2010 Lexus Rx350 Base Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lexus ends partnership with Weinstein Co. and 'Project Runway'

Lexus has been a long-time sponsor of fashion reality competition show Project Runway, providing a car to the contest's winner and sponsoring at least one specific "challenge" per season. Only last week, a Lexus NX 200t was featured and used as inspiration for the remaining group of fashion designers. This would seem to be the last season that will happen, however, as Lexus has ended its partnership with the show's production company, Weinstein Co., after sexual harassment allegations leveled at Harvey Weinstein. "Lexus has chosen to terminate its agreement with The Weinstein Company that saw the luxury automaker working with the film studio on certain film and television projects," a company spokesperson wrote in a statement to Reuters. Last week, Lexus indicated it was "evaluating" its relationship with Weinstein Company. One would imagine this delay was the result of that week's episode featuring Lexus substantially more than usual. Related Video:

Future Lexus products to feature heavier focus on performance and handling

There’s a sea change of performance occurring over at Lexus these days. At least, thatÂ’s what the Japanese luxury automaker claims. Lexus has made plenty of excellent performance cars in its past, but the brand has never been known for performance. Instead, Lexus has produced some of the most comfortable, reliable and serene automobiles to ever come out of Japan, and it's found success in doing so. The brand has a clear identity, but itÂ’s looking to massage that identity. “Moving forward, the efforts of the CE (chief engineer) will be focused on elevating the vehicles to a new standard of performance and handling as developed by Lexus International President Koji Sato and Chief Branding Officer Akio Toyoda,” Lexus said in a statement. “The ultimate goal is to deliver a new generation of Lexus vehicles that is more balanced, refined in control, and confident than ever before.” A new “standard of performance and handling” has definitely raised our eyebrows, and weÂ’re curious to know what that looks and feels like. Toyota has already shown clear signs of upping its performance gains with the GR brand and additional TRD models. ItÂ’s only the beginning, and it looks like Lexus is going to follow the parent brand into this performance space. The construction of a new testing facility in Japan was instrumental in this fight for more performance, according to Lexus. We wrote about the mini Nurburgring replica before. ItÂ’s called Shimoyama, and Lexus will be developing its vehicles at this facility for the foreseeable future. “More than merely a new test facility, this asphalt track signals a change in LexusÂ’ product development course and speaks to the brandÂ’s commitment to its human-centered nature,” Lexus says. What does that entail for the cars? Lexus has an answer there, too: “Linear steering, brake responses, and optimized handling with exceptional ride quality is the result of heightened focus on tuning of the chassis and its interactions with the control surfaces through diligent evaluation at a test facility unlike any other.” 2021 Lexus IS View 25 Photos The new 2021 IS is meant to be the first of many vehicles that exemplify LexusÂ’ new performance philosophy. This “cultural shift” is meant to build on what Lexus has already done with F-branded cars, in addition to the wonderful LC.

Toyota, Lexus dominate KBB's Best Resale Value Awards

Toyota and Lexus stormed the 2014 Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards, winning a combined 18 categories including best brand and best luxury brand. This marks the third year in a row that both automakers have won the Brand and Luxury Brand resale value awards. In all, Toyota won 11 categories and Lexus won seven.
Honda made a good showing, as well, winning two segments (Accord Plug-In Hybrid and Civic Si) and putting one car on the top-10 Best Resale Value list (CR-V). Chevrolet did even better, winning two segments (with the V6 Camaro and the Corvette) and placing three cars on the top-10-overall list (again, the Camaro and Corvette, plus the Silverado 1500).
The other winners came from Jeep, Dodge, Infiniti, Subaru and Audi. To give you a clearer picture of the Toyota and Lexus domination, their 18 mentions represents more than half of the 34 awards (including the top-10-overall list).