2013 Lexus Es 300h on 2040-cars

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Lexus LX to get diesel engine?

Australian consumers appear poised to get another diesel-burning luxury SUV in the near future, and word is it's coming from Lexus, of all automakers. Sean Hanley, chief executive of the company's branch in Oz, recently told Aussie website Drive that he's "pretty confident" that the new engine for the LX is getting the green light.
Like in the US, the LX in Australia is currently only offered with a 5.7-liter, gasoline-burning V8. However, sales of the big SUV are presently minuscule Down Under, with Drive reporting just 153 LX570s sold in all of Oz last year. Hanley is negotiating with Japan to get the new diesel in hopes of boosting flagging sales. If his efforts are successful, it would be the first diesel engine offered in a Lexus there. Hanley didn't specify exactly which mill the SUV would get. However, given the LX's close relationship with Toyota Land Cruiser, the diesel 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8 already available in the Toyota in markets outside of North America seems like a natural choice.
Don't expect the variant to be hopping across the Pacific, though. Lexus spokesperson Allison Takahashi tells Autoblog she has heard "nothing" about an oil-burning LX coming to the US. That's not a huge surprise, though, because neither Toyota nor Lexus offer any diesels in their lineups today. Also, Lexus has only sold 1,981 LX570s through June, which only placed it ahead of the LFA supercar in the brand's sales. It's probably just not worth certifying the engine for such a low-volume model.

2013 Lexus LS460 F-Sport AWD

Gary Approved
There's a guy that goes to my gym who can't get enough of the Lexus LS - let's call him Gary. Gary's the guy - you've probably got one at your gym, or coffee shop, or some other public but quasi-social location - who talks to everyone he meets. Sit next to him on the rowing machine or run by him on the track, and he's almost certainly going to bend your ear for a minute or 20. Gary is in his mid-60s, a business owner, and the super-proud owner of a 2013 Lexus LS.
Not being a shy man, Gary will be the first one to tell you that he didn't do much comparative shopping (he "drove by" the BMW dealership, and looked at a 7 Series "on the computer"). Being a satisfied former owner of multiple Lexus RXs, there was probably only a tiny statistical chance that Gary wouldn't end up in an LS when it came time for him to treat himself to the tricked out luxury car that he'd wanted for a long time. Still, when I found myself chatting with Gary about his new LS, right after I had spent a wintry week in the 2013 LS460 F-Sport AWD, I figured that he'd have some light to shed on the car.

Lexus IS F avoids cancellation, priced from $63,350*

Ever since the redesigned Lexus IS hit the scene, we've been wondering about the 416-horsepower IS F model, and now we finally have some answers. For 2014, the IS F carries over with the previous bodystyle, and Lexus gives its sport sedan some small changes to go with a higher starting price of $63,350 (*not including $910 for destination) when it goes on sale in October. Compared to the 2013 model (shown above), the price has risen by $1,600.
For that extra money, buyers will get a couple styling changes like the new carbon fiber decklid spoiler and LED fog lights, as well as some minor interior updates like headrests embossed with the "F" logo, Alcantara trim added to the door panels and center console cover, semi-aniline leather replacing the black leather and black Alcantara seat-inserts added to cars equipped with the red leather seats.
The price hike for the IS F is considerably higher than the rest of the 2014 IS lineup such as the $885 increase for the new IS250 and the $855 drop for the IS350 while pricing for both IS Convertible models (IS250C and IS350C) went up by $100 each. Speaking of price increases, Lexus has also increased its destination charge slightly from $895 up to $910.