Hasta La Gadget!

The folks at Lexus have brought on another fabulous concept car in the LF-CC, coming at you in full how sharp action at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. This vehicle brings on much of the excellence that the LF-LC showed at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, this time as a mid-sized coupe with more compact rear-wheel drive. This vehicle works with a bold L-finesse design language and has some wild grille mesh and a deep low front spoiler to keep your beast of a concept pulled in close to the road.

The broad low fenders here on the LF-CC are shaped in a way that’s aerodynamically sound, made to manage the flow of air to the engine bay and front brakes. The convex curve of the bonnet works with a roofline that peaks toward the rear of the cabin, all of this made to keep wind emphasis on the vehicle’s rear-wheel drive powertrain. This vehicle’s whole body is pronounced much up front much more than the rear, here “reinforcing the concentration of vehicle weight over the driven wheels”, as Lexus notes, for maximum traction.

Airflow fins regulate the flow from the underside of the car and upwards through the rear wheel arch. The fin merges with the falling roofline together in a the spoiler on the back, this “fusing” design and aerodynamic elements in a lovely display of power. The entire vehicle is finished in a Fluid Titanium color with metallic finish.

This vehicle works with an all-new 2.5 litre hybrid powertrain, mind you, with low CO2 emissions aimed at below 100 g/km. This powertrain will bring on no more than 2 hp produced per gram of CO2, and works with a new smooth 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine with a high-output water-cooled permanent magnet electric motor. This new hybrid powertrain will indeed be appearing in Lexus’ future model range quite soon, too.

Inside the vehicle you’ve got a dashboard with an upper Display Zone and a lower Operation Zone. The first zone shows a multi-display screen for at-a-glance viewing while the second allows access to a shift lever and touch tracer display – just what you always wanted. Stick around here on SlashGear for more on this lovely vehicle as it continues Lexus’ legacy of lovely concepts through the future.

[via Lexus]

Lexus LF-CC Concept Car slices the eyes at Paris Motor Show is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Lexus has officially unveiled 2013 LS series luxury sedans at a world premiere event held in San Francisco this week. The 2013 LS line includes the LS 460, LS 460L, LS 600hL hybrid, and the LS 460 F Sport. The 2013 model year is the first time and LS 460 F Sport model has been offered. The standard LS 460 and the LS 460L are both offered in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and the LS Hybrid is only offered with full-time all-wheel drive.

To me the most interesting of the new models is the LS 460 F Sport that offers a more aggressive exterior and a unique sport interior with special F Sports seats that feature larger bolsters and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Behind the leather, steering wheel are paddle shifters for the transmission and lots of genuine aluminum trim. The F Sport also has a sport tuned air suspension lowered 0.4 inches and has a Torsen limited slip rear differential on rear-wheel drive versions of the car.

The F Sport is also fitted with Brembo six-piston brake calipers and 19-inch forged wheels shod in summer or all-season tires. On the outside and the car has a very attractive design, but the interior of the car is where you can tell Lexus spent a lot of its design effort. The interior is very beautiful. The 2013 LS series has increased body rigidity, which enhances the car stability and offers a more comfortable ride. The car also has new pitch and bounce control in the suspension for flatter cornering stability.

The car also features new safety equipment, including Pre-Collision Safety system with Collision Avoidance Assist. The system will brake the LS series to a stop at speeds lower than 24 mph to help avoid accidents. Inside the car, the navigation system gets a 12.3-inch split screen high-resolution multimedia display that can display a large map and other vehicle functions at the same time. Pricing and availability for the 2013 LS line is unannounced at this time.

Lexus unveils 2013 LS 460 F Sport luxury car is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Toyota can’t seem to catch a break from cars that are desperate to accelerate, with the Japanese company recalling a further 144,000 vehicles after spotting issues with mats jamming the gas pedal. Two models of 2010 Lexus SUV – including Toyota’s hybrid version – have been added to an existing recall over concerns that the floor mats could inadvertently cause the accelerator pedal to jam.

The 2010 Lexus RX 350 and the 2010 Lexus RX 450h – amounting to approximately 131,800 vehicles and 22,200 vehicles respectively – are the cars in question. Owners should expect a safety recall notification by first class mail in early August 2012, Toyota says.

This latest batch of cars adds to hundreds of thousands of existing Lexus recalls for the same floor mat accelerator issue. Back in February 2011, Toyota voluntarily recalled around 20,000 2006 and early 2007 GS 300 and GS 350 AWD sedans so as to modify the plastic pad set into the carpet around the accelerator.

At the same time, it also recalled around 760,000 earlier RX models, and added a further 1.4m cars from its Lexus and Toyota stables – including RAV4 and 4Runner models – to a 2009 recall for a similar mat issue.

Toyota says that, if Lexus owners experience a problem with a stuck accelerator before the recall amendments can be made, drivers should brake and guide the car to the side of the road, putting it into neutral.

144k Lexus recall adds to Toyota’s stuck-accelerator woes is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.