Lexus IS250 News

The future for Lexus could be sprinkled with high-performance models as its F label becomes as important as an M badge at BMW. The chief engineer of the brand's breakthrough IS-F, Yukihiko Yaguchi, is already checking everything from the GS sedan to the RX soft-roaders for their potential for an F upgrade. He wants more and to do more, even if there is no firm plan. “It hasn't been decided yet but, yes, I would like to do that,” Yaguchi says at the Australian press preview drive of the IS-F at Fuji Speedway in Japan. “It is just an idea . . . but the IS F was just an idea, also.” Yaguchi made the $150,000 IS-F a personal campaign, battling management reluctance and limited support to produce a 5.0-litre V8 competitor for long-standing luxury performance vehicles from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. “I wanted to develop a new breed of animal for Lexus,” Yaguchi says. “In general our company produces rather rational cars and it was certainly a very difficult project . . . I cannot say what the future holds.” Lexus Australia boss John Roca hopes Yaguchi's IS-F will not be a one-shot wonder. “There is nothing on the drawing board at this stage, but you certainly wouldn't rule out similar performance derivatives of GS and LS in the future,” Roca says. “This (car) will also give our existing customers a boost. As much as we have had potential customers wanting to buy a Lexus had this type of vehicle been available, we also have existing customers who have clearly shown they are ready to move into a car of this type.”  

The hardtop coupe is set for sales next year. “That will be in Australia by late next year and it is going to be a very important model for us with what we see as almost totally incremental sales,” Roca says.He confirms the as-yet-unnamed and unseen hardtop convertible will not be a replacement for the ageing V8 SC430 boulevard cruiser.“We have been told that the SC will remain as it is until 2011 and there are no plans beyond that as to what will replace it. By 2011 it will be a 10-year-old model . . . and that's too long in the tooth,” he says.According to Roca, the convertible IS will be based squarely off the IS 250 platform with the same 153kW 2.5-litre V6 engine.A facelift version of the IS 250 with new front and rear sheetmetal, reworked lights and external jewellery, as well as a substantially refreshed interior, will head the coming Lexus range changes.The new IS 250 arrives in twin with the IS-F in November, followed by an all-new RX350 in February.“Three months after that will come the RX450h (hybrid) and later in the fourth quarter of the year will come the IS Coupe Convertible,” Roca says.“The IS Coupe is going to be pretty much all incremental sales, and we are expecting the RX volume to increase with the new model because when we launched the original there was no car park of RX owners. We now have a huge car park, and that is a great advantage.”With the new models and an increase in dealerships that will almost double the present 22 outlets to 38 by 2015, Roca is confident of steady sales growth.“Sales of 8200 by the end of this year is where we want to be, then next year around 9000,” he says. “By the end of 2010 we will have put 10,000 sales a year behind us.“It will be through a combination of customer growth and model expansion. It's a bit of both.“What we can't really accurately measure is the effect of the growth of the dealer network with a lot of those new outlets being regional.” 

Imported cars are hardest hit by the new LCT threshold but some of our homegrown brands also suffer.

