Lexus IS News

Lexus Australia has announced drive-away pricing for its volume selling SUVs and IS sedan in a bid to pump up sales before the end of the financial year.First cab off the rank is the UX200 Luxury small SUV, which is priced from $49,888 drive-away (a saving of $1173). The UX200 has a 126kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a CVT auto, as well as AEB, radar cruise control, heated and electrically-adjustable front seats, satellite navigation and a power-adjustable steering column.The NX300 Luxury is now available for $59,888 drive-away (a saving of $2073). Powered by a 175kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, the NX300 Luxury also includes a 10.3-inch multimedia screen, heated and powered front seats and DAB+ digital radio.Above the NX sits the RX SUV at $69,888 drive-away which offers the biggest saving to consumers of $12,685. The RX300 is powered by the same 175kW 2.0L turbo-petrol engine as the NX, and includes kit such as wireless phone charging, full leather upholstery and a 12-speaker sound system.The brand’s IS300 Luxury sedan is also on sale for $57,888 drive-away, which is a saving of $8809. The IS300 is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol as the NX and RX, though it develops more power at 180kW and features heated/cooled front seats, leather upholstery and a 10.3-inch multimedia screen.Lexus sales in 2019 so far are down by 1.6 per cent to 2978 units, though some models are enjoying healthy increases including the LX SUV (163 units, up 55.2 per cent on 2018) and the ES sedan (219 units, up 242.2 per cent). The new UX is also selling well in its first year on sale, with 584 units sold in 2019 so far.The EOFY campaign runs until June 30. 

Lexus Australia has announced it will recall 2166 vehicles over an airbag fault, the latest in a long list of malfunctioning airbags made by embattled Japanese parts manufacturer Takata.

The new IS upgrades are expected to help Lexus achieve a sales record in Australia of more than 9000 vehicles.

Luxury for Lexus starts at $40,000. That's the Japanese brand's global view and one endorsed by its Australian chief executive Sean Hanley.

Polo, CT200h and Lexus IS get maximum safety rating.The latest round of crash-test rankings has given five stars to a trio of fresh cars - while also giving them a backhander over the absence of safety gear that is standard on other models or in other markets.ANCAP takes the VW Polo and two Lexus models, the IS sedan and CT200h hybrid, to task for the entry-level variants' lack of active safety features fitted in other markets.As of this month, the Polo has emergency stop signal and secondary brake collision assist as standard. However, the base model does not have autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), driver fatigue detection and reversing collision warnings.The Lexus CT200h also lacks ACC and AEB on the entry-level model. The IS sedan came under fire for the absence of those two items and lane departure warning - and for blind spot monitoring being standard only on top-spec examples.The IS, however, earns praise for its 'active' bonnet. In a collision with a pedestrian, the bonnet panel rises to provide additional clearance from the top of the engine to protect the pedestrian from serious head injury.ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh says the authority aims to encourage the car makers to include the equipment as standard. But it stops short of changing the requirements for a five-star ranking to include these features as standard.“We are continuing to see the majority of these important technologies either being withheld from base variants or not available at all," McIntosh says."I don't think it is unreasonable to say, -if you make these devices available in Europe, why not make them available here?' 'If we are to see a significant drop in the number of lives lost on our roads, these technologies need to be provided to all. Safety should not be seen as luxury or added extra."Costs of road trauma are huge, with 30,000 seriously injured every year here. In the US, autonomous emergency braking is credited with cutting the crash rate by 25 or 30 per cent - a huge number." VW Australia spokesman Karl Gehling says the company's decisions on whether to fit safety features are based on customer demand."We have offered these options on entry models. The data suggest buyers of the entry models were basing their decisions on value (rather than safety) and the take-up was less than 5 per cent." "The features on the Polo are class-leading and while we would love to be able to include them as standard they do come at a cost and we have to be conscious of what the consumer is going to bear. We could offer everything in one vehicle but if no one buys it there's no benefit to anyone."

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Lexus claims its cars are all about the pursuit of perfection -- but Toyota’s luxury division has made a less than perfect claim for its new V8 coupe unveiled at the Detroit motor show overnight. The company says the Lexus RC F has the “world-first use” of a Torque Vectoring Differential in a front-engine, rear-drive sports vehicle.The problem with that claim is that both the Jaguar F-Type convertible and coupe and Holden Special Vehicles GTS sedan introduced torque vectoring technology last year; Porsche’s 911 has had it for two years, although it is a rear-engined vehicle. “Torque Vectoring” is geek-speak for technology that can prevent a car from having a rear-wheel skid. Lexus claims its system works differently to others, however, the result is the same. Meanwhile, the world’s motoring media became frustrated with Lexus’ decision to not reveal more details about the performance of its new hero car, a pointer to the upcoming Lexus IS F replacement. Although Lexus appears to have over-hyped that claim too. Lexus said the RC F had the “most powerful ever Lexus 5.0-litre V8”, but the company would not say how much power or how fast the car would complete the 0 to 100km/h dash.One of the most popular automotive websites in the US, Jalopnik, summed up the mood at the show when it vented on Twitter: “The Lexus RC-F is faster than a Shelby Cobra, maybe. We dunno.” “The Lexus press conference debuting the RC F Coupe wasn't just slim when it came to details. It was totally devoid of them. No official specs, no nothing,” wrote Jalopnik.Lexus said the V8 concept coupe had “at least” 335kW of power and 520Nm of torque. The current Lexus IS F V8 sedan has 311kW and 505Nm. So no rocket grenade improvement, then. The end. Next story please.      

