According to WorldCarFans – When Lexus announced the LFA last year, the Japanese automaker said it would only be available to customers in the United States by lease. The rationale behind the decision was that Lexus didn’t want customers to turn around and sell the limited series model for a profit to another buyer. Only after the two-year lease was up could they buy the car outright. And that two-year lease’s monthly payments? Zero. You just have to pay $300,000 up front.

Customers in the U.S. can indeed purchase the car but, for the next 2 years, can only sell it back to the dealer for the original sticker price or its fair market value, whichever is lower. If the owner sells the LFA privately without first giving the buyback option to the dealer, then the dealer is owed whatever profit is made on the sale plus legal fees.

We think it is safe to say that Lexus really loves their LFA roadster – that or they foreign auto maker has completely lost its mind. Full asking price for a US-Spec Lexus LFA is $375,000.

The document seen here references the Noncompliance Information Report filed by Lexus with NHTSA. It details the substantial difference between what Lexus found in its own testing and what NHSTA’s tests returned.

“Our testing of (the HS250h) shows that we’re in full compliance with the fuel system integrity standard, although NHTSA tests showed that we’re not, so we’re working to intensely to duplicate the non-conformity that NHTSA identified, and to determine the reasons behind the different results,” said Brian Lyons, Toyota Safety Communications.

The voluntary recall places a stop sale on all dealer vehicles and advises consumers to call with their concerns. What it doesn’t do is lay out a fix for the problem, which is reminiscent of the fuel spillage issue Ford faced with the Pinto in the mid-1970s.

This is the second safety issue for the HS250h in the last six months, it was also recalled in February because of inconsistent brake feel under certain conditions.

See more at The Dark Side of Green – which features special effect and acting we haven’t seen since the days of Sega CD.

LEXUS HYBRID TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN INNOVATION ADVANCE ON TWO WHEELS

Introducing the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle Concept

Lexus has established itself as an industry leader in bringing advanced technologies to the premium car market. Now it has applied the same thinking on a smaller scale to create the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle, a design concept the captures the fundamental engineering and design values of the brand, but with two wheels rather than four.

In every aspect this is Lexus, from the L-finesse design language of the engaging and elegant frame, to the application of hybrid power, an electric eight-speed transmission and lightweight carbon fibre construction.

Lexus has brought what is one of the only two examples in existence to the UK for the first time, following the bicycle’s debut at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. Its arrival coincides with the announcement of Lexus’s title sponsorship of the Great British Bike Ride, a four-day charity fun ride that will see hundreds of cyclists following a course from Land’s End to the home of English rugby at Twickenham.

Lexus has pioneered high performance, low emissions and optimum fuel efficiency with its full hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain technology. The Hybrid Bicycle adopts similar principles, with the pedal power of the rider boosted by assistance to the front wheel from a 240W electric motor, via a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery, with a choice of Eco or Power modes. And, as with Lexus Hybrid Drive, there is an energy regeneration function that helps recharge the battery by capturing kinetic energy generated under braking.

The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle has all-wheel drive, by means of a belt system. It is equipped with an electric eight-speed Shimano internal gear system, which references the sophisticated eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission of Lexus’s LS 600h limousine. The carbon fibre construction shares the same light-but-strong composite materials technology that was used on Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP-winning motorcycle.

There are no current plans for the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle to become a production model.

Here is the Consumer Reports Lexus Safety Test video, which shows how the rear end of their all new 2010 Lexus GX460 can swerve out of control.

Consumer Reports has judged the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV a Don’t Buy: Safety Risk because of a problem we experienced during our standard emergency-handling tests. When pushed to its limits on our track’s handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control.

We believe that in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death. We are not aware, however, of any such reports.

In real-world driving, lift-off oversteer could occur when a driver enters a highway’s exit ramp or drives through a sweeping turn and encounters an unexpected obstacle or suddenly finds that the turn is too tight for the vehicle’s speed. A natural impulse is to quickly lift off the accelerator pedal. If that were to happen in the GX, the rear could slide around far enough that a wheel could strike a curb or slide off the pavement.

Source: Consumer Reports

The ridiculously over-priced Lexus LFA supercar is now available for lease at certain Lexus Dealerships – for the low monthly cost of $12,400. Who says the economy has gone down the crapper?

Interest in LFA has grown since its road show stints, so now Lexus will lease, not sell, the $375,000 LFA supercar. But we hear they’ll take one low cash payment of $298,000. Is that all?!

Want to review the intense leasing process for Lexus LFA? We know you do:

Step One: If you’ve lodged interest in the LFA, you might be contacted between March and June and given the chance to buy a place on the list. You’ll then have 10 days to put your name on said list.

Step Nine: Still interested in owning one? Well, at the end of 24 months, it’s all yours for the low, low price of $93,750.

Source: Jalopnik

Buick takes home the gold in affordability and having changed the most – but with Lexus ES, why change what’s so good?

A 2010 Lexus ES 350 remains a staple of Lexus engineering. With a $31,000-34,800 starting price tag it’s a great way to not drop $50K for a luxury automobile. ES 350 contains a six-speed auto tranny with 3.5 liter engine, and Horsepower reaching 272 at 6200 RPM’s. EPA for city & highway max out at around 19/27 MPG – much better then the LaCrosse, with only 17/26 respectively.

Reports state the Lexus handles like a dream – under the hood its power plant keeps quiet when taking hard turns and reaching top RPM’s.

ES 350 contains almost a dozen separate airbags and other safety features. Lexus also doesn’t seem to be suffering from the Toyota recall hell going on at their parent company.

Motor Trends official verdict was for Buick, for having changed the most over the years. Our verdict – what do you think? The Lexus outshines domestics in our opinion, and again – if it’s not broken, why change/fix it?

Source: Motor Trend

According to these leaked details, the hybrid is based on the LF-Ch concept shown at the Frankfurt show in 2009. It comes complete with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder VVT-i gas (petrol, as they say over the pond) engine. It also includes a “magnet synchronous electric motor.” Fancy, no? Nickel-metal hydride is used for the high voltage battery, while power is sent to the front by electrically-controlled variable transmission, or E-CVT.

As far as design goes, the car remains an aerodynamic five-door like its previous concept. It has “sporty overhangs at the front and back, and a well-placed rear spoiler.” Compared to the Prius, at 4,320mm long, the car is 140mm shorter than the Toyota Prius. Lexus CT 200h is 1,765mm wide by 1,430mm high; 20mm x 50mm less than the Prius.

This leak may be a good thing for Lexus after all – demand is high for CT 200h, surpassing the announced 500 units set to be produced already.

Source: WorldCarFans

WORLD DEBUT FOR LEXUS CT 200h AT GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

KEY POINTS

* World-first appearance of the Lexus CT 200h
* First and only full hybrid model in the premium compact segment
* New gateway model to progressive luxury and the Lexus brand

Six months after revealing the LF-Ch concept, Lexus is set to unveil its new CT 200h model at the Geneva motor show.

Created for motorists who want to lower their emissions, but not their standards, the CT 200h will be the first full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment. It will offer new levels of refinement, sophistication and attention to detail, without compromising style or driving pleasure.

Equipped with second-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive technology, the CT 200h reinforces Lexus’s hybrid power leadership in the premium market, joining the established RX 450h, GS 450h and LS 600h models to create an unprecedented range of full hybrid vehicles.

The critically acclaimed Lexus LFA supercar will also be on show at Geneva, just ahead of the initial order period for the model coming to a close.

Andy Pfeiffenberger, Vice President Lexus Europe, will host a press conference on Stand 4211 in Hall 4 at 4.45pm on 2 March.