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 […]

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 […]

A month prior to its public unveiling, Toyota North America’s Executive Vice President of Sales (and Toyota USA President of Sales) Bob Carter had already hinted at production intent for its then-upcoming Lexus LF-1 Limitless flagship concept. In late December 2017, this set off a guessing game among Lexus Enthusiast forum members as to what […]

It is the result of an older sibling’s uncontrolled growth spurt and a crosstown rival’s geekily proportioned, willfully ugly rally car/small crossover SUV mashup that succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. It’s also the last idiosyncratic hurrah of Toyota’s ultimately failed attempt at creating a separate, youth-oriented marque to better attract buyers that saw the parent brand […]

On 7 May 2018, Toyota registered the LQ trademark in the United States, under Serial Number 87909977, for “automobiles and structural parts thereof”. But what is its significance or likely use? The fact that it’s two letters makes it, most likely, earmarked for Lexus, Toyota’s luxury marque. As such, it would designate the brand’s 13th […]

Since its start in 1989, Toyota’s Lexus brand has been associated primarily with automobiles, with occasional detours into bicycles, hoverboards and Skyjets for sci-fi films. Lest the world’s oceans feel abandoned in the quest for Experience Amazing, on 12 January 2017, Lexus unveiled the Sport Yacht Concept shown at right. At the time, Lexus was […]

As the 2017-2018 auto show season kicks off in this author’s home town of Miami, closely followed by the first of the truly international “A-list” shows in Frankfurt, we find auto shows themselves in a state of flux. Shock-and-awe unexpected surprise carmaker unveilings are few and far between, a quaint memory of the past. (The […]

The top-of-the-heap niche within the mid-size (E-segment) super sports luxury sedans of the recent past and present is the domain of boosted V8s boasting north of 500 hp. That would be the the previous-generation Jaguar XFR. Approach the 550 hp barrier, and the last-gen Jag XFR-S is there. Break through to 560 hp? Audi’s RS6 […]

Colloquially, to 86 something means to get rid of it, kill it or throw it out. So there was a hint of irony when Toyota discontinued the Scion brand that the FR-S model name was also 86ed in favor of…86! The carmaker itself couldn’t resist having some fun with this, titling the official announcement Toyota […]

Hardcore, deep-dive Toyota fans know that, in the 21st century, the rarest, most sought-after ne plus ultra of Japanese domestic market (JDM) Toyota-branded high performance is represented by four initials: GRMN. Only a quintet of rare, limited-edition Toyotas were deemed worthy of wearing this vaunted badge. Just 100 copies each of four of them were […]

The long-rumored Lexus LC F became one step closer to reality when a European trademark application surfaced, as first reported by AutoGuide.com on February 4th. Our friends at the Lexus Enthusiast blog added that the actual European Union Intellectual Property Office filing for LC F was carried out the day before, under number 016313173. Australia’s […]

A late October 2016 article by Roger Schreffler of WardsAuto discussed Toyota’s revived interest in turbocharged engines. In writing about the largest of the carmaker’s two new gasoline-powered 4-cylinder turbo powerplants, Mr. Schreffler noted that The 2.0L gasoline 8AR-FTS, which debuted in April 2014 on the Lexus NX200t CUV, now is available on seven models. […]

Although the Fall 2016/2017 auto show season kicked off in Miami with world debuts of a Nissan mid-life facelift and new model/trim level variants from Nissan and Ford, it rolls into high gear at Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November with “more than 50 vehicle debuts and 25 press conferences”, according to an e-mailed PR […]

Lexus invited yours truly and a handful of other automotive journalists and bloggers to attend the kickoff of the Lexus Performance Driving School at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter (no, not the planet), Florida on Saturday 1 October 2016. This venue is centrally located (a 2 to 3-hour drive) from the Miami, Orlando and […]

Back in late April of this year, Automotive News Europe‘s blog featured an entry by Nick Gibbs titled Lightweighting push puts pressure on leather . Its “teaser” introduction, citing the lighter weight of “an upmarket leather alternative” led me to expect a discussion on the use by luxury car brands of vinyl synthetic leather in […]