A hectic 2007 proved to be lucrative for the car industry with a plethora of new cars launched and more than a million sales throughout the year. And there's no indication that it will be slowing down in 2008.AUDI The new A4, to rival the 3 Series and C-Class is expected here about April, while July will see the hot sports wagon, the RS6 Avant and the A3 Cabrio. Extra A5 variants will follow. BMWBMW has a busy year ahead, starting with the 320d and 335i touring this month. The 1 Series Coupe will go on sale around April, followed by the convertible in May-June. But its big one for the year will be the new X6 Sports Activity Coupe, arriving between July and September. It comes with three engine variants, all twin-turbo, an in-line six, a 3.0-litre diesel and a 300kW 4.4-litre V8. Pricing is expected to start at just under $100,000. And the X5 scores a new engine in February, with the first variable twin turbo diesel offered in the range. CHRYSLER/JEEPJanuary will be a busy month for Chrysler, with the Sebring Cabrio and Grand Voyager people mover both arriving in Australia. The Jeep Cherokee will also get a total makeover. CITROENBased on the C4 Picasso, but bigger and better equipped, Citroen will introduce the Berlingo van between July and September, with a mainly diesel range. This will make room in the line-up for the new Nemo small van mid-year. The C5 will also get a new V6 diesel engine.FERRARIDeliveries of the exquisite F430 Scuderia, priced at about $550,000, will start mid year. Only about 40 will come to Australia and New Zealand. FIAT The reincarnation of the 1960s Bambino will arrive in March, but Fiat has already sold the first four months' supply. The new Fiat 500 will have three engine choices, a 1.2-litre petrol, a 75kW 1.4-litre petrol engine or a 56kW 1.3-litre turbo diesel. Pricing is expected to start from $22,000. The new Ritmo will join the Fiat 500 in March with pricing from $30,000. FORD One of the biggest launches for the year will be the new Falcon. Ford will release details of the new model in February and it's expected to be followed by an unveiling at the Melbourne motor show in the same month, with the official launch around May.FPV FPV will start the year with a new model, the hot turbo Territory, known as the F6 X model. It's the first non-Falcon model from FPV, with 270kW and 550Nm. The FPV Falcon range will also arrive this year. HOLDEN/CADILLACWith Ford's big year planned, you can't expect Holden to keep quiet. But so far, Holden has only announced it is expecting the VE Sportwagon, due in the first half of the year. GM-Holden is also introducing Cadillac with the first model due late in 2008. HONDA Honda will start the year with the new Accord model, due to be launched in February. The small Jazz is also getting an update after the middle of the year. Details on the new generation will be released closer to the launch. The Accord Euro is also expected to arrive later this year. HYUNDAI No big launches just yet, although an upgraded Sonata is expected mid year. JAGUARJaguar's major release for the year will be the new XF in June, with pricing expected to start from $105,000. It will be available in a V6 diesel, as well as a V6 and V8 petrol. KIAPreviewed at the Sydney motor show last year, Kia will launch its new seven-seater Rondo crossover in February. It is expected to start from as low as the mid-$20,000 mark. LEXUSNew for Lexus will be the LX570 around April or May, followed by the IS-F towards the end of the year. Details still to come. MAZDAThe second-generation Mazda6 will go on sale at the end of February with pricing from less than $30,000. It will be powered by a 2.5-litre, four cylinder engine, with 125kW and 226Nm.MERCEDES-BENZThe first arrival for Mercedes-Benz is expected to be the C 63 AMG in mid March. It will be followed by the S 320CDI, priced at $189,874 and the C-Class wagon, which will carry a $3000 premium over the sedan, coming in just under $60,000. MINIAnother new version of a 1960s cult car is also headed our way, with the Mini Clubman launched in February. The modern successor of the Morris Mini Traveller, the Austin Mini Countryman and the Mini Clubman Estate won't get into showrooms until March or April. Pricing will start in the mid-$30,000 area. MITSUBISHIMitsubishi will release two turbocharged Lancers this year. The top-level Lancer Evo X GSR will be here in April and sell for about $58,000. The 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo engine pumps out 200kW and 422Nm. Joining it will be the detuned version in the Ralliart all-wheel drive, at about $40,000. NISSANNissan's first addition for the year will be the all-wheel-drive wagon, the Dualis. Starting at $28,990 and stretching to $35,990, it's powered by a 102kW, 2.0-litre engine. PEUGEOTThe big launch for Peugeot will be the 308 replacing the 307 range, which will start with the 308 hatch in February in both petrol and diesel guises. The touring will follow in June or July, with the 308cc model a prospect for late 2008 or early 2009. PROTONProton has announced the Persona, based on the Gen2 hatch platform, will make its debut at the Melbourne motor show in late February, going on sale in March. It will be priced around the mid-teens. The Gen2 will also get engine updates and minor styling changes. RENAULTThe all-new Laguna will go on sale mid-year with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. SAABJune sees the arrival of the Turbo X AWD. SSANGYONGThe South Korean company will go completely diesel in 2008, with no more petrol engines on offer in Australia. SMARTThe new Fortwo arrives in Australia in February. The one-model brand will get both the 52kW and 62kW models, in hatch and cabrio, being bigger than the current models. SUBARUThe star WRX STi comes in February with a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine, although pricing is still to come. The third generation Forester arrives in March. SUZUKIFebruary's proving to be a busy month, with Suzuki also launching its Grand Vitara diesel. TOYOTAAfter a big year in 2007, Toyota is expecting a quiet year, with only the TRD Hilux due to be launched in April-June. VOLKSWAGENVolkswagen will kick off the year with the SUV, the Touareg R50, to be released in April. It's powered by a 258kW V10 TDI engine. The Tiguan also arrives about October.  VOLVOThe recently launched XC70 arrives in showrooms this month, joined by the C30 diesel also in January. It's priced at $43,950. A base model C30 will also enter the line-up, at $34,450. A 3.0-litre six-cylinder engined V70 will arrive in March. 

