Lexus LF 2013 News

And so has the scale of the family business. From humble beginnings, with two franchises at Kedron and Windsor on Brisbane's northside, the Sci-Fleet Motors group is now the largest-selling Toyota dealership in Australia, and No.15 in the world.Over the years, it has also added Lexus luxury car dealerships and Hino trucks. All up, they sell more than 20,000 vehicles a year from 10 locations across southeast Queensland.But just like the satisfaction of that whiff of new-car aroma when you first climb behind the wheel, there is one thing that has not changed over those 34 years, according to dealer-principal Andrew Scifleet: An ethos of honesty and reliability. "Those old-fashioned values of customer service which were in place when the first two dealerships were purchased are still in place."The reason, he says, is simple. "Family involvement in all aspects of the business has been a key part of our success."The Scifleets have established themselves as the leading family-owned car dealership group in the Sunshine State. The group is ranked 34 in Queensland's Top 150 Rich List this year, with an estimated wealth of $304 million. Scifleet owns the real estate occupied by the dealerships as well as other property investments.While Mr Scifleet, 41, is usually the public face of the company, his older sisters - Jane, Allison, Kathryn, Sarah and her husband Craig - all hold important roles.The third generation is also starting to make its mark. "I have a nephew who works as one of our company accountants, his sister works with our management team and their younger brother is involved in our used-car operations and is working his way through departments to gain a real understanding of the business."We have strong governance from a family business point of view and an understanding of how everyone should be involved in the business. It enables us to reinforce our family values across the generations." The family business has tried to foster that same sense of belonging among the 450-odd workforce. More than one in five employees has been with the company for more than a decade, many for 30 years."We've really allowed our staff to come in and run the business as if it were their own," Mr Scifleet says. "We're here to guide the ship and make sure we're heading in the right direction. However, we put a lot of trust and responsibility in our staff. "Our steady growth over the years has enabled us to fulfil another important philosophy - promoting from within the organisation.""Steady growth" could be seen as an understatement for the largest-selling Toyota dealer in the country since 1999. It runs Toyota dealerships at Kedron, Albion and Taringa; Lexus showrooms at Indooroopilly, Fortitude Valley, Southport and Maroochydore; and Hino outlets at Coopers Plains, Kedron and Nerang; as well as huge parts, pre-delivery and vehicle storage facilities.The car sales sector has been a standout performer over the past couple of years, helped by low interest rates. Overall, the industry grew just over 10 per cent in the 12 months to December 2012, while Sci-Fleet Motors rose by double that. They head five entries from the motor sales industry in this year's list, including three debutants.Despite a dip in the dollar and the downturn in the mining sector, which had helped boost sales, Mr Scifleet is optimistic. "We are definitely set up to expand and grow." In addition to Sci-Fleet Motors itself, the family owns two-thirds of Auto Corner Pty Ltd, which runs Toyota, Mazda and Hyundai dealerships at Mackay.And they have a half-share in the Tweed Heads-based South Coast Automotive group, which sells a range of makes. Mr Scifleet says despite the size of the business today, the family group has not forgotten its roots, or the customers' support over the years, and it is strongly motivated to give back to the community and charities.Recent causes include the Ride to Conquer Motor Neurone Disease and Go Blue for Autism Day. The group's Lexus Owners gift program donates equipment to charity on behalf of customers. "Our parents have set a wonderful example for us. In particular our mother is the glue that holds the family together. She is completely selfless and does so much for so many," Mr Scifleet says."According to my father, she is a true matriarch in the finest tradition. In his words, she would have made a wonderful elephant!" Mr Scifleet has a connection to another animal. The company has been a supporter of Australia Zoo for nearly a decade. Mr Scifleet even joined one of the expeditions to Cape York to attach satellite transmitters to crocodiles - and the late Steve Irwin named a huge saltie "Sci-Fleet" after him.Like many blokes, Mr Scifleet loves cars and he's had the chance to put plenty through their paces. "The Lexus LFA has been the best by far. I was very fortunate to attend the launch of this supercar at The Nurburgring in Germany. It was a big thrill to drive it on such a renowned racetrack."He was so impressed by the $700,000 V10 machine - which has a top speed of 325km/h and can accelerate from a standing start to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds - that the family bought one to use as a promotional tool for the company.It's one of only 10 in Australia and 500 worldwide. Last October, they turned it pink, using a special vinyl wrap to help Queensland Reds and Wallabies rugby twins Anthony and Saia Fainga'a raise awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Channel 9 personality Natalie Gruzlewski added some glamour to the newly launched Lexus showroom at Southport when she was lured back to the small screen to film the luxury car dealership's new television commercials.The former Gold Coast News weather girl and host of The Farmer Wants a Wife, who is married to property developer Jack Ray, in February gave birth to daughter Olivia.She has now added Lexus of Southport ambassador to her list of duties.When word of her appearance spread, so did the number of Lexus staff who suddenly had a reason to visit the showroom.Natalie starred alongside the Lexus range of innovative hybrids, dynamic F Sport vehicles and the exciting IS F and rare LFA Supercar.The Supercar is a star in its own right - one of only 10 LFAs in Australia and 500 in the world. Only three are garaged in southeast Queensland.No longer in production, the vehicle retailed for $750,000.It set a record of 7min 14sec for the fastest production car using road tyres around Nurburgring in Germany.The two television and radio commercials featuring Natalie will highlight the showroom features available to Lexus owners. 

