9/21/2012—Next week is a big one for Lexus, which will reveal another concept vehicle on Thursday at the Paris Motor Show. This time it’s the Lexus LF-CC, a mid-size hybrid coupe that features one of the best exterior color names ever: Fluid Titanium.

We’ll bring you photos from the floor, and you’ll find a few details in the Lexus pressroom, but for now, enjoy these early images:

 

 

 

World Premiere of the Lexus LF-CC Concept Car at the 2012 Paris Motor Show

• LF-CC displays the latest evolution of the L-finesse design language and signature spindle grille, to be reflected in future Lexus D-Segment vehicles
• Announces the market launch of a mid-size coupe in the near future
• Features a new 2.5 litre full hybrid powertrain with class-leading CO2 emissions, which will be introduced soon in the Lexus model range

Designers discuss the intriguing elegance, innovation and progressive luxury of the new Lexus LF-CC (video)

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Sept. 17, 2012 -- Following the unveiling of Lexus’ award-winning hybrid 2+2 sports coupe concept, the LF-LC at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show and its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show, a new, mid-sized coupe concept, the LF-CC makes its World Premiere at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
 

The more compact, rear-wheel drive, full hybrid LF-CC already integrates various design cues from the LF-LC; a first illustration of how concept cars are truly influencing future Lexus models and, in this instance, future D-Segment derivatives.
 

Announcing the launch of a premium mid-sized coupe in the more accessible D-segment in the near future, the LF-CC reinforces Lexus’ commitment to create more engaging, inspirational vehicles through attractive design, a superior driving experience and advanced technologies.
 

EXTERIOR DESIGN

The LF-CC showcases the latest evolution of the company’s unique L-finesse design language, with the boldest yet interpretation of the signature Lexus ‘spindle’ grille. Framed by the bonnet lip, deep lower spoiler and powerfully projecting front fender tips, the grille mesh is encased in a deep, metal-finish surround and takes on a pronounced, 3D form.
 

A unique, 3 LED-projector headlamp design is housed in the narrow gap between the lower and upper fender surfaces, without a conventional, one-piece cover. Independent Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) are fully integrated into the upper bumper surface to complete this unique new design.
 

The broad lower fenders are aerodynamically sculpted to manage the flow of air to the engine bay and front brakes, whilst reinforcing the powerful, dynamic road presence of the new Lexus signature frontal design.
 

In profile, the powerful convex curve of the bonnet flows seamlessly through a steeply raked windscreen into a roofline which deliberately peaks towards the rear of the cabin to emphasise the traction available from the vehicle’s rear-wheel drive powertrain.
 

The bodywork is stretched tight between the front and rear fenders, and the rear fender is less pronounced than that of the front, reinforcing the concentration of vehicle weight over the driven wheels for maximum traction.
 

Further developing a design form initiated on the LF-LC concept and the high-performance LFA, the sharply sculpted form of an airflow regulating fin flows from underneath the side of the car and upwards through the rear wheel arch. This aerodynamic detail is designed to increase downforce over the driven wheels, further improving traction.
 

The airflow regulating fin merges with the falling roofline in a pronounced rear spoiler integrated within the boot lid, seamlessly fusing design and aerodynamic elements to give the vehicle its distinctive, coupe proportions.
 

To the rear, the full width bumper flows into the rear wheel arches to emphasise the LF-CC’s broad, powerful stance. Lexus-characteristic L-shaped combination lamps feature a layered, strongly three-dimensional design, and the lower, concave bumper section incorporates a full width spoiler to further enhance rear-wheel drive traction. The rear stop lamp is nicely integrated into the shark antenna.
 

The LF-CC is finished in a new, ‘Fluid Titanium’ exterior colour, a metallic finish with exceptionally high brilliance which combines sharp, bright highlighting with dark shaded surfaces to reinforce the powerful forms of the bodywork’s sculpted surfaces.
 

INTERIOR DESIGN

The LF-CC’s interior hints at the progressive luxury of a future Lexus model cabin layout, and represents a further development of the company’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) design philosophy.

The dashboard is divided into two distinct zones: an upper, Display Zone, with a multi-display screen located at an ideal distance for at-a-glance viewing, and a lower, Operation Zone, which allows access to the uniquely designed shift lever and an innovative touch tracer display for remote system control.
 

This clear division of zones creates a unique fusion of an airy, spacious cabin and a sporting cockpit which places the emphasis on a snug, highly focused driving environment. All functional driving components are consolidated in the driver’s seat surroundings, combining outstanding ergonomics with advanced HMI technologies.
 

