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Lexus LF-Z Electrified previews future Lexus hybrids and EVs

While the company has yet to release a fully electric car or even plug-in hybrid in the U.S., the company is adamant that it's ramping up electric plans. One way it's doing this is with concept cars, and the latest is the Lexus LF-Z Electrified, just in case you forgot what powers it before the middle of this sentence. It's not a specific preview of any particular model, but is meant as a hint of a series of, well, electrified Lexus models coming in the next few years. The LF-Z is a clear evolution of the LF-30 Electrified concept from the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. Like that concept, the front of the car effectively inverts the current Lexus grille design, with the "spindle" section in the middle being solid, and the area on either side covered with dark translucent panels that evoke open areas. The whole body is more crisp and creased than the LF-30, and it looks a little more grounded in reality. It has four conventional doors with actual door handles, the proportions are closer to a sedan or fastback, and a seemingly conventional taillight bar. But getting up close reveals many intricate details such as the cubic shapes in the front fascia, the frilled edges of the front fender flares, and the narrow breaks in the lighting. The interior is ultra-minimalist, with all the display systems placed around the driver, and a simple dash that wraps around to the doors and the rear seats. The seats themselves have a similarly geometric design to the exterior, and the choice to highlight the driver seat in a contrasting upholstery is interesting. Likely because the LF-Z doesn't preview any specific upcoming model, Lexus offered nearly no details about what powers the concept beyond electricity. It has the batteries mounted in the floor, and it features dual motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels, which isn't particularly remarkable. No range or power numbers were given. Steering is done by-wire, kind of like what you'll find in certain modern Infinitis, and the car features other bits of technology that are already available or coming soon to production cars such as augmented reality displays, a smartphone key system, electrochromic roof glass and reclining rear seats. Still, we think it's a distinctive concept car that could spawn some similarly distinct production cars. Lexus announced that between now and 2025, it will launch more than 10 new electrified models as conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids or fully electric cars.

Cars most likely to be involved in accidents

Data from Insurify shows which models have the most accident-prone drivers behind the wheel. It also shows the proportion of the drivers of said vehicles with an at-fault accident on record in the past seven years, based on Insurify’s analysis of over 4 million car insurance applications. For reference, the national average is 10.78%, and each of these vehiclesÂ’ drivers represent a statistically significant increase over that. Now, it would be easy to infer that these cars are dangerous, but such is not necessarily the case. Remember, drivers cause accidents, not cars. These just happen to be the cars that accident-prone drivers drive. YouÂ’ll notice that many are mainstream, affordable cars, often with decent crash ratings. Also keep in mind that vehicle accidents are up since the beginning of the pandemic, so no matter what you drive, please drive safely. 10. Hyundai Ioniq This affordable, electrified vehicle platform sneaks into this list with 14.45% of drivers with a recent at-fault accident on record. 9. Lexus CT Another hybrid, this Prius-powered Lexus beats the national average at 14.57%. 8. Toyota Prius V Yet another hybrid, the larger but discontinued member of the Prius family sees 14.72% of its drivers with recent accidents. 7. Mazda CX-3 The Mazda CX-3, which is discontinued for the 2022 model year, sees the accident-prone making up 14.9% of its drivers. 6. Infiniti Q60 The second and final luxury car on this list has more accident-prone drivers than average, at 14.93%. 5. Subaru Impreza The first of two Subarus on this list has 15.1% of drivers with recent accidents on record. 4. Hyundai Genesis Coupe The Genesis Coupe was only on the market for a brief span before it was discontinued and Genesis spun off into its own luxury brand. That said, it too beats the national average for accidents, at 15.29%. 3. Subaru WRX Despite its standard all-wheel drive, the boy-racer WRX has 15.44% of drivers with a prior accident in the last seven years. 2. Kia Stinger We love the Kia Stinger, and had great luck with our long-termer that graced the Autoblog garage for a year. That said, 15.75% of its drivers represent have a recent accident on record. 1. Scion FR-S This fun two-seater attracts the most accident prone drivers, with 15.87% with recent at-fault crashes. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus RX replacement to debut in Detroit?

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be a big one for Lexus, with Group Vice President Jeff Bracken confirming to Ward's Auto that the Japanese luxury marque will have at least one, and possibly two, all-new-model introductions. Ward's seems to think that one of those vehicles will be the new RX crossover, one of the brand's most popular (and oldest) offerings. The complete and utter lack of spy photos of the new RX doesn't necessarily support Ward's argument, although if the new CUV ends up being based on the JDM Toyota Harrier, as previously reported, the absence of camouflaged images might make some sense. As for that other vehicle, it's hard to say what we might see. Were we to put our money on it, though, the long-awaited GS F would be a strong contender for a Detroit debut. The high-performance challenger to the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has been spotted almost completely undisguised as recently as October. On top of that, Detroit's reputation as a performance-focused show (last year's show saw debuts of the Ford Mustang, BMW M3 and M4, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Volkswagen Golf R and Porsche 911 Targa) makes the GS F's appearance there a fair bet. One thing we can count on at least hearing about when Detroit rolls around is Lexus' strong sales position. The company's 2014 sales should crest 305,000 units by the end of the year, marking the first time the company had passed the 300,000-unit mark since 2007. Bracken told Ward's that should be an easy task, particularly with the brand's "best month of the year," December, still to come.