It was close to two years ago that the Lexus LFA supercar, after enduring an almost decade-long gestation period, finally entered production at Toyota’s Motomachi plant in Japan. At its launch, Lexus confirmed the LFA would be built in an exclusive run of just 500 units in total, and that the cars would be painstakingly assembled at the rate of just one per (working) day up until December, 2012.  Well, Lexus has now revealed that the LFA’s planned production run has now been completed, with the final example being a white LFA Nürburgring Package. It rolled off the line at the Motomachi plant on December 14.  A special plaque showing the car’s build number confirms this is the 500th LFA, which is contradictory to what comedian Jay Leno said about a special one-off LFA Spyder he recently drove during an episode of his online series Jay Leno’s Garage. In that particular episode he states that the LFA Spyder was build number 500. Regardless of what build number this LFA has, it is now a member of one of the most exclusive set of cars on the planet. A total of 170 people helped to bring each and every LFA to life, including specialists who built the car’s carbon fiber components. Roughly 65 percent of the LFA is composed of Formula One-grade carbon fiber, aiding strength and rigidity while reducing vehicle weight dramatically. Then there’s the car’s 4.8-liter V-10 engine, one of the fastest-revving and best-sounding production engines in the world. It developed a healthy 412 kilowatts and helped propel the LFA Nürburgring Package around the German race track for which it’s named in an amazing 7:14.64. No doubt Toyota will be retaining the technological skills gained during the development and production of the LFA for its future models. Unfortunately, there’s been no mention of a successor but mysterious LFA prototypes spotted on several occasions at the Nürburgring suggest future developments are planned. MotorAuthority  

In a way it really had to be or the high fliers who buy these cars would not have given it a second glance. It had to be something very special and special it is indeed as we discovered this week behind the wheel at Victoria's Sandown race track.Sure it goes hard and stops just as quickly, with an exhilirating exhaust note that sounds like an F1 car — but there's so much more to this car. Ten years in the making, the LFA symbolises everything that Lexus says it strives to be — innovative, passionate and inspirational.TECHNOLOGYThe heart of the matter is a carbon fibre shell fitted with a light weight all-aluminium 4.8-litre V10 that pumps out 412kW of power and 480Nm of torque, combined with a sequential single clutch robotised manual transmission and oil cooler.The LFA has a top speed of 325km/h and accelerates to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds. A special Nurburgring edition boosts power to 420kW. Yamaha gave the guys some help with the engine design and as a result it revs all the way to 9000rpm.DESIGNSixty-five per cent of LFA's body structure is carbon fibre, while the remaining 35 per cent is aluminium. The original analogue dials were replaced with a digital instrumentation because the analogue tachometer couldn't keep up.The LFA is an infinitely better looking thing than Nissan's GT-R and faster around Germany's famous Nurburgring too, where it held the production car record until recently. Among others the LFA boasts the world's first seatbelt airbag to reduce chest and neck bruising.LIMITED EDITIONOnly 500 of the cars will be built, of which 170 have already found homes in the United States, another 150 have gone to Japan itself and a mere handful are headed our way — 10 to be exact (maybe a couple more if Lexus can swing it).In the States, one couple bought the car simply because it was the most expensive Lexus available and they had always owned the top model. But the buyers are not the usual suspects, revealed Lexus Australia corporate manager Peter Evans.For the most part they're successful, self-made men, 35-45 years of age whose faces you are unlikely to see in the newspapers. One owns a Bugatti Veyron and the others own or have owned other performance cars. One man is even thinking of buying a second Nurburg edition to keep and drive in the United States.As a group, Evans said they are remarkably unpretentious.Lexus took three buyers to the Nurburgring where until a few weeks ago the LFA held the lap record for a production car. What they share is an overwhelming enthusiasm for the car."They're a fascinationg group of individuals," he said.So what do you get for your $700,000 apart from the car? For one thing you get private tuition from racing driver Alan Jones who is the Lexus LFA ambassador. It doesn't get better than that.LEXUS LFAPrice: $750,000Economy: 16.7 l/100km; 387g/km CO2Safety equipment: 5 airbags, ABS, EBD, stability control.Engine: 412kW/480Nm 4.8-litre 40-valve DOHC V10Transmission: rear-mounted six-speed automated sequential gearboxBody: 2-door, 2 seatsDimensions: 4505mm (L); 1895mm (W); 1220mm (H); 2605mm (WB)Weight: 1540kgTyre size: 20in (fr 265/35, rr 305/30), no sparePerformance: 0-100 km/h 3.7 seconds, top speed 325km/h.