The driver benefits from a low, highly focused driving position with a sporting, wide grip steering wheel, optimum pedal placement and high-visibility instrument dials. The touch tracer display for remote system control is located directly behind the shift lever for maximum comfort and ease of operation.
 

Coordinating with the ‘Fluid Titanium’ exterior colour, the seats, door panels and instrument binnacle hood are trimmed in a warm, elegant amber leather finish. The extensive use of metallic finishes and soft touch materials throughout reinforces the premium quality of the environment. The contrast between the exterior and interior colour schemes gives the car an elegant yet simultaneously sporting image.

ALL-NEW 2.5 LITRE FULL HYBRID POWERTRAIN

Representing a new Lexus powertrain for future production, the LF-CC is equipped with an all-new, highly efficient, 2.5 litre full hybrid powertrain delivering a combination of the engaging performance appropriate to a sporting, D-segment coupe and low CO₂ emissions, targeted below 100 g/km. This powertrain will achieve class-leading energy efficiency, with more than 2 hp produced per gram of CO₂.
 

This Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain features an all-new, ultra-smooth running, 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine mated to a compact, high-output, water-cooled permanent magnet electric motor.

In addition to the petrol engine and electric motor, the LF-CC hybrid drive system further comprises a generator, a high-performance battery, a power split device which, via planetary reduction gears, combines and re-allocates power from the engine, electric motor and generator according to operational requirements, and a compact power control unit to govern the high speed interaction of the system components.
 

Adapted specifically for the hybrid powertrain, the all-new 2.5 litre, DOHC, 4-cylinder petrol engine benefits from several technical improvements. It adopts the Atkinson cycle and D-4S direct injection technology to optimise both the power and fuel-efficiency benefits of Lexus Hybrid Drive.

Lexus will introduce this new hybrid powertrain into its model range in the near future.

 

Top Ten Car Dealers by Manufacturer

 

What Car? and JD Power has revealed the nation's top ten car dealers by manufacturer.

 

What Car? and JD Power has revealed the nation's top ten car dealers by manufacturer. Conclusions are based on aftersales and servicing feedback from almost fifteen thousand customers who have rated their dealers within the past twelve months. Factors included: how easy it was book appointments, the courteousness of staff, and the quality of any technical to explanations. Customers also rated their dealers' in terms of parking facilities, punctuality, payment options, and quality of work. To be included, manufacturers must have been rated by at least 100 motorists. The results are expressed as “customer satisfaction percentages”, with 100% being the maximum score achievable.

That brings us to the fascinating results:
Position ten: Audi – 70%.
Position nine: Volvo –79.5%.
Position eight: Nissan - 79.9%.
Position seven: Land Rover - 80%.
Position six:Skoda - 80.9%.
Position five: Honda - 81.9%.
Position four: Mercedes-Benz - 82.2%.
Position three: Toyota - 82.4%.
Position two: Lexus - 83.6%.
Position one: Jaguar - 86.1%.

Unsurprisingly, prestige brands such as Jaguar and Lexus feature highly, with Lexus being a perennial high achiever in this category. And now that Jaguar have again started making some of the finest cars around, their staff have a brand to be proud of and are rightly showing its customers the service they deserve. Brands that manufacture cars in the U.K. such as Honda, Nissan, Land Rover and Toyota fare very well too. Perhaps the most unlikely brand in the list is Skoda, which ranks above stablemate Audi by a whopping 11%. Vorsprung durch Technik indeed as they say at Skoda HQ. Bottom of the list in terms of service levels are Mazda, Fiat and Chevrolet. But its not all bad news, as it is a close run thing outside the top ten with Mazda only 2 percentage points away from Audi.

From my experience, service levels have come on leaps and bounds. Whilst having a Mercedes-Benz serviced recently, I was checked in whilst in the car park, shown to my own personal parking space and dealt with quickly and efficiently. The car was cleaned, service work done as promised and a recall also taken care of. But what satisfied me the most was the free coffee and WiFi...must check out Jaguar next time, they must have sensational coffee.

 By Stephen Turvil, motoring.co.uk


Lexus LF-CC Hybrid Concept Heads to Paris, Previews New IS Coupe

 Monday, September 17, 2012

 

 At the upcoming Paris Auto Show, Toyota's luxury brand will bring a new concept coupe named the LF-CC that not only previews the styling language of the next generation of the IS but also a new addition to the range that will go heat-to-head with the BMW 4-Series and Audi A5 Coupes.

