Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Lexus exceeds LS600h sales target by three hundred percent]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/04/lexus-exceeds-ls600h-sales-target-by-three-hundred-percent/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/04/lexus-exceeds-ls600h-sales-target-by-three-hundred-percent/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/04/lexus-exceeds-ls600h-sales-target-by-three-hundred-percent/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Remember when the Lexus LS 600h was on the way, and there was head-scratching aplenty about the $100K+ price and the delay? At the time, Lexus said it only planned to sell 2,000 of the hybrid cruisers per year, and that they already had orders for 1,650 of them. Then the car came out, and in spite of being treated rather unkindly by the motoring press and boasting a less-than-stellar MPG improvement, it has sold 6,093 worldwide through October. The car only went on sale in July.

Lexus calls the car the "progressive person's alternative." The New York Times called the car the "new standard for automotive hyperbole." After only a few months of sales, it is far too early to call -- but it would be interesting to see if Lexus has done the same thing with the LS that Toyota did with the Prius: no matter what you might think of it, it allows people to make a statement.

While Mercedes and Audi are busy working on... something, and hydrogen BMWs shuttle celebs hither, Lexus has a car on lots that lets luxury buyers make the claim, "I care." (Remember, this isn't about what you think of the statement, so keep the comments civil.) Whichever one the buyers are going for -- progressive, hyperbole, statement, or something else -- it appears to be working.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Lexus exceeds LS600h sales target by three hundred percent originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lexus ls 600hlexus ls 600h llexus ls hybridlexus ls hybrid salesLexusLs600hLexusLs600hLLexusLsHybridLexusLsHybridSalesls 600ls 600 hls 600h lls 600h salesLs600Ls600HLs600hLLs600hSalesTue, 04 Dec 2007 18:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Japanese-market Lexus LS460 to get rear-collision detection]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/japanese-market-lexus-ls460-to-get-rear-collision-detection/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/japanese-market-lexus-ls460-to-get-rear-collision-detection/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/japanese-market-lexus-ls460-to-get-rear-collision-detection/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Lexus has already talked about a variety of impressive pre-crash safety systems for its upcoming LS flagship sedan (see our post on the LS 600h L), but so far it has all revolved around the front end of the luxury sedan. Toyota is now saying that the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) version of the LS 460 will get a rear collision detection system, which is believed to be the first of its type in the world.

The system uses a rear-facing radar sensor to detect imminent rear collisions, and illuminates a warning lamp for the driver as it measures the position of the front seat passengers' heads and adjusts the position of the vehicle's headrests accordingly to help reduce the risk of whiplash neck injuries.

More information has also trickled out about the front-collision detection technology in the LS, with the automaker stating that the twin front-mounted "stereo" cameras will use infrared illuminators mounted in the headlamps to provide detection and ranging capabilities. Such a system will be capable of detecting pedestrians as well as vehicles, which will give it an advantage over radar-based systems (the Lexus has one of those, too).

[Source: Japan Times]

Japanese-market Lexus LS460 to get rear-collision detection originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accidentcollisionlexusLsls 460ls 600pedestrianpre crashpre-crashpreventionsafetytoyotaSun, 27 Aug 2006 15:56:00 EST