Lexus News
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You may recall that last month, we raised our eyebrows and scratched our head over the latest Lexus ad campaign, "The Darker Side of Green." The tagline, first unveiled at the 2010 New York Auto Show, turned out to be a teaser for the upcoming and unusual latest Lexus model, the 2011 CT 200h hybrid hatchback. That vaguely ominous message was the tagline for an interactive web video, Lexus Dark Ride. Last week, it was released in full, to somewhat less-than-stellar reviews. Social Car News, a new site in our growing High Gear Media family, says the video includes "one high-energy car-chase...
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Hybrid Range Rover Sport Coming In 2013, Previewed By New Range_e
Land Rovers have long been the definition of gas-guzzling SUVs that environmentalists love to hate--that may all be about to change, however. With the development of a hybrid vehicle, the automaker stands a good chance of becoming one of the greenest companies around. Land Rover’s pledge to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2010 Lexus HS 250h Luxury Hybrid Not Selling As Expected
Last summer, when we first drove the 2010 Lexus HS 250h luxury hybrid--and then did a full test drive--we were quite puzzled by it. Neither as fuel efficient as a hybrid nor as elegant and refined as other Lexus models, it seemed neither fish nor fowl. And in the end, while we appreciated its...
John Voelcker -
Green Car Roundup: Best & Worst of the 2010 New York Auto Show
Well, it's done. The public are streaming in, and the two media preview days of the 2010 New York Auto Show are over. It wasn't a hugely significant show, but clearly the apocalyptic meltdown that automakers were experiencing last year has lifted. Sales are starting to come back, slowly, and while...
John Voelcker -
NY Auto Show Puzzler: 'Darker Side of Green' = New Lexus Hybrid ??
Hmmmmmm. First Sarah Silverman, now "The Darker Side of Green." What exactly is going on with Lexus these days? The ominous message is the tagline for an interactive web video called, logically enough, Lexus Dark Ride. It'll be released May 13. "Young, energetic, tech-savvy" It's meant to attract...
John Voelcker -
Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid Hatch: U.S. Sales In Early 2011
A week before the New York Auto Show begins its media previews, Lexus has released more details on its CT 200h premium compact hybrid, which it says will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2011. Widespread reports (which we joined, unfortunately) had previously quoted a spokesman as saying Lexus had...
John Voelcker -
Well, when we get it wrong, we really get it wrong. Just yesterday, when we reviewed the new green production cars from the Geneva Motor Show, we said the new 2011 Lexus CT 200h compact hatchback hybrid would be restricted to Europe. Not so. This morning, Lexus dropped a press release saying the 2011 Lexus CT 200h would make its U.S. debut at the New York Auto Show, where media previews start four weeks from today. Despite U.S. buyers' traditional preference for sedans over hatchbacks, Lexus is betting that buyers will opt for luxury compact hatchbacks if they offer both sporty handling and...
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2010 Geneva Motor Show: New Green Production Cars
No, sadly, we're not at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, underway this week in Switzerland. But we've been keeping close tabs on the introductions via our colleagues throughout the High Gear Media network. Here's our list of the green cars shown at Geneva that are headed for production. Most of them...
John Voelcker -
2011 Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid To Debut In Geneva
Lexus Creates Another Hybrid That Looks More Like a Standard Car
Jonathan McGrew -
2011 Lexus CT 200h Hybrid Hatch: U.S. Buyers Need Not Apply
Much has been written about U.S. car buyers' aversion to hatchbacks, with many citing the relative sales of the Volkswagen Jetta four-door sedan over its five-door Golf counterpart. It appears Lexus has taken that attitude to heart. At next month's Geneva Motor Show, it will launch a new, dedicated...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Recall Guide: Sudden Acceleration & Brake Safety
Everything you need to know about the recalls affecting the 2010 Toyota Prius, and the 2004-2009 Prius too
John Voelcker -
RECALL: 2010 Toyota Prius, Lexus HS250h For ABS Software Update
As expected, Toyota has announced a recall for its 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS 250h models to update the anti-lock braking system (ABS) software. The new software improves the response time of the anti-lock system and alters its sensitivity to tire slippage. The update is intended to reduce...