 

The Lexus LF-CC is more compact than the LF-LC concept and also looks more production-ready. It features a less steeply raked interpretation of the trademark Lexus “spindle” grille and its headlamps, while not as futuristic as those of the LF-LC, feature 3 LED projectors each and are set quite back compared to the grille creating what Lexus says is a “3D form”.
 

The proportions of the LF-CC are those of a typical front-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe, with a long front bonnet, a passenger cabin set rearwards and a stubby tail. In fact, its side profile sort of reminds us of the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S coupes – or it could just be our blurry eyesight…
 

Lexus says that the LF-CC is powered by an all-new hybrid powertrain that delivers the performance expected of a premium D-segment coupe while emitting less than 100 g of CO2 per km and will also power other models in the future. Since the press release states that it will produce more than 2HP for every gram of CO2, it hints at a performance of more than 200HP.
 

It comprises an all-new 2.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with direct injection that runs on the more efficient Atkinson cycle and a compact, high-output, water-cooled permanent magnet electric motor.
 

It also features a generator, a high-performance battery and a power split device governed by a power control unit that combines and allocates power from the petrol engine, the electric motor and the generator as needed.
 

Lexus points out that the interior with the soft-touch materials and metallic accents hint at the cabin styling of the next IS range. The coupe sports a low driving position with all functional components placed close to the driver. The dashboard is divided in two distinct areas: an upper, “Display” zone with a multi-function screen located for optimum viewing by the driver, and a lower, “Operation” zone that houses the gearbox lever and the touch display for remote system control.
 

We'll have more on the new LF-CC from the Paris Motor Show on September 27, but in the meantime, head over the break for the official imagery and video.
 

By Andrew Tsaousis
 

“Did you know…”

 

 The new 2013 ES has more legroom than a Mercedes E-class!

“Overall length increases by an inch, while the wheelbase grows nearly two inches

to 111.0, resulting in a more visually planted appearance and more interior space.”

-Car and Driver, April 2012

 

“The new ES is only 1 inch longer than the 6-year-old outgoing design, but a 1.8-inch wheelbase stretch

and packaging refinements make the rear seat a much more habitable environment for adults.”
-Popular Mechanics, May 2012

“With this sixth-generation model, it departs the Camry platform (for the related Avalon's)

and matriculates to true baby-LS status. Actually, make that adult son of LS…”
-Motor Trend, May 2012

Key car quality study ranks software bugs as most common complaint, knocks Ford again

 

New cars and trucks have fewer quality problems today than ever before -- but when they do, the most common complaint isn't mechanical, but a failure to communicate.

According to J.D. Power & Associates annual Initial Quality Survey of new-vehicle owners, problems with 2011 models after three months on the road fell 5 percent from the previous year. But complaints about in-car electronics systems, especially voice controls, surged -- knocking Ford, which has pushed its MyFord Touch screen and Sync into about 4 million vehicles, to 27th out of 34 brands rated, down from fifth two years ago and 23rd last year.

Source: J.D. Power and Assoc. 2012 U.S. Initial Quality Study
Anticipating the results, Ford said on Tuesday that a recent update of the software developed with Microsoft and sent to 377,000 customers would improve its scores next year. Ford says the technology that replaces radio and air conditioning knobs with a touch screen draws in new customers, and has even held training classes at dealerships -- but it hedged when adding the system to its key F-Series pickups by keeping some switches in addition to the screen, and it's too soon to know if the updates eliminate glitches like random rebooting.

Many other automakers have similar systems either already in production or arriving soon, in part because selling software can be more profitable than hardware, and also as a method for keeping drivers from distractions. J.D. Power says those changes are reflected in its results, with the most common complaint that hands-free voice recognition doesn't work.

For the second year in a row, Lexus owners reported fewer problems than any other brand, with 73 per 100 vehicles. The surprise winner in this year's results is Jaguar, which jumped from 20th to second, tying Porsche with 75 problems per 100. Honda and Cadillac rounded the top five.

The worst performers: Fiat and Smart, each of which sell just one model of minicar, and whose owners reported 151 problems per 100. The industry as a whole averaged 107 problems; Toyota, Honda and Nissan all rated above average, while GMC, Ram and Chevrolet were the only Detroit brands to do so.

Ford's woes didn't keep the Ford Mustang and the Ford Taurus from winning top quality honors in their classes. Toyota and Lexus each had two class victors as well -- the Yaris and Corolla for Toyota, and the ES 350 and LS sedans for Lexus. Other class winners included the Mazda MX-5, the Volvo C70, the Infiniti M-Series and the Chevrolet Malibu.

