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Lexus LF-30 Electrified Concept announces the brand's entry in EVs

The star of the Lexus booth at the biennial Tokyo auto show is an extremely futuristic concept named LF-30 Electrified that previews the firm's cars could look like — and be powered by — in 2030. The LF-30 Electrified uses clever technology to take Lexus into the electric vehicle segment for the first time. Lexus has leveraged parent company Toyota's expertise in the field of hybrid powertrains to become one of the industry's pioneers in the segment, but it has always shunned fully electric drivetrains. The LS-30 signals an about-face. Drawing on lessons learned while designing hybrids, engineers developed a 536-horsepower drivetrain that consists of a mammoth, 110-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and four in-wheel electric motors that can deliver front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive. Don't let the press images fool you; the LS-30 is huge. It's nearly as long as the firm's LS flagship sedan, closer to a Chevrolet Suburban in width, and it weighs almost 5,300 pounds. It can nonetheless reach 60 mph from a stop in 3.8 seconds, and it can travel for up to 310 miles on one charge according to the overly optimistic WLTP testing cycle. Those figures might be irrelevant, because the driver can become a passenger by turning on the on-board autonomous technology and letting it worry about how quickly to accelerate, and when to charge. There's even a drone that Lexus calls an Airporter that autonomous transports luggage, for example, from in front of the owner's house directly to the car's trunk. Odds are you won't even need to tip it. Traveling in the LF-30 feels different depending on where you're sitting. The driver experiences a new concept Lexus calls Tazuna that draws inspiration from how a rein can create a mutual understanding between a horse and a rider; it sounds similar to what Mazda aimed for with the Miata, which famously channeled Jinba Ittai, or horse and rider as one, but it's a completely different take on it. The driver can adjust the stereo or dial a destination in the navigation system without taking his or her eyes off the road thanks to steering wheel-mounted switches and a large head-up display. The driver feels a lot like a jet fighter pilot, then. The passenger, on the road hand, is traveling first-class thanks to a seat inspired by high-zoot air travel, and a gesture-controlled screen. The rear seats recline, and the folks sitting in them can watch movies on a voice- and gesture-controlled glass roof called SkyGate.

Will.i.am and Lexus make music on a runway with frickin' lasers

There's no doubt that an engine can make some fabulous sounds, but they don't technically fit the definition of music. In a spectacular recent stunt from Lexus, Will.i.am, and a huge team of technicians, a trio of NX CUVs actually became an instrument while driving down a runway to play the artist's song #thatPOWER. All that was necessary to get it done was the help of a whole lot of lasers and some very precise driving. The team rigged up 350 audio-sensitive lasers and lights to make this stunt possible, and it essentially turned the runway into a real-world version of the Rock Band video game interface. The three NXs needed to drive not only in the right location but also at the right speed to keep the song's tempo going. While what you see here was reportedly shot in just one night, setting everything up took 65 people over seven days. The awesomely named light artists, Marshmallow Laser Feast, designed the actual layout. The end result of all of the hard work definitely looks impressive in this video, but it also appears like this was a very difficult stunt to actually get right. A lot of the faces at the end of the clip were wearing a look of relief of finally doing things successfully. will.i.am AND LEXUS CREATE LASER AND SOUND SPECTACULAR ON EPIC STREET 'STAVE' FRONTMAN CHALLENGED TO NAVIGATE GIANT VISUAL INSTRUMENT IN ALL NEW LEXUS NX Brussels 30th July 2015 - #NXontrack - Lexus Europe, today unveiled an innovative audio-visual film which sees global entrepreneur and musician, will.i.am challenged to create a remix of one of his most iconic tracks, #thatPOWER in a breath-taking music, art and technology spectacular. . Played out on a disused runway lined with more than 350 projected mapped motion and audio sensitive lasers and lights, the front-man battles against speed and rhythm to conduct and navigate a trio of striking Lexus NXs', hitting the laser 'targets' at the correct tempo to synchronise with his smash hit. The unprecedented live event, shot in one night last week, sees the musician's skills put to the test as he joins three stunt drivers including 2013 Blockbuster, Rush frontman, Niki Faulkner, to take on the colossal 'sound-road', race against rhythm and successfully complete the challenge in the limited hours of darkness available before the sun rises. Speaking about the video, will.i.am said: "Working with the stunt guys to hit the laser targets in time with the music wasn't easy to get right but the result was awesome.

Toyota will invest $210 million to expand West Virginia engine production

WASHINGTON — Toyota is investing $210 million to expand engine production in West Virginia and add 100 new jobs. The Japanese automaker said it would boost capacity by 70,000 engines a year at the Buffalo, West Virginia plant, up from the nearly 1 million transmissions and engines it produces annually for vehicles assembled in North America. The investment will increase assembly capacity of its four-cylinder engine line. The plant makes four- and six-cylinder engines for Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Lexus ES, Lexus RX350, RAV4 and Sienna. The investment comes as automakers around the world are shifting more focus to electric vehicles and away from vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Toyota says hybrid vehicles, which includes internal combustion engines, will be a key part of its vehicle strategy in the coming decade as other automakers focus more heavily on battery electric vehicles, which only run on electric power. Toyota said last week that 16% of its U.S. sales were hybrid vehicles in 2020, a figure that will jump to at least 20% in 2021. Related Video: