Lexus RX450H News

If there was ever a snapshot highlighting the challenges of our brave new driving world, surely this is it.Apple’s autonomous car program has suffered its first bruise – and in a stunning irony, it involves the world’s most commercially successful electric car.Reports from Santa Clara, California have revealed that a 2015 Lexus LX450h – owned by Apple and equipped with a battery of autonomous sensors – was involved in a rear-end collision with a Nissan Leaf late last week.The crash was minor, with the Leaf rear-ending the almost-stopped Apple rig at about 24km/h. No injuries were noted.It’s the first reported incident involving Apple’s autonomous car program, which looks a lot different now than it did in 2014, when the computer company announced it would build its own autonomous car by 2017.However, the program was wound back in 2016, with up to 1000 people cut from the project, while Apple focused its attentions on developing autonomous software.The software, known internally as Apple Automated System, has been rolled out across a fleet of some 45 RX SUVs that are actively testing across the state of California, which has granted the Cupertino company licences to run on public roads.Just six Apple employees are reportedly approved to 'drive' the cars, and all hold senior positions within the company.California’s regulations around autonomous vehicles are very strict, requiring licence holders to submit documents like an annual disengagement report, which show just how many times an autonomous vehicle’s driver has had to take control of the car over the testing period.Even the incident report submitted after the crash was on an autonomous vehicle-specific form.A crash between an autonomous vehicle and an EV serves to illustrate the technology barriers that will need to be overcome if self-driving cars are to become part of the modern motoring mix.The majority of crashes in the United States involving autonomous vehicles have been similar in nature, with a piloted car colliding with a slow-moving or stationary autonomous car.There have been tragic exceptions, with a self-driving Volvo XC90 belonging to ride share company Uber striking and killing a pedestrian in Arizona earlier this year, after it failed to detect her crossing a road late at night. The Uber’s minder wasn’t paying attention to the road.It’s also worth noting that the Leaf was recorded as a 2016 model, which wasn’t equipped with AEB as standard; driver safety aids like AEB and lane departure warning are also vital parts of the new technology mix.

Lexus rounds off the RX 200t line-up with the introduction of the F Sport and Sports Luxury variants, while pushing prices up across the RX range.

Police will enjoy some rare winter luxury this snow season, with the delivery of two new prestige cars.

The RX450h is touted as the world’s most efficient luxury hybrid SUV. Both have a lot to prove but going by the effort it seems Lexus have put into both vehicles, it seems they may deliver.EngineThe RX350 is powered by a water-cooled 3.5 litre quad cam, dual VVT-i V6 that puts out 204kW at 6200rpm and 346Nm at 4700rpm.   The RX450h moves with a 3.5 litre Atkinson-cycle V6 that makes full use of combustion energy by making the expansion stroke longer than the compression stroke. It is coupled with a rear mounted electric motor generator that lets the four wheels perform regenerative braking which in turn charges the hybrid battery.It puts out 183kW(220kW combined) at 6000rpm and 317Nm at 4800rpm.  Power to the wheels for both 4WD’s is achieved via a sequential-shift six-speed transmission.  Both cars will sprint from 0-100km/h in around eight seconds.Fuel consumption for the 350 has a combined rate of about 10.8l/100km - 4.4 litres higher than the hybrid at 6.4l/100km - and it outputs 254g/km of CO2, again substantially higher than the hybrid at 150g/km.ExteriorOutside, you could mistake the 350 and the 450h as the same car but if you look a little closer there are a few design tweaks that set them apart.  Both are imposing presences on the road at almost five meters long and two meters wide, sitting on big 18 or 19 inch alloys.But the hybrid has a modified grille design and gets blue accents on the headlights and tail lights and on the Lexus emblem and ‘hybrid’ badges.InteriorA completely new cabin design in the RX350 is carried across to the RX450h, again barring a few minor adjustments.  According to Lexus the cockpit has been divided into two zones; ‘display’ and ‘operation’, to provide information to the occupants effortlessly, and there is a mouse-like control stick on the centre console that navigates the multi-function display.The dash then is clutter free and gives the cabin an open airy feeling. The driving position is good, helped by the supportive and electronically adjustable leather bucket seats.  Enhanced climate control, Bluetooth compatibility, satellite navigation, a quality sound system and a head up display are standard but should be expected in vehicles at this level.The blue theme continues in the hybrid with blue accented meters. There is also a hybrid system indicator replacing the tachometer.   Both cars have adequate storage throughout including map pockets, cup and bottle holders and a large 21 litre centre console bin.The seats split 40/20/40 - the rear seats fold down flat - and have a quick release system. With all seats up and the parcel blind in place, the back holds 446 litres. There are also compartments under the cargo floor.SafetySafety is a certainly a feature in the 350 and 450h. On top of a comprehensive airbag package, both SUV’s have electronically controlled braking, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control, vehicle stability control and vehicle dynamics integrated management.DrivingOne of our colleagues here at Carsguide referred to both cars as land yachts. We though that was a little unfair but did find them a little boofy at times, especially when trying to navigate round tight city streets come peak hour, and our ludicrously narrow car park here at work.But give them a bit more room and both ooze luxury and swallow potholes and ruts like the road is heavily under-laid plush pile. The 450h pips the 350 slightly for interior quality but so it should. Everything is at arms length and if you couldn’t be bothered looking for it, just fiddle around on the steering wheel controls and it’ll turn up.For such big units they’re quite toey too – eights seconds isn’t bad for a boat with wheels. Although the hybrid does take a little nanna nap – switches to electric power - when it meanders at low speed, and needs a nudge to kick it over to the petrol motor and get going properly.The big SUV’s do a great job ducking into and accelerating out of corners with grip like cars half their size and the new anchors keep you feeling nice and safe. The electric leather bucket seats have great side bolstering for added support and comfort too.Both cars live up to what they are supposed to be – quality, luxury SUV’s – no question. One thing that we couldn’t help wondering though was why can’t Lexus, and a lot of other car makers for that matter, work a bit harder to making these things look a bit cooler on the outside. Given the skill and man hours devoted to their hybrid technology, surely knocking a shape together that doesn’t necessarily match pearls, ain’t that hard.