The NRMA Insurance reversing visibility index shows 12 vehicles, including the Toyota Corolla and Holden Commodore, fail to receive any stars in testing.The test, established because of the deaths of 17 children killed by reversing cars in driveways, measures how well a driver can see out of the back of the vehicle.Of the 12 vehicles with a zero rating, five fit into the small-to-medium segment.The result has prompted the NRMA to call on manufacturers to consider installing reversing camera technology in all cars, not just bigger vehicles.“Without a camera, blind space can range from 3m to 15m,” NRMA Insurance road safety manager Pam Leicester said.“That's a large range for children to be hidden from a driver's view.” With an average of one child run over in their own driveway every week, Ms Leicester said it was time to start focusing on improving visibility in all models.“There has been a focus on four-wheel-drives and reversing but as our results show, that's an issue for all types of vehicles right down to small cars,” Ms Leicester said.“This is a real concern because many of these vehicles have hazardous reversing blind areas, usually caused by high rear window lines and boots.”Vehicles that received a zero rating included the Holden Commodore (Epica and Viva), the Hyundai i30, Mitsubishi's Lancer and 380, Toyota's Corolla, Prado and RAV4, the Honda Civic and the Odyssey, as well as the Hummer H3.Overall, however, the results have improved from last year with more manufacturers adopting reversing cameras.This is especially the case in the four-wheel-drive and luxury segments. Only five vehicles offered reversing cameras either standard or as an option last year.The technology was available on 15 vehicles this year. They gained either a 4 1/2 or 5-star rating.Ms Leicester said they were particularly impressed with the new Toyota Kluger, which has a reversing camera as standard on all models.The top performers given a five-star rating were the BMW X5, Ford Territory, Honda Legend, Lexus GS430, IS250 and LS460, and the Toyota Kluger; all offering a camera as standard or as an option.“We encourage all manufacturers to start thinking about putting reverse cameras in their vehicles,” Ms Leicester said.“At the time of manufacture, it's a very small cost.”Ms Leicester said after-market reversing cameras also could improve visibility and were available for between $200 and $300. How they rated NRMA insurance reversing visibility indexBest: BMW x5, Ford Territory, Honda, Legend, Lexus GS430, Lexus IS250, Lexus LS460, Toyota KlugerWorst: Holden Commodore, Honda Civic, Honda Odyssey, Hyundai i30, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Prado, Toyota Corolla 

It will sit below the existing IS250 sedan and is aimed directly at the 1 Series, with a likely starting price below $50,000.The plan points to a compact hatchback body, rear-wheel drive and a range of sporty engines with the emphasis on six-cylinder power and refinement. But there is an equal chance that Lexus could head into the crossover field, making the newcomer a small all-wheel-drive wagon.The car is not officially confirmed, although Lexus executives are open in their discussion of the project.“I believe in the strong necessity to include an entry-level Lexus model,” the executive vice-president of Toyota Motor Corporation, Tokuichi Uranishi, says.“It's not decided. It's just an idea at this moment.”But it is an idea, which is already being welcomed by Lexus in Australia.“We are getting a lot of requests for that sort of car,” the head of Lexus in Australia, John Rocca, says.“And, looking at our competitors, there is certainly a market there for it.”Uranishi says a baby Lexus would help the brand to improve its average CO2 emissions, offsetting the poor scores of heavyweights including the LandCruiser-based LX, but Rocca can see other advantages.“What it brings to the brand is another model, for starters. And market share,” he says.“I think the advantage we would have is that, having the Toyota brand, there is credibility that we can build a car that size. Similar to what we have already experienced with SUVs in the brand.”Lexus is pushing hard in Australia with six models from the IS through to the upcoming change for the LX500.The heavyweight four-wheel drive is expected to be a star in 2008, lifting the current sales rate of 12 cars a month to more than 50. The improvement will also be helped by a two-level strategy to set a competitive price point against rivals including the BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne and Mercedes ML.Rocca says the new models are the key to Lexus's plans to fight BMW and Mercedes for luxury car sales leadership in Australia.“We've got a pretty aggressive business plan that we are putting through at the moment,” he says.“It's reliant on product, but we have to plan out to 2015. It will range from 16,000 to 24,000 sales a year."“Plans like that are driven by product. But in the short term it will be driven through the dealer network. We need to expand the network."“At the moment we're at 22 and by 2015 we'd like to be at 38 dealerships. Most of the expansion will be rural and we're trialling the Japanese image, which has been used for setting up the brand there."“We're adopting that in Australia as a trial in Perth. The first of the new-look dealerships opens there in January.” 

