Despite higher gas prices and panic over Japan’s earthquake, and its subsequent effect on auto production, March 2011 was a positive month for the industry, with sales up 17 percent compared to the previous year. Among the Big 3, Ford managed to outsell General Motors for the first time in a year, with a 16...
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Hyundai‘s vice-chairman, Shin Jong-Woon unequivocally quashed rumors regarding a separate premium brand for Hyundai’s upscale vehicles, telling Automotive News “There are no plans for Hyundai to make a separate brand.” Hyundai spokesman Frank Ahrens elaborated on Jong-Woon’s comments, citing costs and branding difficulties as the main obstacles towards establishing a premium channel ala Lexus, Infiniti...
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Toyota has announced it will increase prices of its vehicles across the board by an average of 1.7 percent. The move comes not only in response to damages to it has sustained during the recent earthquake, but also due to the continued climb of the Yen. As a result, an entry level Yaris will see...
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Yesterday, we told you about the rising influence women of different ethnicities have when it comes to vehicle purchases. And now, R.L. Polk & Co. has released new information about the correlation between women and the Asian automakers. The Asian OEMs in question are Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, KIA, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru and Mazda,...
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New luxury vehicles tend to post exceptional sales within the first year or so of their introduction, only to taper off to more reasonable levels as the vehicle’s life cycle continues. Not so for the Porsche Panamera, a vehicle derided by Porsche loyalists that has gone on to be the brand’s best-selling vehicle. In 2010,...
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With possibly just enough parts available to build two-thirds of its popular Prius hybrid, on Tuesday Toyota resumed production of that car, plus the Lexus HS250h, and CT 200h hybrids. The assembly lines had been shut down following the Mar. 11 Japan earthquake, and resulting tsunami that is still causing trouble for the industry. A...
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As a part of a strategy to grow its presence with a younger demographic, Lexus will continue to showcase wildly modified versions of its CT200h hybrid hatchback, debuting the latest tuner creation at the New York Auto Show. Build by the team at Fox Marketing, the car promises a widebody kit and some sort of...
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And the findings of its most recent one (Spring 2011); indicated that of all automakers that sell cars and trucks in the US; the most improved in the mainstream category was Kia Motors.
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While a niche-market vehicle in North America, designed more to help rebrand the stale luxury marque than to create revenue, the CT200h is the car Lexus is counting on in Europe. At the vehicle’s launch at the Paris auto show, execs commented that they were expecting this one model to double the brand’s sales in...
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Lawyers for a group of plaintiffs in the Toyota unintended acceleration case are challenging a NASA report that found the automaker was not at fault for the alleged issues that led to a massive recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The plaintiffs lawyers filed papers in a California court last week stating they intend to disprove the...
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With a debut of the next-generation GS rumored for the New York Auto Show, Lexus has now confirmed as much, with the planned debut of the LF-Gh Concept in the Big Apple. The naming suggests the new luxury sedan will in fact be a hybrid, keeping true to the Lexus philosophy. And while Toyota uses...
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For the third year in a row Lexus has taken the top spot in J.D. Power’s annual Customer Service Index Study, which rates the satisfaction by owners and lessees of their dealership service department. On a 1,000 point scale, Lexus achieved 846 points, with Jaguar placing second at 837 and Cadillac third at 830 in...
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TrueCar.com released their rankings of the Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient vehicles in both the hybrid and non-hybrid category, an important distinction according to TrueCar, because “Hybrids offer great fuel economy but most don’t provide the value consumers are seeking.” The hybrid list is predictably topped by the Toyota Prius, followed by the Lexus CT200h...
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Toyota is planning big things for the NY Auto Show for its two sub-brands, Lexus and Scion. According to recent reports, Lexus will showcase an all-new version of its GS sedan in the Big Apple. There’s no word on if it will be a production model or a concept, but the car will be crucial...
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After the global economic collapse, compounded by a spate of major recalls and a general lack of new product, Toyota Motor Corporation has today announced a new Global Vision that puts the focus on developing the brand in emerging markets, while injecting more passion into its cars. Toyota also intends to continue to grow its...
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The population of hybrids is on the rise globally, and Toyota/Lexus seems to be leading the pack. While it might not be the only company that manufactures and sells hybrids, their models are by far the most popular. According to Toyota/Lexus, they have sold just over 3.03-million hybrid vehicles as of February 28, 2011. Since...
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It’s not too hard to remember the days when Buick was the butt of jokes, with many suggesting that Buick be killed off during the General Motors bankruptcy in 2008, rather than Pontiac. In a few short years, the fortunes of Buick have reversed spectacularly, and the brand is now the second most popular luxury...
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Not surprisingly, with so much at stake after last year’s success, Bacall and the JTGrey team will be looking to do well in each of these events.
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Hot on the heels of their Tokyo Auto Salon showing, Wald International has released a Black Bison Edition styling package for one of Japan’s top luxury sedans, the LS series from Lexus. To show off their new kit, Wald chose to use an LS600h as their demo vehicle, but promises that the Black Bison Edition...
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[vs-jwplayer movieid=”KzwnxXARVn0″ width=”640″ height=”390″ autoplay=”0″] For the first time at the Geneva Auto Show, Lexus had on display the very special Nurburgring Edition version of the LFA supercar. With the standard vehicle limited to only 500 units, just 50 of those will be Nurburgring edition models, sporting custom aerodynamics like a large front splitter, cannards...
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Anyone who was not comatose in 2009 remembers the Toyota unintended acceleration scandal, which saw millions of Toyota and Lexus products recalled due to what was eventually deemed to be a mismatch between floormats and the accelerator that could cause the pedal to stick. Now, Toyota is recalling a further 2.17 million cars and trucks...
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A show renowned for debuts of high-priced exotics, Lexus aims to show the folks from Maranello to Stuttgart just how it’s done over in Japan, debuting the LFA Nurburgring Edition at the Geneva Auto Show. And as luck would have it, Toyota’s luxury arm is previewing the supercar in an extensive new photo gallery –...
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Hoping to increase its IS 350C sales, Lexus has introduced a limited edition F Sport rendition with an MSRP of $55,120. The limited edition vehicle will only be available to 175 customers, featuring a selection of F Sport performance accessories, interior badging and red stitching. The special edition IS 350C comes in two shades, Starfire...
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The Lexus LFA has been on the auto show circuit for quite some time now and owners have even started to take delivery of their Japanese supercars, but what about that special Nurburgring edition? Announced several months ago, the limited edition LFA (just 50 of the 500) will make its first official appearance at the...
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