Lexus announced a new special edition based on the IS350. The new F-Sport Special Edition will be limited to only 100 units, and will have a price of $57,500.

The IS 350C F-Sport will only be available in Tungsten Pearl or Obsidian exterior colors and is distinguished by: 19-inch forged alloy wheels, front and rear brake upgrade, F-Sport grille, Bilstein shock set, lowering springs, sway bar set, embroidered floor mats with F-Sport logo, leather-wrapped shift knob with F-Sport logo and exterior badging and an individually numbered badge on the center console.

Standard equipment includes: a seven-inch VGA touch-screen, Bluetooth® phonebook download capabilities, a rear back-up camera, Voice Command casual-language voice recognition system, Lexus Enform, XM® NavTraffic, XM® NavWeather, and XM® Sports and Stocks.

Press release after the jump.

Lexus IS 350C F-Sport Special Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 March 2010 08:30 EST.

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A fuel-efficient car that has two motors, an electric motor, and a gasoline-powered motor is known as Hybrid car. It has a special system, which captures braking energy to store in an onboard battery.

The combination of clean energy of the electrical motor and the power of the gas powered engine results in lower emissions gives improved mileage in hybrid cars. In comparison with the traditional cars with lesser CO, and other greenhouse gas emissions, hybrids are much cleaner and eco friendly.

The difference and uniqueness in the basic pattern of the hybrid car are the commencing advantages. Two energy sources are utilised in hybrid car for its movement. The cars, which are manufactured in such a way to combine the benefits of an internal incineration engine, and electrical motor, are the most popular hybrid cars in the market.

Major drawback, which the conventional cars were faced with, was the use of non-renewable energy gasoline, but the electrical cars rectified this disadvantage. The hybrid car can fix the complaints in both systems, and balance the use of electrical energy, and gasoline engine in their optimum level.

In the hybrid car, the electrical energy is used when driver starts the car and its low speed ranges, which will assist to impart a check to the tail pipe emissions. As the automobile is increasing, the world is facing threat of toxic pollutants and global warming due to their exhaust ingredients. The decrease in the tail pipe emission will be a huge advantage for the environment as well as the society. However, fuel engine will take up the transmission when the speed goes up since it is essential to attribute the swiftness for the drive. While the traffic stops and steep slopes, the electrical energy will be again turned on, which will help to reduce the gasoline usage. The lighter materials, aerodynamic design and smoother tyre will help for better energy consumption.

For the electrical battery charging the energy lost while braking is re channelled, and that is the most outstanding advantage of the hybrid cars, so separate energy for battery charging in not obligatory.

The most important feature of this car is the value that it carries with itself. If compared with the other cars, which you buy and drive the day you take your car out for a drive, your car loses its value, and its day-by-day usage only lead you towards depreciation, but these hybrid cars tend to keep their value much longer than the traditional ones. A study shows that Hybrid cars retain about 75% of their value over the period of five years, where traditional vehicles only maintain about 60% of their value of a five-year period.

An added great benefit of driving hybrid vehicles is that government offer a variety of incentives for those who are driving new hybrid vehicles. Now, you can also avail the tax credits when purchasing a hybrid vehicle, but of course, the amount of credit will depend on the value of your hybrid vehicle. Open HOV lanes, and even discounted, or free parking are the other government incentives for hybrid cars.

Browse the Lexus range of Hybrid Cars and book a test drive online, visit the Lexus website for more information.

Straighten out your bank accounts, fellas. Lexus has officially announced the US pricing for the LF-A supercar.
The magic number to bring home one of the most eagerly-anticipated supercars in recent memory is $375,000, and if you have that kind of money to spare for an LF-A, you also avail for yourself the privilege of choosing between 3 different configurations, 30 exterior colors, six brake caliper colors, and 12 interior colors.

The Lexus LFA is powered by a 4.8-liter V10 engine that generates 552 hp at 8,700 rpm and 354 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 6,800 rpm. The engine is mated to a unique six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) with paddle shifters that enables ultra-quick gear shifts (0.2 seconds) with four driving modes – AUTO, SPORT, NORMAL and WET for exceptional versatility.

The supercar accelerates from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 202 mph. Production is set to begin in December of this year so that should give all of you ample time to ring up your piggy banks and save as much money as you can because chances are, when you do buy an LF-A, you’re going to need as much of what’s left in your account for, you know, the rest of your life.

Press release after the jump.

Lexus LFA Supercar priced at $375,000 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 February 2010 02:30 EST.

