Lexus LS TMG Edition 650HP Spied on Video: Are Those the Sounds of a V8 or a V10?

Our trusty spies have scored another touchdown with the high-performance, wide-body Lexus LS saloon that has piqued our interest over the past few days.

We already know it is called the Lexus LS TMG Edition and that it is being developed by the Japanese group's Toyota Motorsports GmbH division, formerly known as Toyota Team Europe, based in Cologne, Germany.

Toyota's subsidiary was responsible for firm's World Rally Championship cars starting from the 1970s right up to the 1990s, but now works on various special projects.

Read more »

Fresh Spy Shots of Lexus LS TMG Edition and New Spec Sheet that Says it gets 650-Horses

The veil of secrecy surrounding the super Lexus LS that we captured testing on the Nürburgring racetrack last week has started to fall apart.

Today, along with a fresh batch of scoop pictures of the hotted up LS, our spy photographers also sent us a shot of a spec sheet that's been circulating on the internet and which we were also informed about from the guys over at the Clublexus fan site.

Here's what Mike from ClubLexus told Carscoop:

"We had an insider at the old F1 Toyota facility snap photos of this LS and what looked like a modified LFA GT2 with BBS wheels, widened fenders....they snapped photos of the specs for the LS...it stated 650hp at 9,000 RPM with 20" wheels. Within hours of the pics posted, we got a message from Toyota to take the pics down, which we did."

Read more »

SCOOP: Mystery Sport Lexus LS Caught Testing on the 'Ring, Could it be the LS-F?

Lexus may not be fully embroiled in the sports car segment as the only true performance models in its range are the IS-F and the limited run LFA special, but something tells us that the Japanese firm is not yet ready to throw the towel in and let its rivals take the win.

And this, despite the fact that over the years, we have heard many rumors about the possibility of Lexus expanding its range of high-performance F-badged lineup to include the GS and the LS models, and which never came into fruition.

This brings us to our mystery Lexus LS prototype that was snagged doing the rounds on the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany. Our scoop photographers tell us that the car featured the usual testing equipment seen on other prototypes on the 'Ring.

Read more »

First Spy Shots of 2013 Lexus GS Sedan

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.

Read more »

Lexus CT 200h Official Brochure Spills Online, FWD with 1.8-liter Hybrid Powertrain

Either Lexus has a leakage problem on its hands (less likely) or the company is following unconventional methods (more likely...) to drum up interest on its new CT 200h hybrid premium hatchback before its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show.

Following a trio of 'spy shots' that were sent to Carscoop and other sites in January and a teaser shot earlier this month, our friends over at World Car Fans today received the official brochure of the CT 200h in their mailbox.

The brochure pictures confirm what most of us suspected upon seeing last year's LF-Ch concept - that the styling of the production version would be severely toned down. The result is a much less aggressive looking C-segment hatch.

At 4,320mm long, 1,765mm wide and 1,430mm tall, the five-door model is more compact that the Toyota Prius but slightly longer than the Audi A3 Sportback (4,238mm x 1,765 x 1,421mm respectively).

Read more »

Lexus LF-Ch: Production Version of Five-Door Hatchback Rival to BMW 1-Series Scooped!

An anonymous Carscoop reader dropped these scoop photos of what appears to be the production version of the Lexus LF-Ch hatch into our mailbox this morning. The LF-Ch concept model made its world debut at last year's Frankfurt motor show with Lexus making it more than clear that it would build the five-door hatchback.

"Let me stress that you are not looking at a market study … or hearing about vague intentions" Andy Pfeiffenberger, vice president of Lexus Europe, told journalists during the presentation of the car in Frankfurt.

"This LF-Ch concept is a clear indication of our entry plans for the compact premium segment in the near future, with the world's first ever premium compact, full hybrid."

The overall shape of the plastic wrapped model depicted in these spy photos is almost identical to the LF-Ch concept right down to the rear window, though the design does appear to have been toned down a notch.

For example, gone are the 'hidden' read door handles that have been replaced by conventional handles while the tail lights and rear bumper design are new.

If the car pictured here is indeed the LF-Ch, then there's a strong possibility that we may see the hatchback model in the flesh at the Geneva Salon next March.

Lexus plans to offer the premium hatch that will rival cars like the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 with both conventional and hybrid powertrains.

Hat tip to our anonymous reader for the shots!

Lexus GS-F said to be Still Under Development, Could get LFA's V10 Engine

Given that the latest Lexus GS has been in the market for a while, most of us have abandoned the idea of an F-badged variant of the current model that would compete head on with the Audi RS6, BMW M5, Cadillac CTS-V and Merc's E63 AMG. But even though common sense says that, if Lexus wants to go ahead with the GS-F, chances are the automaker will wait for the next generation GS, Japan's Best Car magazine claims it knows otherwise.

In fact, the magazine says Lexus is working on the current GS and that the super-sedan will most likely be powered by a slightly modified version of the LFA's 4.8-liter V10 powerplant that produces 553HP at 8,700 rpm and 480Nm or 354 lb-ft of torque at 6,800 rpm in the two-door supercar.

Only time will tell if the story about the GS-F is true, but we wouldn't hold our breath if we were you..

Via: Best Car