I always like Edmund’s head-to-head comparisons. This time around, they pit two luxury cars against each other. One being the upstart in the new 2009 Hyundai Genesis (the budget Korean luxury car) and one of the mainstays of the luxury car market in the 2008 Lexus GS 350.

For this comparison, Inside Line pitted the GS 350 powered by a 2.5L V6 dishing out 303 horses, which puts the Lexus at a disadvantage compare to the range-topping 4.6L V8 Genesis that produces 375 hp. Makes you wonder why they didn’t choose a more powerful GS like the 430 that sports a 4.3 L V8.

Interesting take in the video:

Next year’s Detroit auto show will see a whole lot of new designs and concepts and Toyota is targeting the January show to be their venue to debut two all-new hybrids for next year. However, this just wouldn’t be a simple expansion of the Prius line as one of the hybrids will be a Lexus, the other, the third-generation Prius.

No word yet on when exactly Toyota will be placing these new hybrids even if clamor for purchasing these green cars are at an all-time high. No revolutionary changes in the technology (don’t expect plug-ins yet) as both are to run with nickel-metal hydride batteries though the new Prius will be a larger vehicle.

This hybrid race is also shaping up to be one tough fight as other auto makers are scrambling their development and production teams to claim a piece of this ripe market. Honda has announced that it will create four hybrid models and see them through production. Nissan is also developing its own hybrid offerings.

Source: Autoweek

I love op-eds. Robert Farago over at The Truth About Cars explores the possibility that the Lexus LF-A will be nothing but a brand killer. So will the LF-A be just that for Lexus? Will it be the next lemon of the motoring world?

Let’s remember the reason for existence of the LF-A. Toyota wants to build its first proper supercar and marketing it under the Toyota badge seems to be off. So they decided that the car will sport their luxury badge - Lexus. But taking a good look at the current Lexus fleet, it still does seem to be a bit off.

Farago makes an excellent point. With a price tag of $225K, it still double the next car down the luxury line. And the car isn’t shaping up to be a real proper supercar. By the numbers, the Nissan GT-R still proves to be the better alternative for a “super” car from Japan. And the GT-R is almost a third of the LF-A’s price tag. But internally, what does the LF-A have to offer that would justify the doubling of the price for the IS-F?

Still, public reception will ultimately be the benchmark for the LF-A’s success. Will it bolster Lexus’ image? We’ll see.

Now this might really spell bad news for Toyota. With speculations running around that the Nissan GT-R might just give Toyota’s first supercar real competition with all the performance numbers, Nissan might as well give Toyota a real run for its money. The price of the Lexus LF-A is pegged at over $200k compared to the GT-R’s $69850 starting MSRP.

For the LF-A to command such a price, it must be able to trump the GT-R in many aspects (if not all). Not only that. Even if Toyota is actually gunning for the European automakers, the price tag is still more than what one would pay for a Gallardo or an F430. The irony is that, so far, the LF-A isn’t shaping up to be a mad machine that Clarkson et al would describe as “bonkers.”

Now this announcement should turn people’s eyes towards the 24 hour Nurburgring race in a couple of days. Whether the race-type LF-A mule performs amazingly or not will affect how this whole Toyota supercar brouhaha turns out.

Source: Inside Line

More on the Lexus LF-A with this one. It’s nice to see the LF-A back in action again though its brief disappearance seems to have created the notion that Toyota got scared of the Nissan GT-R when it posted a sub-7:40 laptime around the ‘Ring - notches quicker than the fastest time the LF-A has ever posted.

The LF-A now sports a few new additions to the car with the carbon-fiber bits and fixed wing preparing for a 24-hour run in the Nurburgring this May. Hear the 5.0L scream as it zooms by.

So a lot of us were wondering whatever happened to the Lexus LF-A. After tireless months of running around the Nurburgring, it mysteriously disappeared. That even led to speculations that the LF-A got scared of the Nissan GT-R. But just last week, a race-ready LF-A prototype was spied doing laps around the ‘Ring.

A recent announcement from the folks working on it is that they will be entering a team in the 24-hour Nurburgring race for development and test purposes. Toyota isn’t expecting for them to win the race but running it would give them more perspective on how to pursue their goal of making the LF-A their first proper sports car.