The millionaire heiress received the banana-coloured car as a 30th birthday present earlier this year from her then boyfriend Cy Waits.She has since broken up with Waits and decided she wanted a white LFA.It is not known whether the original LFA went back to the old boyfriend or was traded in for the new one.

And our preference for sporty models will see Lexus put its performance-oriented F Sport models. The F Sport vehicles represent almost half of IS350 sales and around a quarter of IS250s. “Lexus is committed to growing its performance portfolio – with two more F Sport models destined for launch next year,” chief executive Tony Cramb said. The growth in F Sport model sales is also reflected in Lexus Australia doubling its order of LFA vehicles from an initial allocation of five to 10 of the limited-build $700,000 supercars. The $700,000 LFA is made from carbon fibre and exotic alloys and is powered by a 4.8 litre V8 with 412kW and 480Nm. That power is fed through a six-speed automatic transmission and gives the lightweight car a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds. “Australia is viewed as a yardstick for the rest of the world, and our increased allocation of LFAs demonstrates the strength of the brand locally and the importance we hold in the global Lexus market,” Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb said.

The Mazda BT-50 is presented as an ‘active lifestyle vehicle’ that overturns the conventional image of a utility with modern and refined styling. The new model was developed from the ground up as a brand new type of vehicle.  As well as strength and dependability, the BT-50 is a great alternative for a wide range of customers who lead active lifestyles. The exterior design features crisp lines, an imposing presence, plus sporty, dynamic proportions. When it finally hits Australian roads it is designed to be an instantly recognisable head-turner. Customers who buy the BT-50 will, in effect, also be making a small investment in Australian automotive expertise as well – the vehicle was jointly developed, with the all-new Ford Ranger, right here in Australia. So you can be sure it’ll be tough enough for our potentially harsh operating conditions. Another significant display at this year’s Australian International Motor Show is Mazda’s range of next-generation SKY powertrains due for release later next year.  The SKY powertrains are a key part of Mazda’s earlier (2007) commitment to reduce by 30 per cent overall average fuel consumption levels between 2008 and 2015. The Mazda 2.0-litre SKY-G (for gasoline) petrol engine features direct injection and natural aspiration, while the hi-tech turbocharged 2.2-litre SKY-D (for diesel) common-rail diesel engine provides a solid wall of torque from just over 1000rpm to an incredible 5200rpm redline. Both are mated to manual and auto SKY-Drive transmission options – both with six speeds. The auto uses a locking clutch 80-90 per cent of the time for direct drive, which minimizes frictional losses, boosts efficiency and reduces greenhouse emissions.

... and one of the stars of the Australian International Motor Show.

The brand’s first grab for supercar territory – with a carbon-fibre body carrying a Formula One-inspired V10 engine that gets it to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds and to a top speed of 325km/h – is tipped to arrive with a price tag of more than $500,000.But that’s unlikely to bother those locals who have already put their hand up for the car, according to Lexus Australia boss John Roca. “It’s being touted at about US$375,000, but we’ve heard the equivalent of close to $750,000 … that kind of price didn’t shake anybody off the tree,” Roca says. “Our wishlist is to get five to 10 cars. We are going into negotiation on volume for Australia, but in the initial discussions it was not hypothetically slated for Asia because of projected demand from other markets. “We’ve asked for expressions of interest, and even in these difficult times they have come in. Three have been requested from Queensland alone. “Hypothetically, if we were to get five, the dealer principals would snap them up.”Roca says Lexus Australia will look at ways to prevent dealers buying the cars and simply locking them away for posterity. “So we might put limitations our dealer group to determine when the cars must be passed on,” he says. “That would prevent them being bought and then hidden away for the next 20 years.”Roca agrees the LFA development program has been a costly one if the result is simply 500 cars, but says it is an investment in more than just that vehicle. “It will do everything for the brand,” he says. “We’re a young brand – just 20 years in the market – and producing a true supercar like this would raise our profile. “People are asking if this is similar to what Honda did with the NSX in the 1990s, but it’s different. This is another tie into the Lexus (high-performance) F line and would allow us to tap into future F drivetrains. 

Toyota and its satellites have played the car game strictly by the rules for the longest, longest time but now the company is reaching full maturity and some of its senior staff are being encouraged to find new ways to do things. One of them is Haruhiko Tanahashi, who told me about Shu-ha-ri this week. So, what does it mean and why is it important? According to Tanahashi, the translation from Japanese into English goes something like this: "Know the rules, break the rules, then re-invent the rules." We will all understand the importance of what he is saying by the end of next month, but I cannot reveal exactly what we were discussing or why we were together in Germany. But he is the boss of the Lexus LFA project . .