Lexus tops as survey finds more auto dependability

 

 

The 2012 Lexus LS 460 Sport is pictured. Lexus recorded the fewest problems per 100 vehicles in the latest J.D. Power and Associates report. / Courtesy photo

BY Brent Snavely

DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Asian automakers are still outperforming domestic automakers when it comes to quality, J.D. Power and Associates said today in the company’s annual initial quality survey.

Lexus, as a brand, is ranked first with the lowest number of problems per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership, the study’s director said today.

Jaguar and Porsche tied for second while Cadillac finished third followed by Honda and Acura. It was the second year in a row that Lexus was the top-ranked brand.

“Lexus, more than any other brand, has treated quality as their primary focus, along with the dealership experience,” said David Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of global automotive.

Among domestic automakers, General Motors performed the best while the Detroit Three as a whole were held back by Ford’s technology issues and Chrysler’s slow but steady improvements.

“The domestic automakers are still slightly underperforming the imports by about 10%,” Sargent said.

Sargent said GM had its best performance ever on the study with three brands — Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet — scoring better than the industry average score of 102 problems per 100 vehicles.

Also, four GM nameplates had the highest ranking in their segments — the most of any manufacturer other than Toyota, which landed five segment awards.

The Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Enclave, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Serra LD all received top ranking in their respective categories. For Toyota and Lexus, the Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Lexus ES 350, Lexus LS and Lexus RX finished at the top of their segments.

Chrysler continued to improve faster than the overall industry, but is still working to overcome quality issues that have nagged the Auburn Hills automaker for years.

“Every year they in recent years they have shown improvement,” Sargent said. “They are closing the gap on other brands.”

The Ram brand scored above the industry average in the study and Dodge improved from last place in 2011 to finish ahead of five other brands this year. Fiat, however, finished last with the highest number of problems per 100 vehicles.

“It’s not unusual for a vehicle that was essentially designed for one market and brought to another market to perform not so well,” Sargent said. “The danger is that people will see Fiat at the bottom and say ‘here we go again,’ but it’s not really mechanical issues…it’s design issues.”

Over the last four years Chrysler’s score has improved 22% in the study compared with a 14% improvement for the overall industry, Doug Betts, Chrysler’s senior vice president of quality, told the Free Press last week before he knew the results of today’s study.

“So, we’ve been gaining ground on the rest of the industry…some of that from defects and malfunction improvements, and some of that coming from design improvements,” Betts said.

Betts also anticipated that Fiat’s score would score poorly on the study because of its European design. The window controls, for example, are in the center console instead of on the arm rest, as they are in most American models.

Sargent said European brands often suffer in the design section of JD Power’s study because of differences between American and European preferences.

Volkswagen, for example, has been hurt by design choices such as the location of the cruise control stalk, Jonathan Browning is the president and CEO of Volkswagen of America said earlier this month. In some Volkswagen models, the location of the cruise control stalk is not on the steering wheel where it is for most American cars.

“That is a design issue,” Browing said. “Those are the things we will be addressing.”

The Ford brand finished well below the industry average for the second year in a row after climbing to fifth place in 2010.

Sargent said Ford continues to be plagued by customer complaints about its MyFord Touch infotainment system and its Powershift transmissions.

Ford has introduced software packages to fix both issues, but the solutions were rolled out too late for J.D. Power’s study, which covered cars purchased between November to February.

Jim Farley, Ford’s global vice president in charge of marketing, sales and service, said Tuesday that the updated MyFord Touch software was sent to 377,000 Ford customers in March. To date, 90% have completed the upgrade and satisfaction rates rose by 25%, Farley said. The changes make the graphics larger and easier to use on the touch screen.

On the transmission side, fixes applied to the Ford Focus compact car to eliminate lag time upon acceleration also were not done early enough to be reflected in the survey.

Sargent said early data shows that customers like the improvements to MyFord Touch. He also expects Chrysler’s scores will continue to improve as it introduces redesigned models.

Chrysler’s Betts said he is looking forward to next year when the company’s new Dodge Dart compact car and the replacement for Jeep Liberty SUV reach dealerships. Still, Betts said it will probably take even longer to change consumer’s perception of the company’s quality than it will to change actual scores.

“You can’t just stand up on a rock with a megaphone and say, ‘OK, now hear this, we are good now,” Betts said. “You have to do it by proving it with your owners.”

 

 

Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com