It’s nice to see Toyota trying to play this nice and slow making sure that they won’t be shamed by the GT-R and its upcoming beast of a V-Spec variant. The issue is, all this rehashing and pursuit of perfection should not disappoint. While this spells good for the pursuit of great engineering, this could prove to be an utter disappointment if it won’t even get at par with the Nissan GT-R.

The new LF-A that hit the ‘Ring was spied sporting a fixed wing and aerodynamic panel bits.

Source: Leftlane News

Motor Trend has this great op-ed on the possibility of Toyota running scared of the Nissan GT-R. It takes into perspective the development of the Lexus LF-A which has been in development over past years and had been undergoing tests around the Nurburgring. Then, after the GT-R took its test laps around the ring, the LF-A mules mysteriously disappeared.

So is this a sign that Toyota went back to the drawing board after observing the GT-R. Well, probably. The GT-R has proven itself to be and Toyota wanted to make the LF-A its first proper sports car. Now how can Toyota, with all its might and glory, take second best to the GT-R, right? Pride, man. Pride.

Buzz had it that the LF-A was to be dubbed as the new king of the ‘Ring after posting a lap time that thrashed the time set by former king, the Pagani Zonda F. But the GT-R took the limelight by claiming to be even two seconds faster than the LF-A. We have received no new updates about the status of the LF-A as of late and it’s probably back to the drawing board with Toyota, trying to figure out what makes the GT-R a better car than the LF-A prototypes.

Pride’s a bitch. But at least, it’s enough motivation that would give gearheads another possibly great car in the LF-A.

Not even more than a month has passed and yet auto manufacturers are planning what they’d be showcasing in next year’s Detroit Motor Show. Toyota will be presenting two dedicated hybrid models - one for Toyota and one under the Lexus badge.

Now Toyota has been really keen on creating a new product to offer under its badge and it will most likely be the Mark III Prius. However, what’s interesting in this news is a wagon-like vehicle based on the Prius platform that will be marketed under the Lexus badge. Some might have already seen the Toyota A-BAT concept - a truck hybrid.

These are really interesting developments in Toyota’s side. The Prius has turned out to be a very successful line for those who are keen on going green. Now they’re expanding the product line. While I have reservations on why they need to market their hybrids with different badges, we’ll just have to see how this eventually turns out.

Source: Motor Trend

I think I’ve missed out on this one news bit. But writing something about the M3 reminded me of this supposed M3-killer. I guess that’s the name of the game now where car manufacturers are out to trump established (oftentimes European) badges in their niche markets. The Porsche 911 is being targeted and here we have the Japanese M3-killer in the Lexus IS-F.

As Lexus’ bet in the luxury sports compact market (which includes the AMG C63 and the Audi RS4), the IS-F is priced at $56,000, seven grand less than the M3’s pricing. But Lexus doesn’t skimp out on the package. Its 5.0L V8 delivers 416 horses propelling the car from 0 to 60 in just 4.6 seconds. It’s tranny is supposed to be a world-first eight-speed “direct sport-shift” transmission.

The car will also sport 14.2-inch Brembo disc brakes with six-piston calipers. The car sits on 19-inch alloy wheels. For those looking for a sportier look, a coupe is in the works too.

What’s the strong point of this Lexus is its brand (known for reliability) but its price is just about dead heat with the Audi RS4. The M3 surely has its strong following so it’s interesting how this Japanese make will fare in the market.

Source: Inside Line

When it comes to Toyota SUVs, only the Land Cruiser comes to my mind. While it is an excellent machine, you can’t deny that it’s built as a competitor (if not a copy) of Land Rover. Don’t get me wrong, if there’s an Japanese-made SUV that I could get, I’d opt for the Toyota if it’s just for their reputation for being hardy outdoor vehicles. (And yes, the Hilux has always been a winner for me.)

But as far as SUVs go, the Land Cruiser (EDIT: or the Sequoia for that matter) is in no way a compact SUV. In today’s market where crossovers and compact SUVs seem to be a hit, Toyota doesn’t have anything to pit against the BMW X3 and the Infiniti EX35 save perhaps for the Lexus RX series (pictured). Some Toyota execs are thinking that marketing one via the Lexus badge can be a good move.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A president Jim Lentz says they’re exploring the market data primarily focusing on the group who are “sick of the suburbs, but who don’t want to give up the utility of their SUV.”

Source: Automotive News via eGMCarTech