Tag Archives: lexus

Only Nissan of Japanese Big Three Grows with Overall Auto Market in February. Toyota and Honda Lag Industry Slightly

Nissan North America reported record February U.S. sales of 106,731 units versus 92,370 units a year earlier, making for an increase of 15.5% over last February’s record total. Toyota Motor Sales moved 159,423 vehicles in February for a 12.4% increase in volume. American Honda reported February 2012 monthly new-vehicle sales of 110,157, an increase of almost 13%.

Since the overall light vehicle sales market grew by 16%, only Nissan actually kept pace with the slow recovery in auto sales that saw the best February since 2008, although Nissan also has the highest incentives in the group. Economic indicators – from consumer confidence to the stock and job markets, are showing the best results in four years. This is good news for automakers since sales are off to their strongest start industry-wide since 2008 at a strong seasonally adjusted annual selling rate or SAAR of 13.3 million light vehicles.

The difference among the Japanese Big Three was more pronounced in the higher-margin luxury segment. As usual, Lexus easily led the way with almost 17,000 luxury cars and trucks, followed by Acura at 11,000 and Infiniti at 9,000 vehicles. Continue reading

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Lexus LF-LC 2+2 Sport Coupe revealed. Sort of…

In November, the Lexus Division of Toyota reported total sales of 19,458 units, up 6.7% year-over-year, the best month since March, the month of the infamous tsunami. With Lexus attempting to regain it’s top selling luxury brand spot in the U.S. that it lost this year to the Germans post tsunami, look for LF-LC to appear sooner rather than later. Continue reading

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NAIAS – Acura, Lexus, Honda Will be Out in Force in Detroit

Acura announced today that it will show three all-new vehicles at the 2012 North American International Auto Show – NAIAS – including a compact sports sedan, a redesigned RDX crossover sport utility vehicle, and a concept version of the next generation Acura NSX super car. Honda, Toyota and Lexus will also have strong new vehicles. Continue reading

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GM Plans Four World Debuts at NAIAS. Where is Bob Lutz?

“ATS enters the biggest market segment in the global luxury car industry, both in terms of volume and importance,” said Barra.

No kidding. ATS better be good when it appears next fall.

But when I asked what GM consultant Bob Lutz was doing these days, Barra said she was trading e-mails with him about getting Lutz to drive a new Chevy Sonic, which has been on sale globally for a couple of years. While Barra called Lutz an “automotive rock star,” there was no hint in her brief response that she was spending any time with Lutz. Continue reading

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Happy New Year – BMW Ups U.S. Prices and Delivery Fees

Year-to-date, U.S. sales of the BMW brand are up 12.9% at 199,552 compared to 176,736 sold in the first ten months of 2010. BMW is on track to displace Lexus as the number one Luxury brand in the U.S. because of Toyota’s earthquake induced production disruptions. Continue reading

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Toyota Recall Active on 420,000 Lexus and Toyota V6 Models

Toyota Motor Sales today announced that it will conduct a safety recall involving approximately 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine. No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles or these Toyota models with 4 cylinder engines are involved. Continue reading

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Lexus 2013 GS 350 Debuts at Pebble Beach

The 2013 Lexus GS changes from previous rounded Lexus designs by way of its more angular sculpted exterior. Lexus said it will lead the rest of the lineup in an “entirely new direction” that appears derivative of front and rear themes developed by Ford of Europe, Audi, BMW and Cadillac. Overall, the new GS sheet metal represents a “significant extension of the Lexus L-finesse philosophy that is the core of all Lexus product design,” according to Lexus. Continue reading

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Lexus LF-Gh Hybrid Concept Debuts at 2011 New York Show

The Lexus luxury brand of Toyota Motor Sales today said that the LF-Gh hybrid concept will make its world debut at the 2011 New York International Auto Show.

The LF-Gh, which stands for Lexus Future Grand Touring Hybrid, “sets out to redefine the premium grand touring sedan,” Lexus said in a statement. LF-Gh is likely the replacement for the current and unsuccessful Lexus GS sedan, whose 1100 unit sales year-to-date are off 35%. Continue reading

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Toyota Raises U.S. Prices as Yen Strengthens from Earthquake

The huge amounts of money going back to Japan has caused the Japanese Yen to strengthen as it now is trading well below ¥90:$1. Current Japanese automaker business plans were set and 96 Yen to the U.S. Dollar, and at that rate executives said profitability was a struggle. Continue reading

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General Motors, Toyota Post Huge February Sales Gains as SAAR Soars to 13.4 Million. Ford and Chrysler Losing Ground?

U.S. vehicle sales in February jumped to a surprising 13.4 million units on a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) as easier credit, liberal incentives and rising truck sales boosted the market. The clear winners were a resurgent General Motors and … Continue reading

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Accelerator Pedal Recall Causes More Lexus and Toyota Recalls! Technicians Did Not Correctly Replace the Carpeting. Original Recall Now Expanded to Include More Toyota Vehicles

Why owners should trust technicians to correctly perform a second modification is a question that will surely be debated. Continue reading

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Toyota Recalls Lexus GS 300, 350, IS 250, IS 350 Cars for Fuel Leaks and Possible Fires

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. today announced a safety recall of approximately 245,000 Lexus models because a leaking fuel pressure sensor that could cause a fire.

Toyota Motor Corporation is also conducting a larger recall outside the U.S. for a similar safety defect involving 1.3 million vehicles to fix a different fuel delivery pipe and a high pressure fuel pump check valve. TMC’s recall announcement does not involve vehicles sold in North America. Continue reading

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Lexus Commercial Suspends Five Cars from Crane

Lexus has debuted a new commercial, titled Chain, which links five vehicles on cables and suspends them from a crane.

Shot on the runway of an airport, a crane is used to lift Lexus after Lexus until five – an LS, RX, GS, ES and IS – are suspended in midair nose to end. Finally, an LFA parks directly below the chain of vehicles. The voiceover says, “The hard way is how Lexus inspires absolute confidence. The hard way is the pursuit of perfection.”
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Detroit Three Continue to Trail Import Brands on Customer Retention Rates. Conquest Rates Are Up Slightly

While customer retention rates among Detroit Three brands as a whole have improved slightly from 2009, domestic makers still trail import brands when an existing vehicle owner considers purchasing the same brand again. Continue reading

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