Although Toyota’s launch of the Lexus luxury brand just over 30 years ago was primarily centered on the flagship LS 400, the carmaker quickly realized that a smaller, less expensive companion model was necessary. Japanese market derivatives of the 2nd-generation (V20) Toyota Camry (the Camry Prominent and Vista 4-door hardtop sedans, to be precise) were […]
Every so often, one of the automotive industry-centric websites or organizations will publish Toyota and/or Lexus-centric predictions on the future of their model lineups, timelines for refreshes or new product launches and so forth. In the past, we’ve commented on forecasts from Bank of America Merrill Lynch Car Wars and Automotive News. Now comes a […]
The Toyota Harrier most likely resonates only with hardcore followers and fans of Japan’s largest automaker (including its Lexus marque) and regular Kaizen Factor readers. We wrote a pair of stories on the 3rd-generation (XU60) Harrier (on July 2013 and January 2015) primarily to debunk the widespread misconception that it was a thinly-veiled preview of […]
Early last year, Mazda was graceful enough to allow me to sample a 2017 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring for a week. It was only natural that I compare it to the 2008 Miata Touring that I’ve owned for over a decade now. This year, Mazda allowed us to sample the 2018 version of its most […]
A recent invitation to sample the 2018 Lexus IS 350 for a week was, in a way, reminiscent of my NC vs ND Mazda Miata comparison from last year. While a 3rd-gen (NC) Miata is my weekend and mild weather (read winter in South Florida) fun ride, my daily driver is a 2011 Lexus IS […]
