Luxury Cars Blog » Lexus

The Lexus CT 200h: Winner or Loser/

Heather — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:11:15 +0000

Typically, I am a fan of Lexus. I may not be a huge fan of every single model but I can usually find at least a little something to love.

Not so much with the new Lexus CT 200h, which is a compact model emerge from the luxury brand created by … Toyota.

I do not like this thing.

Apparently the interior is way better, with lots of metallic finishes as well as dark surfaces that are soft to the touch, and some great displays.

All I can say is, they should start showing pictures of the inside, then.

Outwardly, the CT 200h looks like a big, boring marshmallow. There is nothing memorable about it.

German Luxury brands lead the US market in diesel segment

Tara — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:18:08 +0000

The delay of diesels in the U.S. market from car manufacturers like GM, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda can be blamed on the shaky state of the economy. European brands like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen leave their competition behind and why not if they can charge the cost of producing expensive engines to their consumers who go for premium brands.

American and Japanese car manufacturers don’t have the positioning and advantage that the European brands have. The vehicles they produce are mainstream and they do not have significant diesel programs in Europe or other parts of the globe.

The European car makers are grabbing the opportunity to dominate the market as diesel prices drop and as clamor for more fuel efficient engines increase. They are finding the greener solution in diesel which has more energy stored compared to gasoline. Diesel technology can still compete with the emerging hybrid vehicles.

Consumers can save on average about $3000 to $8000 per car compared to getting hybrid systems. Diesel powertrains also prove to be torquey and perform in real driving conditions. The hybrid, on the other hand, has the street image of being the greener of the choices and is more popular nowadays.

The European luxury car makers will definitely push forward with their plans of selling more units in the United States as Japanese and American car makers struggle to bring back their diesel solutions to North America.

Lexus might have something in its fleet to challenge the European marques. The 2010 HS 250h is being marketed as a luxury sedan. It also has the RX hybrid in the SUV segment. Experts are pretty sure though that the 355d of BMW and Bluetec diesel GL-Class and ML-Class (Mercedes), and the Audi 7 will give a good fight.

The Lexus IS C 2010: Glimpse the Future

Heather — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:47:06 +0000

What do you think of when you hear the word “Lexus,” what does it call to mind? Naturally, most of us think about the car. It is nothing less than iconic, and with good reason. But honestly, what do you think about when you hear someone talking about a Lexus?

I can only speak for myself here, but I immediately think of class and sophistication. I think of richness. I think of sleek, classic lines and elegant yet innovative design. I think of state of the art styling. I think expensive. I think sophisticated.

As it so happens, everything I think about when I think about a Lexus is glimpsed in the new sporty 2010 Lexus IS C. This convertible is going to come out big, that’s my prediction. Anyone who can afford one of these is going to have one. Anyone who cannot afford one of these is going to dream of owning one. They are going to dream of flying down the highway with the top down and the radio blasting, getting envious stares at red lights and stop signs — because that is what Lexus represents.