Toyota alone has plans for eight hybrids and they will be joined by everything up to super-luxury petrol-electric cars from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. With a growing number of fuel-efficient diesel cars also landing from Europe, the number of bowser wowsers will soar as quickly as fuel economy falls. Toyota yesterday unveiled its third-generation Prius, the global hybrid poster car, with the promise of everything from 3.9 litre/100km fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 89 grams/kilometre to eco-plastics in the cabin and a solar roof panel to cool the cabin when the car is parked. But hybrids are still not cheap and parking a new Prius in the driveway will cost a minimum of $39,990. The Prius previews some of the technology to be seen next year in the company's first locally-made hybrid, a version of the Camry, and sets the benchmark for the upcoming Honda Insight. It will be the Prius's closest showroom challenger, although slightly smaller, with a pricetag set close to $30,000. Toyota Australia is aiming for 4500 Prius sales next year, in a global total which could go as high at 300,000 in 88 countries worldwide. "In future years hybrids will become the mainstream cars," the chief engineer of the new Prius, Akihiko Otsuka, said yesterday. The Prius push comes as a growing number of carmakers look for a fuel- efficient solution to the world's energy needs, as well as a segway to the all-electric cars which will eventually take over from petrol power. For Toyota, and its Lexus luxury brand, that will mean eight new models led by the Prius, local Camry and a compact Lexus called the HS250h. There is no talk yet of either a HiLux hybrid or any diesel- electric hybrid. "We have looked at diesel but it would be too expensive for the consumer," said Otsuka. The Prius has now been sold in Australia for eight years, although Honda was first into showrooms with its original Insight and still has the hybrid price leader with its Civic. But this is not as technologically advanced as the Prius. AUSTRALIA'S FAVOURITE HYBRIDS Toyota Prius Price: $39,990 Economy: 3.9L/100km Emissions: 89g/km Honda Civic Hybrid Price: $35,990 Economy: 4.6L/100km Emissions: 109g/100km Lexus RX450h Price: $89,900 Economy: 6.4L/100km Emissions: 150g/km

Thanks to combined fuel economy less than seven litres per 100km, the new RX is the first hybrid to qualify for partial exemption on the luxury car tax which means a saving to buyers of about $4000.Lexus Australia boss John Roca said the price reduction was not only due to luxury tax exemptions up to $75,000 of the price but also more efficient hybrid technology production.Buyers of the base model Prestige will pay a recommended retail price of $89,990, which is $8000 below the previous model RX400h, even though it comes with more features such as smart start, a 12-speaker sound system and remote touch computer system.“It (hybrids) will continue to become more affordable as hybrid technology progresses,” Roca said.RX hybrid was the cheapest Lexus hybrid yet and represented excellent value for money, he said.Lexus has three months of orders already even though buyers were not aware of the final price.“Dealers have been assuming that the price would go about $10,000 on the previous model,” Roca said.The RX450h comes in three trim levels, mirroring the RX350 launched in February: the Prestige, the Sports ($96,900) and the Sports Luxury ($107,900).Roca said they expected to sell 60 a month which was a 70 per cent increase on the RX400h and would represent 30 per cent of all RX sales.The new RX hybrid is 10 per cent more powerful than the RX400h with a combined peak power output of 220kW and 23 per cent more efficient with economy of 6.4L/100km and CO2 emissions of 150g/km.It also has a bigger footprint on the road with a wider track and wheelbase.The RX450h will be available in the market from July 13.

