1995 Lexus Sc 300 Green Nice Fast Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

2019 Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition Drivers' Notes Review | Nothing gray about this sedan

The Lexus GS F is an old-school performance sedan with a big, naturally aspirated engine up front. You won’t find the phrase twin-turbo anywhere in its press materials, and thatÂ’s completely fine. With 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque, the 5.0-liter V8 isnÂ’t going to outrun the high-powered Germans in a drag race. However, all of that power is usable on the street, right up to the glorious 7,300 rpm redline. A loud exhaust complements the loud styling on our particular test car. We had the honor of driving the 10th Anniversary Edition, which is limited to just 100 vehicles in the U.S. You pay extra for the special appearance, but man it looks good. Matte Nebula Gray paint wraps the exterior, while unique Fuji Blue leather trim covers the interior. Blue Brembo brake calipers behind BBS forged wheels keep the blue theme going on the outside. Michelin Pilot Sport tires come standard, providing an impressive amount of grip for the big sedan. Much of the magic to this anniversary car is thanks to the stunning blue interior — it even has blue carbon fiber and blue suede trim. Rear-wheel drive is the only way it comes — same goes for the eight-speed automatic transmission. The final price for our GS F 10th Anniversary Edition car comes out to $93,080. ThatÂ’s after the $5,000 anniversary package, $1,380 Mark Levinson audio and $900 head-up display. It still comes in under $100,000, which makes it cheaper than the M5 or Mercedes-AMG E 63 S sedan. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I'm going to start off with something that might not be universal: I love this interior. I think the blue Lexus used here is to die for. The white stripes going down the center of the blue leather sport seats mirrors the blue steering wheel with white at top center. Those seats are actually pretty comfortable and super supportive, too. The blue microsuede-type liner on the dash is a little much, but in this case, a little much feels entirely appropriate. The blue stitching and even the blue-accented carbon fiber trim pop in this interior, mirroring the hint of blue spied on the brake calipers through the dark wheels outside. Finally, you might hate the mouse-type infotainment interface (this one managed to not piss me off entirely), but it looks cool inside this GS F. Lexus GS F 10th Anniversary Edition View 7 Photos Assistant Editor, Zac Palmer: I love that Lexus still uses big, naturally aspirated V8s in its performance cars.

5 stars in Euro NCAP crash tests for 5 new cars available in U.S.

Seven new cars have received a full five-star rating in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests. Of these, five are available in the United States: the Audi E-Tron, Lexus UX, Toyota Corolla, RAV4 and Mazda3. The Renault Clio and the Volkswagen T-Cross also took part, also receiving five stars. The Mazda3 hatchback was the fourth car in Euro NCAP history to reach an adult occupant protection score of 98%, after the Volvo V40 and XC60 and the Alfa Romeo Giulia. No NHTSA ratings for the Mazda3 or the Audi are yet available, but the Lexus and the Toyotas have all received five-star NHTSA safety ratings as well. Those three were tested as hybrid variants by Euro NCAP. Audi's first fully electric vehicle, the E-Tron, scored 91% in Euro NCAP's adult occupant rating, with unavailable knee airbags bringing down the score. The Mazda and the Toyotas offer them for the driver only, and the Lexus has the passenger's knees covered as well. The Lexus UX managed a 96% adult occupant score, close to the Mazda, and it provided better pedestrian safety (82%) than the Audi (71%), despite neither, or none, of the test vehicles having an active hood to catch pedestrians. As for the Toyotas, the Corolla, tested in both sedan and hatchback guises, scored 95% for adult occupant safety, with the RAV4 a couple notches down at 93%. Still, the five-star rating means all these vehicles are a very safe choice in their respective classes. Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, states how important it is that even family hatchbacks perform well and have the latest safety tech available. "It is encouraging to see that all manufacturers did well, regardless of type of powertrain or class of vehicle tested," said van Ratingen. "New cars on the market continue to offer more advanced technology as standard, systems that were not even considered an option a few years ago." More crash test videos are available on Euro NCAP's YouTube channel. Audi Lexus Mazda Toyota Car Buying Safety audi etron lexus ux