 GS 300 out of the game, the price of entry for the range goes up to $52,420 for the GS 350 RWD. That price represents a $150 increase over 2019, and an MSRP of $51,395 plus a $1,025 charge for destination and handling. Perhaps it's a sign of how much Lexus believes in the sport sedan credentials of the GS 350 that the rear-wheel-drive version currently on sale costs $330 more than the all-wheel-drive model. This is reversed for the F Sport trims, with the GS 350 F Sport AWD needing $1,745 more than version with a driven rear axle only. If pricing differentials hold across the range into 2020, that would make the GS 350 AWD $52,090, the GS 350 F Sport RWD would cost $53,785, and the GS 350 F Sport AWD $55,530. The GS F, charging along with a 5.0-liter V8 producing 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque sent to the rear wheels only, will run $86,035. That's a $560 bump over the 2019 model year. Since the GS F 10th Anniversary Edition celebrated the tenth anniversary of F performance this year, we don't expect the $89,350 sedan to continue into next year. The GS has been in the spotlight at Lexus HQ since last summer, when the brand's general manager told Automotive News "we're certainly evaluating both vehicles," speaking of the GS and IS. For next year, the 241-horsepower GS 300 slips off the scene, but one wonders how long even the 311-hp GS 350 can stick around when the entire lineup sold just 6,604 units in the U.S. last year. Sales are down more than 50 percent this year, down from a 2015 high of 23,117. The new ES is just nine horses down on the GS, $7,000 less expensive, and sold 50 percent more units in the U.S. in January than the GS has so far this year. With no news of an updated GS on the way and the ES rumored to add an all-wheel-drive trim for 2020, the GS could have a hard time standing up to business-case scrutiny.