Then there's this - the IS F. If Godzilla wore a business suit, this is very likely the car he’d drive to work. The first in a series of specialised “F” cars for Lexus, it’s Japan's answer to Germany's high-performance V8 mid-sizers such as BMW's M3 and Audi’s RS4. Carsguide was given a preview ahead of its appearance at the Australian International Motor Show on Thursday. The Lexus is the first ultra-fast sports sedan from Toyota's luxury division. An apparently 5.0-litre V8 has been shoehorned into an engine bay that normally hosts a powerplant of half that capacity, driven through the world's first eight-speed direct sport shift gearbox and the rear wheels. In order to be competitive with the usual suspects, the F car needed to achieve the 0-100km/h sprint in less than five seconds – 4.9, which is their precise claim. Lexus product planning manager Jeff Shafer relates preliminary specifications of “more than 300kW and more than 470Nm” to move its approximately 1.7 tonne kerb weight, distributed 54:46 per cent front-to-rear. As to the nomenclature, the “F” code signifies those special vehicles that are removed from the Lexus engineering and development mainstream. And, as it happens, much of the IS F development took place under Yukihiko Yaguchi at Fuji Speedway at the foot of Mt Fuji, an aptly volcanic backdrop for the car in question. Shafer is one of the chosen few to have driven the near-production IS F. While he says that Mr Yaguchi was “adamant that the IS F had to have the instant sensory elements of driving” it also needed to be sufficiently civilised to be a daily driver. In both respect, Shafer says the IS F is well-served by its all-new eight-speed Direct Sport-shift Transmission (DSS). A new torque-converter lock-up control was developed that allows for a direct, crisp gear change through the constant lock-up of the torque converter in second through eighth gear. In Drive mode, the transmission is skewed toward smoothness, and the torque converter allows for enhanced launch capability. For more frenetic deployment, manual mode allows fingertip shifting via the steering wheel-mounted paddles - the fastest changing of its type, Shafer says. Downshifts are accompanied by automated and precise throttle blips to match engine RPM to vehicle speed. Unlike the current and conventional IS, the Drive mode can be temporarily overridden by the paddles without engaging manual mode. So you can engine brake into a corner in your chosen cog and allow the torque converter to take over as you emerge. A smarter-than-ever Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management System (VDIM) manages power delivery, braking response and suspension settings, all of which are changeable at the push of a button. Indeed, this newest VDIM has three modes, with the Sport mode providing what Shafer says is greater latitude before the electronic safety measure intervenes. Of course you can simply switch the thing off altogether and go your hardest, so it’s a good thing that this is underwritten by purpose-specced Brembo brakes. The standard wheels are custom 19-inch forged-alloy BBS number shod with 225/40R19s at the front and 255/35R19 for the rear. Of course, the F rides on a dropped and tightened suspension. These are also the subtlest visual hints the F is a departure. Other exterior pointers run to a bonnet that bulges to accommodate the bigger engine, a bespoke body kit and quad exhaust pipes. The interior is similarly understated but striking with aluminium composite trim, special surface treatments and F logo on the steering wheel and rear-centre console. The most obvious departure from the norm is that the F seats four not five, albeit in cosseting and supportive sport buckets. No doubt some will find the visual cues insufficiently bling, but anything more overt would be at odds with the executive express segment at which Lexus are aiming. The metallic blue of the car we were shown is the range’s signature colour, one that is intended to suggest a “flame when it gets to 1500 degrees”. On the face of it, the IS F will be hot enough for the Germans to feel the heat. See this car at the Australian International Motor Show  

Other brands before it have taken on a sideline of “hero car” models where sports looks and high performance earn the brand extra status. Lexus can make this move with justification: Lexus cars do race in various categories overseas, including at the famed Japan Fuji Speedway. And it's that first letter, F, that will mark the Lexus premium performance vehicles. First car in Australia, in about a year, will be the IS-F based on the existing compact IS250 which now has a 2.5-litre V6 engine delivering 153kW of power. The IS-F hot version will be aimed at European performance sedans. There's even talk of it running a five-litre V8 of 300kW, an eight-speed transmission (from the LS460 flagship saloon, perhaps) and limited slip differential to get better power to the ground. Lexus Australia manager John Roca says the IS-F signals the expansion of the Lexus range outside its traditional luxury-vehicle segment. “This IS-F is the embodiment of performance,” he says. “Just by looking at the vehicle, you know that it is something special. It will be the ultimate in performance cars and Lexus's first performance-specific model.” Lexus sister brand Toyota is about to release its performance version here, the TRD Aurion - the V6 has been supercharged to give a predicted 235kW of power. Holden performance arm HSV is doing well in sales while Ford has its Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Mitsubishi is preparing a supercharged 380 V6, with 230kW of power being suggested.  

Alfa Romeo stepped up straight after the Peugeot unveiling of a woman, I mean a car. A 207 apparently.