Lexus to Unveil Concept Vehicle at North American International Auto Show

TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2011 – Lexus will unveil a new concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9, 2012. Designed by Calty, the company's design studio in Newport Beach, Calif., the concept showcases the new design direction embraced by Lexus.

The Detroit Auto Show is right around the corner, now just a few weeks away. And with each approaching day, we get a clearer picture of what to expect when the doors open at Motown's Cobo Hall on January 9.

Here we have our first glimpse at a new concept car which Lexus will be unveiling at the show. All we have to go on so far is the teaser image you see above (which you can click to view in high resolution) and a brief statement (after the jump), but from what we can tell it looks very aggressive, and rather sportscar-like.

Penned by Lexus' Calty studio in Newport Beach, the concept is said to preview a bolder new design language for the Toyota luxury division. We're sure to get more information and a better look as the show approaches, so be on the lookout for more.

Courtesy of Autoblog

Lexus and Scholastic Announce First Round of Winners in the 2011 - 2012 Lexus Eco Challenge

Sixteen student teams from 11 states have been named winners in the first round of the fifth annual Lexus Eco Challenge, an educational program and contest that inspires and empowers young people to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. Lexus will award a total of $500,000 in grants and scholarships throughout this year’s program.

Students across the country demonstrated their commitment to the planet with programs aimed at protecting land and water. Each winning team has earned $10,000 in scholarships and grants to be shared among the students, teacher and school. Their win has secured each team an invitation to participate in the Final Challenge for a chance at one of two $30,000 grand prizes and eight $15,000 first-place awards. In addition, the winning action plans will be featured on a special Web page to inspire other students to take action in their communities at www.scholastic.com/lexus.

“Today’s teens have the energy and dedication to make the world a better place,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “At Lexus, we’re proud to give them the opportunity to show their capabilities to others, as well as discover their own potential to improve the environment around them.”

For each of the challenges, teams are required to define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results. The Challenge #1 winning teams that best addressed environmental challenges associated with land and water are:

High School Teams:

• New York (LaGrangeville) – “Team S.A.L.T. (Save Another Living Tree)” – Arlington
High – Experimented with new road salt to minimize impact on plants and trees near roads.
• New York (LaGrangeville) – “Invasive Annihilators” - Arlington High – Cleared a local
park of invasive species to restore the natural habitat.
• New York (Jericho) – “The Green Musketeers” – Jericho High School – Developed a
water filtration system.
• New York (Stony Brook) – “Trash Talking Teens” – Stony Brook University High
School – Worked with local small businesses to survey recycling habits and develop a
recycling plan.
• Massachusetts (Boston) “Climate Action Network” – Boston Latin School -- Created a zero-sort recycling program to cut trash at their school by 50%.
• Ohio (Chesterland) – “Environmental Discovery Project” - West Geauga High School -
Worked at their school and in their community to educate and implement composting ideas.
• Georgia (Atlanta) – “ECO (Westminster Environmental Campus Organization)” – The Westminster Schools – Installed low-flush toilets, recycling bins and replaced the in-organic produce in their school cafeteria.
• California (Vista) – “The Preservation Foundation” – Guajome Park Academy –
Developed corridor drains to divert trash from their local wetlands.

Middle School Teams:

• New Jersey (Manahawkin) – “Get Mugged” - All Saints Regional Catholic – Persuaded their teachers and parents to use refillable mugs instead of plastic-lined paper cups.
• New Hampshire (Meredith) – “Weedbusters” – Inter-Lakes Middle Tier School – Rallied the community to reduce a non-native plant, milfoil, in the region’s lakes and ponds.
• Florida (Lakeland) – “Organic Waste” - Lawton Chiles Middle Academy – Launched a campaign to prevent grass clippings from entering their storm drains.
• Kentucky (Lexington) – “Purpledinowolficorns” – Tates Creek Middle School – Conducted fund raisers at their school to generate money to build a rain garden.
• Iowa (Charles City) – “The Batmen” - Charles City Middle School – Educated their city about bats which installed bat houses to help minimize the negative impact of local insects.
• Michigan (Byron Center) – “SASS – Students Advancing Scientific Studies” – Byron Center West School -- Reduced paper use at their school by 50 percent.
• California (Arboga) – “Threatening Stingerz” – Arboga Elementary School – Created awareness of the threat of mosquitoes and advised the community on how to reduce mosquito populations.
• California (Arboga) – “Team Aqua” - Arboga Elementary School – Presented ways to increase water conversation to the community.

