Navigation Mark Levinson Power Top Florida Owned Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Award-winning Lexus Sport Yacht to get a production successor

Imagine driving along a coastal road in the evening sun, listening to Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald or some other very smooth singer usually associated with the tag "Yacht Rock". Perhaps a Lexus coupe could very well suit that soft rock mental imagery, with "Sailing" playing from its Mark Levinson audio as you cruise down the road in a laid-back fashion. But you could in fact be sailing in a Lexus-branded boat, too. Revealed a year ago, the Lexus Sport Yacht isn't just a badge-engineering job: it was created by Lexus Design, engineered by Toyota's Marine Division and built by the Wisconsin-based boat manufacturer Marquis-Larson Boat Group. The one existing example has just now been honored at the Yokohama International Boat Show, by Japan's Boat of the Year committee. As Toyota's Executive Vice President Shigeki Tomoyama accepted the award, he also announced production plans for a globally sold Lexus Yacht. "Based on our amazing experiences in engineering, building, testing and showing the Lexus Sport Yacht concept last year, we've decided to take the next bold step of producing an all-new larger yacht that builds on the advanced nature of the concept while adding more comfort and living space," Tomoyama said. "We plan to start sales in the U.S. in the latter half of 2019, with sales in Japan following in the spring of 2020." The new, 65-foot yacht will be built in partnership with Marquis-Larson, and more details of it will be revealed later. Related Video:

2016 Lexus RX First Drive [w/video]

There is no more important model line to Lexus than the RX. Year to date, with a replacement on the way, the RX accounts for 28 percent of the brand's sales. It's the undisputed champ of the midsize luxury SUVs, nearly outselling BMW's entire SUV lineup. So when it came time to push a significant update to its best-seller, Lexus put the whole of its engineering might into the challenge. The 2016 RX represents the very best that Lexus is capable of, specifically when its spindle-shaped grille is pointed at its core audience. Starting with the basics, Lexus increased the exterior dimensions. Wheelbase grows just under two inches while overall length goes up by five. But overall interior space remains exactly the same at 139.7 cubic feet. Rear-seat passengers get extra space – head, hip, and legroom all nudge up slightly for 2016 – but it comes at the expense of cargo area, at least on paper. Whereas the 2015 RX offered as much as 80.3 cubic feet of storage space with the rear seats folded, the 2016 model cuts that by a quarter to 56.3 cubes. Lexus representatives say that cargo space is up, and the numerical reduction is due to different measurement methods. The 450h's cargo area is smaller by a negligible half cubic foot due to the location of the car's battery pack. The new RX looks seriously chiseled. RX buyers and their friends enjoying the more spacious back seat are going to look considerably more stylish in 2016. The new RX looks seriously chiseled, with sides creased and cut to the point that there's hardly any flat surfaces. It's hard to pick favorite details, but we really like the upward-kick of the rocker panel. At the front lives Lexus' ubiquitous spindle grille, more exaggerated than ever before and rimmed by a strip of thick chrome. Sharp lines dominate the rest of the fascia, from the slit-like headlights to the arrowhead-shape that surrounds the fog lamps. There is a premium lighting package that includes LED lamps everywhere not to mention awesome sequential turn signal indicators in the taillights. UPDATE: It turns out the awesome sequential turn signal indicators aren't going to be available in the United States, which is a big bummer. If the floating roof looks familiar, that's because you've seen it on the Nissan Murano. Somehow the massive proportions of the trademark Lexus grille is not the most controversial styling element of the new RX.

Lexus RC F sets the pace Down Under

A few months back we reported that Lexus was considering competing in V8 Supercars, Australia's premier touring-car series. And while it might not be ready to launch a campaign of its own, the Japanese luxury automaker has done the next-best thing. Starting this season, the Lexus RC F will serve as the series' official safety car. The eight-cylinder muscle coupe appears to be mechanically unmodified, as it is apparently suitable to the task right out of the showroom. It has, however, been enhanced with a special livery, emergency lighting and an interior likely to have been upgraded with bucket seats, racing harnesses, a roll cage and emergency equipment. The RC F safety car will be joined by an IS 350 F Sport that'll serve as the medical car and another GS 350 F Sport support vehicle, giving Lexus a strong presence on the circuit Down Under and potentially paving the way for a competitive assault on the series in the near future. Aussie racing fans can expect to see the trio on the track starting with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide later this month. It won't be the first time we've seen Lexus provide a safety car in Australia, but it's a definite step up in profile from the GS 350 that has served for the past few years at the same Sydney Motorsport Park where this trio was launched. 06 February 2015 LEXUS ROARS INTO V8 SUPERCARS WITH RC F SAFETY CAR The Lexus high powered performance RC F coupe will feature as V8 Supercars' official Safety Car in 2015 as part of a new partnership between the Japanese luxury marque and V8 Supercars, Australia's premier motorsport series. A Lexus GS 350 F Sport and an IS 350 F Sport will also be on track as the championship's official course and medical cars as part of the new agreement. The RC F, which is equipped with a 5.0-litre V8 that produces 351kW of power and 530Nm of torque, will feature at each of the 15 V8 Supercars Championship events in 2015 alongside the GS 350 F Sport and IS 350 F Sport. Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley said the partnership with V8 Supercars was a fitting match for the brand. "V8 Supercars is the world's leading touring car series and our involvement as supplier of vehicles reflects the new energy in our brand and our dynamic model lines," Mr Hanley said.