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Lexus considers additional powertrains for the F Performance brand

As the European hardcore competition integrates small-displacement engines and hybrids ( Mercedes-AMG), as well as pure electrification ( Polestar), Lexus' F Performance brand sticks to eight-cylinder guns. The IS F, RC F, and GS F all use the same 5.0-liter V8, the brand's hallmark all the way back to the 2007 IS F. Things could be changing, though, to hear Lexus president Yoshihiro Sawa tell it during his first visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He told Auto Express that "we cannot stick to the one solution when it comes to providing emotion." It sounds like a hybrid has the best chance of reality in the near-term. In April, Lexus said several powertrain options are "all on the table" for the primary brand, and we know Lexus is working on a more powerful hybrid system. Sawa broached the unexpected idea of "a pure F GT car, which could be a hybrid with an electric motor and a strong engine." Mention of a "pure F GT" has us wondering if Sawa means a version of the rumored LC F, or another vehicle above or beside that LC F. A trademark filing and heaps of rumor posit the LC F will have a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 pushing 600 horsepower or more. It's also possible Lexus plans to do something with the anticipated Gazoo Racing road-going supercar that reworks the hybrid powertrain from Toyota's LMP1 race car. An electric vehicle is under consideration as the F Performance brand works to "think of our own original way," and Lexus itself tries "to find a way to connect to the next era." Sawa knows performance buyers seek the feel and sound of an ICE, but says "we cannot stick to the one solution when it comes to providing emotion." The subcompact Lexus UX crossover will be half-electrified when it arrives later this year, one of its powertrains putting electric motors on the rear axle. The brand boss said "We will introduce an EV," but whatever they create needs to be both "lovable" and "have a luxury feeling," the former adjective leading us to believe the F sub-brand won't be going down that avenue just yet. The only reasonable candidate we've heard of so far as a battery electric version is the next-generation CT in Europe. Speaking of the CT, the compact hatchback has brought new buyers to the brand with a 70 to 75 percent conquest rate. Sawa said the spindle grille has done the same; sales have grown since the introduction of the polarizing face, so don't expect it to go away.

Lexus Eco Challenge rewards schools for clean water, briquette press projects

Teams from one New Jersey high school and one Michigan middle school reversed the old adage by thinking locally and acting globally. And that strategy won them the grand prizes in the most recent edition of the Lexus Eco Challenge. The future is indeed bright. The Toyota luxury-vehicle division gave out a half-million dollars in this year's contest. One $30,000 grand prize was awarded to the Pinelands Eco Scienteers from Little Egg Harbor, NJ, which produced and distributed low-cost briquette presses to rural villages beset by deforestation. The other grand prize went to the E.T. Electrical Team from Byron Center West Middle School in Michigan. That middle-school group raised money to send water filters to Haiti, Kenya and the Philippines. Lexus also awarded eight $15,000 first-place awards, with the winners including high schools from California, Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania as well as middle schools from Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas. A special shout out goes to Daniel Boone Area High School in Birdsboro, PA, where students created an educational and public-relations campaign to publicize algae-based biofuels. In all, Lexus has doled out more than $4 million in Eco Challenge awards in seven years. Check out Lexus's press release below. Students Get Dollars and Sense in Lexus Eco Challenge - $500,000 Awarded to Teams Who Learn About Environment and Community Empowerment Two Grand Prize Teams Earn $30,000 Eight $15,000 First Place Awards Given to Innovative High School and Middle School Teams Students Bring Ideas to a Larger Audience and Make a Positive Impact on the World TORRANCE, Calif., (Feb. 24, 2014) – It's a win, win situation! Communities become a better place, and students, teachers and schools have the chance to share $500,000 in scholarships and grants through the Lexus Eco Challenge. This year, the $30,000 Grand Prize winners are the Pinelands Eco Scienteers from Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, and the E.T. Electrical Team from Byron Center, Michigan. The Lexus Eco Challenge is an educational program and contest that inspires and empowers young people to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. High school and middle school teams nationwide define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results.

2018 Lexus LC 500 | Drivers' Notes

The 2018 Lexus LC 500 is the latest and greatest sports coupe from Japan. The 471-horsepower luxury spaceship looks like something straight off the auto show floor. Few cars have made the transition from concept to production with so little change, and unsurprisingly, the LC gets plenty of attention. While sports cars are great on winding roads and flat-out around a racetrack, the compromises in pursuit of performance can show when you actually try to live with one every day. That said, a car that pulls at your heartstrings can be forgiven for a lot. Senior Green Editor John Beltz Snyder: On my night with the Lexus LC 500, I was tasked with picking up my toddler, Wolfgang, from daycare. I wondered if I'd even be able to shoehorn the child seat into the coupe's tiny rear row. I moved the front passenger seat up as far as it would go and folded it forward, unclipping the seat belt from the shoulder strap holding it in place. I was able to get the child seat in its rear-facing position (my son's not quite two years old), and was happy to see that the LC had latch brackets, which made installation a little easier. I had to leave the passenger seat moved up and leaning forward, but the child seat fit properly. When I escorted Wolfgang out of daycare and to his ride, he said "Crazy car, Papa." Then I had to climb in the rear seat on the driver's side to clip him in. Totally worth it, though. He loved the car, and wanted to check it out more completely when we got home. And the LC 500 got a lot of looks from other motorists. Rubberneckers slowed down to check out the car on Woodward, and lingered as they passed me on the highway. The one thing I couldn't share with them was the full song of the car's 5.0-liter V8. Only in a couple instances when I was alone on a clear, country road could I mash the right pedal to enjoy the throaty sound of the exhaust as the engine revved to the top. In regular traffic, with a 10-speed automatic transmission keeping the revs low, the sound is much more subdued. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: The LC 500 is one of the most drop-dead gorgeous cars I've driven this year. It's simply a stunner. The curves, the angles, and the creases all work in harmony to create the rare design that's busy yet also cohesive. Everything plays a role, even if it's a bit over the top. It attracts a lot of attention.