Autoblog

Autoblog Podcast #318

Dan Roth — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Truck, Etc., Cadillac, Dodge, Lexus, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota

Toyota back on top, Barrett Jackson, Crowdsourcing your Dodge Dart payments, Nissan and Toyota double down on pickups

Episode #318 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Michael Harley talk about Toyota regaining the No. 1 sales crown, getting your friends and family to buy you a Dodge Dart, Barrett-Jackson, and Toyota and Nissan remaining committed to their pickup trucs. We wrap with your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #318:

Topics:

In the Autoblog Garage:
2013 Lexus ES 300h
2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T 6MT
2014 Subaru Forester

Hosts: Dan Roth, Zach Bowman, Michael Harley

Runtime: 01:50:11

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Autoblog Podcast #318 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus prices 2013 ES 350 and ES 300h

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Sedan, Lexus, Luxury

Lexus has officially slapped a window sticker on its 2013 ES 350 sedan and ES 300h hybrid. Unlike most new car and truck refreshes, this one comes with a bit of a pricing shocker: the 2013 Lexus ES 350 has been priced at $36,100* - a decrease of 1.7 percent compared to the 2012 ES sedan. (Add delivery charges of $895 to all listed prices.)

That asking price will net the driver a 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine (248 pound-feet of torque) and a six-speed automatic sending power to the front wheels. The EPA estimates that combo is good for 21 miles per gallon city, 31 highway and 24 combined.

Want something a little more... electric? Checking the box for the ES 300h and its 2.5-liter engine/electric motor hybrid combination will run you $2,750 over the base ES. Those $38,850 bring fuel mileage figures of 40 mpg city, 39 mpg highway and 40 mpg combined courtesy of its 200 total horses. Drivers can also engage an EV mode that keeps the gas-powered engine off at low speeds for short distances.

Want to know more about the 2013 ES? Click here for our detailed First Drive report, then scroll down for the official pricing press release.

Continue reading Lexus prices 2013 ES 350 and ES 300h

Lexus prices 2013 ES 350 and ES 300h originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus considering building new ES in North America

Scott Burgess — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Lexus, Luxury

Lexus dealers are pressuring parent company Toyota to build the new 2013 ES in North America.

According to Ward's Auto, Tim Morrison, vice president of sales and dealer development, admits dealers are clamoring for the ES to be built in North America to help hedge against a strong Japanese yen. The ES, Lexus' top selling sedan in America, is currently built in Kyushu, Japan. But the strong yen has cut into the car's profitability.

Morrison says that the company's North American factory capacity is already limited, but as the brand looks to expand, it will consider finding places to build the ES overseas.

Last year, Lexus sold 41,000 ES sedans, even with the constraints from production problems following the March tsunami. The redesigned 2013 model will include a hybrid version, which Lexus expects to draw new customers.

The ES remains a strong conquest vehicle for Lexus, with 63 percent of ES customers new to the brand, Lexus tells Autoblog. However, only 28 percent stay with the ES once it's time to get a new car.

Last year, Lexus lost its title as America's No. 1 U.S. luxury brand, but officials have said they intend on recapturing it. In 2011, Lexus sold 198,000 vehicles in the U.S., and this year, it hopes to reach 250,000 vehicles.

Lexus considering building new ES in North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus debuts 2013 ES including new 300h hybrid

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Lexus, Luxury

When the Toyota Camry gets overhauled, like it did this year, you know it's not long before its corporate sister, the Lexus ES, gets revisited as well. And Lexus has done exactly that this afternoon at the New York Auto Show, with the new model doing what the ES does best: Surprise no one.

As expected, the biggest news is the announcement of a hybrid ES, a move that should be the final nail in the coffin of the slow-selling HS 250h. This new hybrid is essentially the Camry hybrid in a nicer package, powered by the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder fitted with the ubiquitous Toyota hybrid system. As it does in the hybrid GS, Lexus will offer a sport drive mode, as well as an EV mode. Lexus estimates that the ES hybrid will have 40-mile-per-gallon combined fuel economy, matching that of the Camry Hybrid XLE (a number that presumably will give it best-in-class bragging rights).

The ES gets the new Lexus spindle grille treatment and a 1.8-inch longer wheelbase, but changes to the sheetmetal aren't as dramatic as the upgraded cabin. The instrument panel now resembles the one in the GS, with a horizontal treatment and a big LCD screen, along with the love/hate Lexus Remote Touch Interface controller snuggling next to the gearshift in the center console. New seats boast a leather-alternative NuLuxe covering, although real hide is also available, along with premium semi-aniline leather. Somehow, Lexus has even managed to find an extra four inches of legroom up front.

The ES 350 will still mate Toyota's proven 3.5-liter V6 with a six-speed automatic, driving the front wheels. But Lexus says it's modified the suspension and steering in this generation of ES to improve handling - and it's even cut the curb weight of the 2013 ES by 90 pounds.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading Lexus debuts 2013 ES including new 300h hybrid

Lexus debuts 2013 ES including new 300h hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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