Precisely two weeks remain for the official presentation of the all-new 2013 Lexus GS 350 on Thursday, August 18th at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and the Japanese automaker decided it's time to enter the teaser photo game with the release of a single, partially blacked out image of the mid-size luxury sedan.

There's not much to say about the Lexus sedan from the photo other than that it looks a lot like the LF-Gh Hybrid concept we saw at this year's New York Auto Show.

For those of you that would like to see a bit more of the new GS than what Lexus has to offer, hit the break to watch the first test drive videos of the car by U.S. magazines Motor Trend and Road & Track.

Can you imagine buying a new car every six months? Trading in your MY2010 jalopy for the MY2011 model? Few of us would; after all, the cheapest new cars today are still around US$11,000 (€7,656).

It is, however, what many people do when it comes to portable electronics: notebook computers, mobile phones, PDAs and the like. It’s one of the reasons that Silicon Valley has recovered so quickly in this post-GFC world. There is big demand and big profits to be made in this ever growing sector of the market.

So it’s no wonder that luxury carmakers – among them Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW – are experiencing healthy sales in the areas surrounding the Californian technological hamlet.

Being that Toyota wants Lexus to compete against its German rivals not only in North America, but all over the world, along with the U.S. test drive event of the 2013MY GS in California, the Japanese automaker also coordinated a similar happening for European media at a proving ground in Belgium.

The journalists were invited to drive heavily disguised versions of pre-production 2013 Lexus GS models while the company's Chief Engineer, Yoshihiko Kanamori, was in attendance from Japan to gather feedback from the participants.

Following the announcement on the time and place of the premiere of the all-new 2013 Lexus GS 350 –that would be the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18th for those of you that didn’t read our previous story- the Japanese company lifted the embargo on the first test drive of the car in the States.

Invitees include names like Car&Driver, Autoweek and Motor Trend. Naturally, the exterior of the pre-production test cars were bagged in plastic, but their interiors were largely free of camouflage (see links below for photos) revealing an edgier LF-A-esque design with lots of stitched leather on the dashboard and a gigantic 12.3-inch information screen above the center console.

This year’s edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance that takes place in California on August 18 will see Lexus lifting the veil off the next generation of its GS premium sedan, which we recently showed you testing at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany.

Lexus teased the new GS with the LF-Gh Hybrid concept study at the New York Auto Show in April.

"Our customers have been waiting for a new GS that's more intense in every way," commented Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "They'll soon discover this GS was well worth the wait."

Lexus’ first supercar, the LFA, looks more sinister than Darth Vader himself – especially in black. But it is indeed a very rare piece, which shouldn’t come to as a surprise considering that only 500 examples will be built each priced at a hefty $375,000. Read more »

Well now, that didn’t take long, did it? Less than three months after the presentation of the LF-Gh concept car at the 2011 New York International Auto Show and Lexus has already started testing the production model that will spawn a successor to today’s GS sedan at the Nürburgring circuit.

Naturally, the Lexus GS prototype is covered in plenty of camouflage but not to the point that it discloses its styling similarities to the LF-Gh study.

Aside from the body proportions, details like the protruding side sills, the high rising belt line, the “dotted” LEDs and large grille up front, and even the alloy wheel designs, appear remarkably faithful to the concept.

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.

This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.

Lexus has been the top-selling luxury brand in the US for the last 11 years. But in 2011 the luxury division of Toyota looks bound to lose the top spot to both BMW and Mercedes-Benz and be relegated to third place.

The earthquake and Tsunami that hit Japan in March and disrupted production is one of the reasons, as Lexus manufactures all bar one of its models (the RX) in its homeland. However, the production problems aren’t the sole reason for Lexus’ declining sales.

MONACO - current media attention tends to wait for the implementation of the couple's wedding in UK, namely Prince William and Kate Middleton, on 29 April. Meanwhile, interesting news also emerged from Monaco, a small country a protectorate of the French. What is interesting is this time not on the bridal couple, but a weddomg car that will be used.



Monaco Royal Family members who will get married is Prince Albert II, on 2 July. The prince will marry Miss Charlene Wittstock. The car taken to carry the bride is the Lexus LS600h.