This year’s Lexus Eco Challenge launched on Sept. 26, 2011, and concludes with the announcement of the first place and grand-prize-winning teams in spring 2012. Challenge #2, which asks students to address the environmental challenges for air and climate, is currently underway and has an entry deadline of Dec. 19, 2011.

In addition to the ongoing contest, the Lexus Eco Challenge also includes educational materials created and distributed by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to encourage teachers to integrate creative lesson plans about the environment into their classrooms.
For each challenge, the Web site (www.scholastic.com/lexus) has lesson plans and teacher instructions, including questions to help guide a discussion about the current challenge topic, facts about the topic, and guidelines for a specific classroom project.

Courtesy of Toyota Newsroom

December to Remember: Big Red Bow Campaign

Help Lexus make this a December to Remember for a child in need. Lexus will pledge $5 to Toys for Tots for each red bow shared through our December to Remember tab. Up to $100,000 will be given through Facebook and Twitter. Hurry because the charity drive ends on January 3, 2012.

Key Lexus unit shifts to California - HQ may follow

TOKYO -- In a step toward possibly moving Lexus' head office out of Japan, the brand is transferring global marketing functions to a new decision-making center in California.

The shift begins in January with the creation of an office at Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.'s campus in Torrance, Calif. It will handle creative marketing and some brand communications worldwide, said Karl Schlicht, head of Lexus' global product and marketing planning division.

The decision was made last summer. One person has been appointed to open the unit. The staff will expand to three in January.

Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo said the move is part of Lexus' attempt to remake itself as a "transnational" -- rather than Japanese -- brand.

Schlicht said Toyota Motor Corp. is weighing a global headquarters outside of Japan for its luxury brand. One option could be the United States, the country where the Lexus brand was launched in 1989. But no decisions have been made, he said.

"We're thinking about it," Schlicht said, adding that other global functions could be shifted to the California office as well.

"If they do a good job, their responsibilities could grow. We have a lot of people raising their hands for it."

In April, Infiniti, the luxury brand of Nissan Motor Co., will move its global headquarters to Hong Kong from Japan, to handle global marketing, sales and communications. Engineering and manufacturing will remain in Japan.

Lexus aims to bolster its brand image by strengthening its performance credentials and assuming a more international flavor.

As an example of the new mentality, one executive cited the decision not to serve sushi or offer chopsticks at a Lexus dinner reception held in advance of the Tokyo Motor Show. He said: "We don't want to be blatantly Japanese."

Courtesy of Automotive News

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Air Filters

What is it?

The air filter stops airborne contaminants from getting sucked into your car's engine. It's a paper filter that stops debris such as dust, leaves and wayward pelicans before they get inside the engine and do damage.

Should I do this service when it's recommended?

Yes.

Why do I have to do this?

Because, eventually, your air filter will get plugged up.

What happens if I don't do this?

If your air filter gets too dirty or clogged, your engine won't be able to suck enough air into the combustion chambers. The engine will then run rich (i.e., too much gas and not enough air). When this happens, your car will lose power and run roughly. Your Check Engine light also may come on.

If you really neglect the air filter for a long time, your car may stop running altogether. While permanent damage is unlikely, it is possible. If an air filter were sufficiently dirty and damaged, it could allow harmful, abrasive contaminants into the combustion chamber.

Courtesy of CarTalk

Statement from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Regarding 2011 J.D. Power and Associates' Sales Satisfaction Index

We are pleased with the improvement off all three of our brands in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) study. The Lexus brand improved its score over last year and ranked as the top premium nameplate. Both Toyota and Scion showed significant improvement and each placed higher in the rankings and above the industry average.

Credit must go to our dealer body for their investment in upgrading many of their facilities and their dedication to satisfying their customers.

Sales satisfaction is more important than ever and we will continue work with our dealers to find ways to increase the quality of the sales experience for all of our customers.

Courtesy of Toyota.com

Thank you to this satisfied customer for the 5-star review! We always appreciate your feedback.

"Excellent salesman. No pressure and very helpful. The dealership very clean. Everybody was very helpful." - Danno