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Lexus made an LX ride-on for a child with cerebral palsy

Ride-on vehicles, or Power Wheels as many know them, are a perfect way for young children to experience driving and cars for the first time. Unfortunately, certain congenital disorders can prevent some children from having that from experience. Lexus, in collaboration with Givewith and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF), wanted to help reduce the barrier of access to fun mobility, and has created an LX ride-on specifically customized for a girl with cerebral palsy.  Six-year-old Finley Smallwood has the most common motor disorder that affects children, cerebral palsy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cerebral palsy is "a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture." Because of this, she is unable to use ride-on vehicles the way they are currently built. Lexus was inspired by Finley to design and develop solutions that could get here into a car. The ride-on, which has the looks of a topless LX SUV, has several custom features. Finley has a tough time sitting for a long time, so Lexus added waist-high side padding and modified the seat. The LX ride-on also has an adjustable headrest, and a five-point harness to keep the driver safe, stable, and secure. Ingress and egress on current ride-ons can also be difficult, so Lexus lowered the vehicle and increased the size of the doors.  The largest change is the method of control. Because some children with cerebral palsy might not be able to use a foot pedal or have the strength to use a steering wheel, this ride-on doesn't have either. Instead, Lexus configured an armrest joystick to control the vehicle's direction and acceleration.   Lexus delivered the LX to Finley in March, which is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. For a video profile of Finley and a behind-the-scenes look at the vehicle's development, visit Givewith.com. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Lexus CPF Power Wheels Auto News Toys/Games Lexus

2021 Lexus GX 460 Interior Review | A competent cabin ... a decade ago

The Lexus GX 460 is really old. How old is it? It’s so old, I was still in high school when it launched. This generation of the GX launched for the 2010 model year, and it's mostly received cosmetic updates in the decade since. And few areas reveal that age more than this luxury SUV's interior. It's not all bad, but there's no question that it isn't exactly on par with the latest and greatest SUVs from other automakers. Or even its own. Let's dive in, shall we? Climbing aboard the GX welcomes the driver and front passenger with broad, thickly cushioned chairs wrapped in soft leather. They're very much the kind of seats you sit on and not in, and with a decent amount of adjustment, they're quite comfortable on a commute or on a cross-country trip. Also immediately noticeable is the high seating position and huge amount of glass offering superb visibility in all directions. Between this and the GX's modest exterior dimensions, it's quite easy to maneuver. Then we get to the dashboard, and this is where the GX becomes more of a letdown. Aside from the steering wheel, a slightly larger instrument screen with an updated infotainment operating system, nothing has changed in a decade. The prominence of the silver painted plastic is the most disappointing element, as it feels like it would barely be acceptable in a Toyota, let alone a current Lexus. The same goes for the blurry, easily washed-out center screen and pale blue digital clock and climate temperature readout. Wood trim and upholstered panels certainly help, but overall this doesn't look like the command center of a new SUV costing more than $50,000. Things get a little better when actually interacting with things. The volume and tuning knobs are weighty and smooth like on a nice hi-fi system. Having physical controls for the audio as well as most climate functions are welcome features. The touchscreen system is much more intuitive than the Remote Touch mouse and touchpad systems Lexus rolled out in later years. It's fairly responsive, and the shortcut buttons on the sides are useful. Another sign of age is the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But hey, you get a CD player, remember those?  Buyers do still get a lot of nice features on the GX. Standard equipment includes heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, proximity locking and starting, a sunroof, and new for 2021, acoustic front side glass that makes the GX astoundingly quiet inside.

Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell Mirai isn't good enough to be a Lexus

It looks like the first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle from Lexus will be faster than previously advertised, but it will get to the market slower than expected. It's all part of the paradox involved with Toyota looking to broaden its fuel-cell technology beyond the Mirai. Either way, the first Lexus fuel-cell vehicle is slated to start sales by the end of the decade, said Auto Express, citing comments from Alain Uyttenhoven, head of Lexus Europe. Uyttenhoven noted that it'd take an SUV to provide enough space to accommodate the packaging for the Lexus fuel cell powertrain. That comment may imply that the hydrogen-fueled powertrain from Lexus will offer similar performance to that of the Lexus RX450h hybrid SUV. That model delivers 300 horsepower and boasts a 0 to 60 mile-per-hour time of about seven seconds. Such a mill would be a departure from what we'd previously reported on Toyota's plans to expand its fuel-cell technology to its Lexus luxury badge. With Toyota believed to be planning to unveil as many as three fuel-cell models in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Japanese automaker said early last year that it may have a Lexus fuel-cell vehicle available as soon as 2017, while reports suggesting the model would be a Lexus LS-based sedan. Additionally, the Mirai's fuel-cell powertrain had been believed to be the platform for the proposed Lexus fuel cell from the moment that model started sales in California last year. Apparently, though, the Mirai's 152-horsepower powertrain, coupled with a full-tank range that would be about 20 percent less than the 300-mile Mirai, isn't up to snuff for Lexus duty. Related Video: News Source: Auto Express via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Jonathon Ramsey / AOL Green Lexus Toyota Hydrogen Cars mirai