What should have been the main attraction in the car world was reduced to a sideshow as the heads of America's Big Three sat down in Detroit on the same day to beg for the billions they need to stay in business.There was plenty of shiny new stuff but all the talk was doom and gloom, even from car chiefs who do not have the same live-or-die pressures as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler."I think it is fair to say this is the worst we have seen," the head of the world's fifth-largest carmaker, Carlos Ghosn of the Nissan- Renault alliance, says as he delivers the keynote speech at the opening of LA '08."And we are not certain. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?", Ghosn says of the critical cash crisis which is affecting nearly everyone in the car world.Still, there is plenty of new stuff and news on the strangely subdued stands in downtown LA.The latest Ford Mustang, for a start.And then the world debut of the latest Mazda3 and Lexus RX, the great looking new Nissan 370Z, the updated Porsche Cayman and Boxster, and even a droptop Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.It's no surprise, either, that some of the special impact in LA is reserved for cars which are chasing the elusive path to a future beyond petrol that satisfies American lawmakers' deepening desire for transport without emissions.The Mini E is the obvious champion, but LA also has the electric Mitsubishi i-MIEV which is likely to become Australia's first plug-and- go volt car, and all sorts of new-and-old battery-powered concept cars from the Big Three and a growing number of hybrid production cars including the Mondeo-sized Ford Fusion.As well as the radical looking Honda FC Sport Concept, which was done to prove that a hydrogen-powered future car does not have to look as boring or family as the company's upcoming Insight or the benchmark Toyota Prius.The show is a mis-hit for General Motors, which canned its concepts and parties, although Ford stays totally committed with a Mustang which makes the running for an event which typically draws around one million visitors in a city which is the car capital of the USA and, by extension, the world."I think there is a mixed emotion at the show," says J Mays (SUBS: CORRECT), the design director of Ford Motor Company."You still have to try and tug hard enough on the heart strings that people forget about the purse strings. It's a yin-and-yang situation."Looking over at his Mustang, and across to the Honda FC, Mays expresses what many people are thinking. Even at a time when it is more politically correct to attack the car chiefs, and their private- jet flights to Washington, than to talk about a show which takes another important step towards the world beyond petrol."Automobiles are escapism. It's not just transport," says Mays."People ask if it's appropriate to launch the Mustang at his time. Damn right it is. It puts a smile on your face and enhances your quality of life."That is definitely true of the Mustang, which still looks muscular and fresh despite a chassis which trails well behind the Ford Falcon, and the open-air Gallardo and even the second-generation Nissan Cube, which could just make it to Australia one day.And the 370Z looks tauter than today's 350, with the promise of more go and much better cabin quality, and the Mazda3 is fresh and happy.The Mini E looks just like the regular petrol-power car but is a milestone car which has the power and range to win people to electric."It's an important time in the history of the global car industry," says Carlos Ghosn.He worries about the impact of the global recession, and the money pressures on carmakers trying to evolve faster than ever before, and the challenges of safety and emission regulations.But, just like the cars on the LA Show stands, and the regular car people who flood in once the doors are open, he is bottom-line upbeat and bright."The one thing that is certain, absolutely certain, is that people will continue driving cars. Cars have no substitute. We have convergence on the issues, but divergence on the solutions," Ghosn says.And that is pretty much the way things looked in LA. 

But that is no surprise with the heads of the Big Three carmakers all skipping the event to continue lobbying for a $US25 billion lifeline from congress in Washington.Ford still splashed with the official introduction of the 2010 Mustang, but Chrysler and General Motors both wound-back their involvement in the second-biggest car show in North America.That left the way clear for the imports, with Mazda pulling the cover off its all-new Mazda3 - the last car it will develop with Ford as its owner - Nissan revealing its revitalised 370Z and a new Cube, and Honda revealing a radical looking new concept coupe called the FC Sport.Lexus also has a new RX SUV, which is being simultaneously unveiled in Sydney and will come as both a pure petrol car and a hybrid, Hyundai is showing a Sonata hybrid concept and the plug-in Mini E electric car is making its first public appearance.The LA show usually draws a crowd of more than one million visitors but the attendance is expected to be well down this year with car sales off by more than 35 per cent in October and America's annual selling rate down by closer to 40 per cent.Still, cars like the Mustang will still draw a crowd in a city which is one of the most automobile driven in the world and there are plenty of pointers to the future including a growing number of electric cars led by the Mini but including concepts from Chrysler. 

Now capable of becoming a stand-alone car company; its road ahead is destined to be as a low-volume, premium-quality manufacturer. Nothing better illustrates this intention than Lexus's long-term fore