Reported, when it will be used later, this luxury hybrid sedan is equipped with a light or blink rotator (flash), the symbol of the kingdom, and special plates "MC01". It is said that the luxury car is considered appropriate as the bridal couple Kingdom of Monaco car because this car will be surrounded by electric cars at the parade later .

The decision to opt a hybrid Lexus is once again to dedicate Prince Albert II's commitment to environmental awareness. He erected The Prince Albert II's Monaco Foundation in 2006. The institute is helping 150 projects to monitor changes in the evolution and provide protection to the environment. The special organization also gives attention to the specific species of animals and plants. It added that Prince Albert II also donates aid water management in developing countries.

2006 Lexus Gs 450h Car preview and performance with wallpapers
2012 dodge cars features reviews: http://www.carfans.co.cc/2011/04/upcoming-2012-dodge-viper-preview-and.html

The devastating consequences of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami on the country’s auto industry continue to unfold. Today, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will reduce its North American production because of the lack of parts. The Japanese auto giant said that over the next few weeks, its American vehicle plants will operate on a reduced schedule, with production suspended on April 15, 18, 21*, 22, and 25. The same goes for most of the company’s North American engine and component plants that will follow a similar schedule.

Toyota's luxury brand Lexus released the first official teaser shots of the new LF-Gh hybrid concept car, which will make its world debut at the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show (April 22 – May 11). The name of the concept stands for Lexus Future Grand Touring Hybrid, and according to the Japanese company, the LF-Gh “sets out to redefine the premium grand touring sedan.”

The Toyota group has announced price increases for most 2011MY cars, SUVs and trucks it sells under the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands. These increases will be applicable for cars produced from May onwards. The only models that will keep the same prices are the Tacoma pickup truck, Yaris sedan, Scion tC, Scion xB, Lexus CT 200h and Lexus LFA.

For the past eleven years, Lexus has been Numero Uno in U.S. luxury vehicle sales. Not so in China, where Germanic giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi lead the pack and Lexus is relegated to a paltry fourth.

One issue is customer service, or rather a level of customer service that fails to differentiate Lexus from its competitors. As business owner and Lexus customer Maggie Lin explains: “Nothing stands out from Lexus's service. I don't feel there's anything special compared with what Audi has been doing. They are more or less the same.”

It’s one of the reasons Lexus’s Chinese arm has sent two of its top managers to the United States to learn how things are done at the brand’s North American operation. According to J.D. Power, Lexus sold just a fifth of market leader Audi’s sales total for 2010. That’s just 49,000 vehicles to the latter’s 236,000. There’s also the issue of consumer tastes.

In one of the cleverest ads from the 1980s, Lexus stacked fifteen champagne glasses on the hood of its (then new) LS400 sedan...and then placed it on a dynamometer. Taking the LS400 up to a simulated 145 mph (233 km/h), the viewer marvels as the glasses remain exactly where they should be. The ad ends with the Lexus logo and the words, “The Lexus LS400 is designed to stir the soul...and not much else.”

It’s a great bit of advertising and holds up pretty well even today. There is one question that many would-be Lexus owners may be asking themselves today: are the cars still as good as they were back then? Has engineering perfection über alles survived twenty years of market reinvention and product development?

Could Toyota's source code hold the answer to its sudden acceleration problems? Possibly, and it's currently working with attorneys to smooth out how this code will be analyzed in its ongoing unintended acceleration legal woes.

For those of you too fried to remember, Toyota had a bit of a flub a couple years ago regarding unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles; the problems were originally blamed on floor mats, poorly designed pedals, and driver error.

Currently, plaintiffs and their attorneys are still fighting for a proper explanation and compensation even though "the [U.S.] government's comprehensive review of Toyota's source code found no electronic causes of [unintended acceleration] in Toyota vehicles."

Next up on our motorshow calendar is the 2011 New York Auto Show in late April, where we’re expecting several world premieres, including a new concept car from Lexus. The Japanese automaker made the announcement today through its Twitter channels with a rather vague note: “LF-Gh: LF = Lexus Future. h = hybrid. G = ...”.

The company also stated in an invitation to the press that the concept “will present a glimpse into the future of Lexus design.” We’re assuming the ‘G’ stands for a prototype version of the next generation of the GS premium sedan but we’ll know more within the next couple of weeks.