2000 Lexus Rx300 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Lexus teases 2022 LX 600 flagship SUV

Like so many things at the moment, the Lexus LX debut got pushed back, but it's nearly upon us. Toyota's luxury brand began the teaser campaign for the 2022 Lexus LX 600 today, in preparation for an online debut October 13 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern at the same time the vehicle is unveiled live in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. We can glean a few things from the teaser, the first being the same Lexus design language we recently saw on the 2022 NX transferred to what will be the automaker's flagship SUV. That means an LED light bar connecting two hockey-stick taillamps above a spelled-out "LEXUS" instead of the Lexus logo. The chrome accents of the LX 570 are history, the rear license plate placed in an unadorned trapezoidal recess. The rear bumper is now nearly flush with the tailgate and loses its stanchions at the edges.    And then there's that LX 600 badge, officially signaling that numbers aren't about engine displacement. Depending on market, the LX is expected to get the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that launched with the 300-Series Toyota Land Cruiser in June and puts out 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque in that model. Japanese outlet Creative Trend says this mill will eventually get hybrid assistance to create an LX 750h trim with 480 hp and 642 lb-ft. of total system output. The 3.3-liter diesel V6 with 305 hp and 516 lb-ft. could end up in places like Japan and Australia, and it's possible a base version with the naturally aspirated V6 finds its way to market.  Toyota said putting the new Land Cruiser on its TNGA-F platform saved about 440 pounds. We won't be surprised if the Lexus loses some weight as well, but we also expect a lot of new tech in the LX 600, and luxury is heavy. Features like the Multi-Terrain Select system and Multi-Terrain Monitor seem like shoo-ins, as does the 360-degree camera system. An option for fingerprint authentication to start the vehicle might bow as well. We'll know next week when the 2022 LX livestream kicks off. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mazda6, Honda CR-V and an Autoblogger's BMW Z3 | Autoblog Podcast #620

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. First, they talk about the cars that have been in their driveways, like the Mazda6, Lexus UX 250h and Honda CR-V, as well as Riswick's own BMW Z3 (where he actually recorded the podcast from). Then they discuss the news, which includes car dealers moving to digital commerce and other updates about — you guessed it — coronavirus, and how it's affecting the automotive industry. Finally, they take to Twitter to help a follower choose a weekend convertible for long, isolated drives in this week's "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #620 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 Mazda6 Signature 2020 Lexus UX 250h Honda CR-V 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Virtual dealers Coronavirus update Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: