Toyota has announced a massive recall of Toyota and Lexus hybrids. According to the automaker, the recall affects 482,000 vehicles registered in the U.S., including the 2010 - 2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, and the 2011 - 2012 Lexus CT 200h. READ: Toyota Camry vs...Read More»
If you're planning to buy a new Toyota or Lexus in the near future, pay attention. The automaker just announced pricing on a range of vehicles, and several popular models -- including the 2012 Toyota Corolla, Highlander, and Tundra -- are due for a price increase. Others, like the 2012 Matrix, will...Read More»
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima broke his own Pikes Peak Hill Climb world record by breaking the 10-minute mark. [MotorAuthority] Science has proven that a hot car can get men dates. The sky is also blue. [TheCarConnection] The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is in a class of one, the luxury compact hybrid hatchback...Read More»
All the talk likening small cars to sardine cans can finally be retired. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released new crash-test results and ratings for more than a dozen small cars and found that, thankfully, automakers have made significant progress in small-car...Read More»
For several years, the U.S. luxury market has been dominated by Lexus, but as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Toyota's high-end marque recently lost ground with American shoppers. Now BMW sits in the driver's seat, ahead of German rival Mercedes-Benz by a super-slim lead of just 29 sales...Read More»
On Friday, we told you about the ways that automakers have suffered following the recent Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. From imaginary problems with Korean companies to very real parts shortages, the disaster has had a direct impact on the way that U.S. consumers view Asian brands. Now, the world's...Read More»
Last spring, Lexus' marketing team came up with a metaphor about the "Darker Side of Green" to sell the new Lexus CT 200h. The gist was that the 200h is yin and yang, green and powerful -- good for the planet and good for the soul. We don't think the two are polar opposites, and we certainly...Read More»
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, automakers have grown weary of hiring high-priced celebs like Ricardo Montalban and John Slattery to hawk their rides. Nowaday's, car marketers are focusing their attention on "a similarly powerful but cheaper source: young social-media influencers...Read More»
Whatever your color of politics might be, red or blue, there's little doubt you've been teased by the notion of green cars. Environmentally concerned drivers want the same thing as security hawks: to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Though they get to the same place from different starting...Read More»
Lexus has been working the "Darker Side of Green" angle for months now, hyping the company's new hybrid the Lexus CT 200h. We've talked a good bit about the marketing campaign, its series of odd but entertaining debates, and some of its...less successful elements. Now, a little birdie -- seriously...Read More»
Remember the Lexus HS 250h that was introduced last year? Yes? Well kindly forget about it for the moment and reboot. Actually, consider it a full-on system crash and reinstall; all is well again and Lexus is back on track with what hybrid shoppers want. That's how we felt after spending part of a...Read More»
Of all this year's A-list auto shows, the Paris show opening this week is the lucky one. The grey mood at recent shows in Frankfurt, Detroit, and Geneva broke at the Paris Expo, with a herd of electric supercars leading the charge. Two years ago, the raw display of power and advanced technology on...Read More»
During the 2010 New York Auto Show, Lexus hosted a debate to hype its new hybrid, the CT 200h. Dubbed "The Darker Side of Green", the face-off featured eco-tech enthusiast Amanda Little, global-warming denier Phelim McAleer, and moderator Sarah Silverman. We were very, very dubious. But by most...Read More»
We love our jobs. Really. Mostly. But every so often, we're obligated to take a metaphorical bullet in the service of keeping you informed. This is one of those times. Seriously, you guys owe us a Coke. The bullet in question comes courtesy of Lexus, which continues to pump the whole "Dark Side of...Read More»
Most debuts at auto shows are fairly simple affairs. A little hip hop, a couple of smoke machines, a stray dancer or two, and voila -- a new ride is launched. But Lexus is taking a different route for the Lexus CT 200h's appearance at the 2010 New York Auto Show: to celebrate the hot, hybrid hatch...Read More»