John Voelcker -
It's long been known that hybrid buyers often choose them over luxury cars, and aren't buying them solely for the payback in gasoline savings. But a new Hybrid Scorecard, launched by the Union of Concerned Scientists, slams carmakers for inflating their prices by loading luxury into fuel-efficient hybrids, putting them out of reach to less affluent buyers. The Hybrid Scorecard is a guide to all 31 currently available hybrid vehicles from five carmakers: Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Nissan. It includes ratings on different criteria and an explanation of UCS's methodology in...
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Green Car Sales: Winners and Losers of 2009
It's beginning to look as if the worst is over for U.S. auto sales. The year that just closed was, in the immortal words of Queen Elizabeth II, an annus horribilis, with only 10.4 million vehicles sold, down 21 percent on 2008 and the lowest total since 1982. But some light seems to be appearing on...
John Voelcker -
How To Get 85 MPG In a 2010 Lexus HS 250h Hybrid: Go Downhill
You have to give corporate PR guys some credit when they publish an article on the astoundingly high mileage their car got in a road test, and then dismiss the whole thing as "silly and totally unscientific." That's what Lexus magazine auto editor Clark Heideger did. When a coworker got 47.4 miles...
John Voelcker -
EPA's Most Climate-Friendly Cars: All About Fuel Efficiency
The dirty little secrets of Top 10 lists are in the methodology, as Forbes found out with its weirdly inaccurate "10 Dirtiest Cars" list. (It's the end of the year, so it's time for a lot of Top 10s.) But we see no such problems in the EPA Green Vehicle Guide, which rates vehicles not only on...
John Voelcker -
Toyota to Debut New Hybrid Concept at NAIAS
Toyota has gained a considerable hybrid market share with the dedicated hybrid model the Prius. This single vehicle has outsold all other hybrid models and continues to set the standard for a dedicated hybrid. Toyota has been contempt with a single dedicated hybrid model for some time now. The...
Eric Loveday -
Lexus Sets Pricing for 2010 LS600h Hybrid
No manufacturer of automobiles has more hybrids in its lineup than Toyota. The company makes hybrid vehicles ranging from the budget friendly Toyota Prius on up to the Lexus LS 600h with numerous additional models in between. Though a Prius can be purchased for a little over $20,000, its big...
Eric Loveday -
Ford might need to upsize their trophy case for all the awards the new Fusion is winning. Just two weeks ago, the Fusion was awarded Motor Trend's golden calipers as the 2010 Car of the Year, beating out the Honda Insight, the Lexus HS 250h, and the Toyota Prius, among numerous others. Now Car and Driver has followed suit, recognizing the Fusion Hybrid as one of the 10 best cars for 2010 and not only for its eco-conscious virtues. Sure, the new hybrid is praised for its seamless, efficient powertrain, but it also excels where other hybrids have failed. The Fusion Hybrid is fun to drive, be it...
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Best Fuel Efficiency in the U.S.: 2010 Toyota Prius, at 50 MPG
Well, now it's official. The 2010 Toyota Prius offers the best gas mileage of any new car sold in the U.S. for the upcoming 2010 model year, with a blended EPA rating of 50 miles per gallon. The 2010 Prius had actually been rated at 50 mpg back in March, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...
John Voelcker -
Prius Patent Problems? Trade Panel to Investigate Infringement Claim
A U.S. trade panel has agreed to investigate claims that Toyota infringed privately held patents in designing its hybrid electric vehicles. Toyota is widely acknowledged to be the industry leader in hybrids, having sold more than 2 million globally since 1997. If the allegations are upheld by the...
John Voelcker -
ALERT: Largest Ever Toyota Recall of 3.8M Cars To Check Floor Mats
As reported earlier this afternoon on our sister site TheCarConnection.com, Toyota may will recall up to 3.8 million cars and pickup trucks to ensure that the floor mats on the driver's side are not interfering with the accelerator and brake pedals. It would will be the company's largest recall...
John Voelcker -
Lexus Releases More Details On The LF-Ch Hybrid Concept
If you like premium compact hatchbacks, Lexus has something for you - provided you live in Europe. As we've previously reported, Toyota's luxury brand will unveil their LF-Ch hybrid concept in a few days at the Frankfurt Motor Show and their most recent press release called our attention to some of...
Robert Scardino -
Lexus Unveils LF-Ch Full Frontal
This is the face of the Lexus LF-Ch hybrid concept and it will probably come in colors other than baby poop metallic. This premium compact designed to compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series will have its public debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept is a dramatic departure from...
Robert Scardino