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When it comes supercars like the Lexus LF-A, it’s hard to get extremely tired of it. So despite the fact that we’ve seen videos of the LF-A blazing around a racing circuit, we still get worked up when a new video of the car comes out.

This one, courtesy of the folks from EVO, has the LF-A doing what it does best out on the road. Once again, it’s Chris Harris – boy, that guy is lucky – sitting behind the wheel of the supercar. As drives the LF-A, he tries his best to describe how the car reacts out on the road and judging by the giddiness awe-struck look on his face as he brings the LF-A up to pace, we’re guessing that he’s enjoying the ride immensely.

Video: EVO takes the Lexus LF-A out on the road originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 21 February 2010 09:10 EST.

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After we have seen the Lexus LF-Ch concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Japanese company will bring the production version in March at the Geneva Motor Show. It will be called CT 200h and will be the first, and only, full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment.

The new CT 200h will feature the second generation Lexus Hybrid Drive technology – a full hybrid system with advanced powertrain technology that delivers an unprecedented combination of fuel economy, low emissions and performance.

Press release after the jump.

Lexus CT 200h originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 12 February 2010 06:34 EST.

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With Toyota embroiled in the biggest crisis in company history, you’d figure that there’s no way to go but up for the embattled auto giant. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Toyota’s problems are far from over.

After already recalling an estimated 8 million vehicles over sticky accelerator, a new problem has arisen from a number of Toyota units, forcing the Japanese-based automaker to recall about 437,000 more units of the Toyota Prius, the Lexus HS 250h, and the Toyota Sai.

What makes is worse for Toyota is that the recall of these units is completely different from the over 9 million vehicles that Toyota has previously recalled. While those cars suffered from sticky accelerators pedals, this latest batch consisting mostly of Prius and Lexus HS 250h models involve “inconsistent braking during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the ABS is activated in an effort to maintain traction.”

It may sound a little too complicated at first but the bottom line is that these cars have a very serious braking problem, which could end up leading to fatal accidents down the road. While accidents stemming from this problem have been minimal, Toyota isn’t taking any more chances in making irreparable damage to its already hard-hit reputation.

Toyota’s recalled cars ballons to 10 million; adds Prius and Lexus HS 250h to the list originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 16:00 EST.

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The Lexus LF-A has already established itself as one of the fastest machines in the world, but judging from the reception it’s gotten in its native land, the LF-A is just as fast in selling out. Reports out of Japan says that Lexus’ new supercar is becoming such a must-have that all 165 units of the car allotted for the Land of the Rising Sun have already been tagged faster than anyone would have ever expected.

Unlike the agreement in this side of the world – Lexus won’t be selling LF-As in North America, but rather will be leasing them to prospective customers – the LFAs in Japan are as free game as sushi on a Saturday night. That means that if you’re a wealthy Japanese with enough dough in tow, you can make an outright purchase of this 500-off supercar for a price of 37.5 million Yen – roughly around $410,000.

Now that 165 of the LFAs have all but been gobbled up, it remains to be seen how fast the remaining 335 cars will be snatched up. Suffice to say, it’s looking like Lexus’ new supercar is just as fast off the track as it is on it.

Lexus LF-A already sold out in Japan originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 15 January 2010 11:00 EST.

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Like for the IS sedan, Lexus will also unveil an F version for the GS luxury sedan. Even if previous rumors said Lexus dropped the idea of a GS-F sedan, it seems that the car is still under development and we can see it this year. It will compete with models like Audi RS6, BMW M5, Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes E63 AMG.

The Japanese magazine Best Car even speculates that the future GS-F will be powered by the same 4.8-liter V10 engine as the LF-A supercar. For the supercar the engine deliver a total of 553HP at 8,700 rpm and 480Nm or 354 lb-ft of torque at 6,800 rpm, and it is believed that for the GS-F will be kept in the same 550 hp area.

Future Lexus GS-F could get LF-A’s V10 Engine originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 30 December 2009 11:00 EST.

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In an effort to gain more mainstream exposure for the LF-A, Lexus has released the first commercial of the new supercar. In a nutshell, the ad highlights the engineering and racing exploits of the LF-A, a car that the company has described as a car for “emotional sports”.

The voice-over is in Japanese so we couldn’t quite figure out what he was saying. Nevertheless, the photos and the video clips pretty much summed up what the commercial is trying to relay.

Needless to say, the commercial’s treatment was pretty impressive and one particular – the one where the LF-A was taking a hot lap at the Fuji Racing Speedway with Mt. Fuji in the backdrop – was equally top-notch, at least as far as were concerned.

Video: Lexus’ first LF-A commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 21 December 2009 10:00 EST.

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