Lexus believes four-wheel steer could give it the edge over its competitors in the competitive sports sedan segment. The system has the rear wheels turn at the same time as the front ones -- but only a small amount -- to help the car through corners.The idea gained some traction with Japanese car makers in the 80s, notably with cars like the Honda Prelude and Mazda MX-6 coupe. At the time, it was touted as the next big thing but the system was clunky and could be expensive to repair if things went wrong.That was then this is now. Technology has moved on and BMW already offers the system with its 5 and 7 Series models and Lexus introduced four-wheel steer in the first of its cars last year with its GS line.It has also been trialling the system in the smaller IS range in Japan and the Australian arm of the company is keen to get a piece of that action. Lexus Australia boss Sean Hanley believes it could give the car a much-needed competitive edge.HOW IT WORKSLexus calls its system Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS), and has it turn the rear wheels of the car two per cent – a seemingly tiny amount but enough to make a difference to the cornering. At low speeds the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels to reduce the car's turning circle and the level of steering effort required.But at speeds of more than 80km/h, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels. This makes the steering more responsiveness and gives it an intuitive feel at medium speeds, plus greater stability and vehicle posture for increased safety and comfort at higher speeds.The net result is the turning circle is reduced by almost half a metre at parking speeds and it also reduces the tendency of rear wheel drive vehicles like those produced by Lexus to step out or oversteer in a corner. We had the opportunity to put a car fitted with the rear wheel steer system through its paces on a recent trip to Japan. Unfortunately we had no car with standard steering to compare it with and Lexus has apparently not quantified the difference it makes to track times (although we thought that would have been an obvious thing to do). Having said that the car was plenty of fun to drive.WHEN MIGHT WE SEE IT HERE?Lexus wants to add the system to its F Sport models. "We think it gives us another progressive edge in the market place," Hanley says. "And the other thing is that it is significantly well developed now. So we're bringing to market a very credible technology, with great safety and performance that is aligned very very well to Lexus's innovative and fun to drive performance car strategy."At this stage the system is available only in Japan but it is under evaluation for other markets. If it is approved for overseas use it is likely to find its way into Aussie cars within the next year or so, probably when the car receives its mid-life facelift. Rear or four-wheel steer is part of the Lexus Dynamic handling System (LDHS) that features the world's first integration of Dynamic Rear Steering (DRS), Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) and Electric Power Steering (EPS}.

Take some high-tech projection mapping software, an empty warehouse, an F1 driver and the new Lexus IS Hybrid and it becomes the recipe for the world's first full-sized, real time video game. Created for the Italian branch of Lexus, to launch the Hybrid IS there, the project chose 10 of the brand's Facebook fans and paired them with F1 driver Jarno Trulli and a projection mapping iPad app to compete against each other.Each had to design a race circuit, then ride shotgun with Trulli while tracing their course on the iPad, which projected their circuit onto the warehouse floor. Called 'Trace Your Road', the competition set the task of hitting seven designated touch points while completing the circuit in the fastest time.  Watch the 'Trace Your Road' video game action.  This reporter is on Twitter: @Karla_Pincott  

The safety recall is to fix electrical and mechanical defects that could cause the vehicles to either stall while being driven, or to go into 'limp home' mode, where they can be driven only at designated lower speeds.The 2006-2008 Lexus RX 400h is being recalled for a problem in the car's hybrid system that could see solder on transistors become heat damaged -- particularly under high load or when towing -- activating warning lights and shutting down the system, causing the vehicle to either go into 'limp home' mode or shut down altogether. The Australian portion of the recall will affect about 1750 Lexus RX400h vehicles built from June 2006 to December 2008. Lexus said there had been no incidents related to the issue reported in Australia, but cautioned care while driving. "Motorists can continue to drive their vehicle, however are advised to avoid towing, or rapid acceleration until the vehicle has been inspected," Lexus spokesperson Beck Angel said. "Motorists are advised to stop driving and contact their preferred Lexus dealer if the engine warning lights illuminate."More than 100,000 Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles from 2006-2011 are also being recalled for a defect in which bolts securing the variable valve timing control device may work loose, causing the vehicle to stop. Lexus has alerted owners that an abnormal noise in the vehicles may show early symptoms of the defect. Affected customers will be notified of the recall by mail at their last known address and asked to make an appointment at their preferred Lexus dealer, where affected parts will be replaced. For further information about the recall, customers can call the Lexus Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 023 009.