| Re-match is mouth-watering | | Posted Saturday, February 10, 2007 12:45:49 PM by Blog57 Team | | The Listener will again lock horns with Beef Or Salmon after just five runners were declared for the Hennessy Cognac Gold at Leopardstown today. Robert Alner's grey made the trip to the Dublin track over Christmas and impressively saw off nine-times Grade One winner Beef Or Salmon by eight lengths in the Lexus Chase. The latter is somewhat of a standing dish at the Foxrock venue, having won there at the highest level five times, and Alner admits he had not envisaged his eight-year-old emerging on top. He said: "It was such a surprise to go and beat Beef Or Salmon last time as he is so good around there and had been in such great form." The Listener's form as a novice tailed off towards the end of last season, but he marked himself out as one to follow when chasing home Star De Mohasion on his seasonal bow in December.... | |
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| | | Report: Toyota will only build 1,000 Lexus IS-F for US | | Posted Thursday, February 01, 2007 2:45:35 PM by Blog57 Team | | We have some bad news for all Lexus fans. It is reported that Toyota will be building only 1,000 Lexus IS-F sedans for the United States. Look at the bright side, you guys will be the lucky few to have the car and show it off to your fellow BMW M3 drivers.For those of you who don't know the Lexus IS-F, it was launched at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show and is a high-performance Lexus IS version that will compete with the BMW M and Mercedes AMG models. The Lexus IS-F has a 5.0 liter V8 engine that produces more than 400 horsepower and 350 ft-lbs. of torque giving the car the ability to do 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Read Article .... | |
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| | | DaimlerChrysler Net Falls Less Than Analysts Expected (Update3) | | Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:46:30 PM by Blog57 Team | | Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's fifth- largest carmaker, said third-quarter profit fell less than analysts estimated as a surge in earnings at the Mercedes and truck units helped offset a loss at the U.S. Chrysler division. The shares rose as much as 5.3 percent, the biggest gain in more than a year. Net income fell 37 percent to 541 million euros ($681 million) from 855 million euros a year earlier, the Stuttgart, Germany-based company said today in a statement. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected net income of 27 million euros. Revenue declined 7.8 percent to 35.2 billion euros. Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche plans on a recovery at the Mercedes Car Group to counter losses at Chrysler which, like U.S. peers General Motors Corp.... | |
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| | | (AFX UK Focus) 2006-10-02 00:41 GMT: Toyota aims to expand Lexus hybrids in Europe - report | | Posted Monday, October 02, 2006 2:45:49 PM by Blog57 Team | | TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Toyota Motor Corp plans to double the number of hybrid Lexus models offered in Europe over the next six or seven years and spend some 30 bln yen on renovating existing dealerships and building new ones there, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing sources. With the introduction of the IS sedan this year, Toyota is projecting annual sales in Europe of 48,000 units, up from 24,000 in 2005, the business daily said. Toyota will add two or three more Lexus hybrid models by the beginning of the next decade, to current two models offered in Europe, the newspaper said. (1 usd = 118.04 yen) kiyori.ueno@xfn.com ku/mas .... | |
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| | | 2007 Santa Fe a refined SUV for the masses | | Posted Friday, September 01, 2006 8:46:11 PM by Blog57 Team | | First gear. Second gear. Brakes. It's perhaps the most telling test drive for any prospective vehicle: If you're happy in second gear, you'll likely be happy a good portion of your driving time. Hyundai's newly upgraded Santa Fe is plenty happy in second gear and beyond. A midprice SUV -- around $26,000, dressed to thrill -- the Santa Fe makes easy work of the stop-and-go lifestyle, and provides a burst of pleasure should the world ever open wide. It competes grandly against SUVs costing thousands and thousands more. If you want to spend 40 large on a comparable Lexus or Infiniti, go ahead. But the slender and tempting Santa Fe can seat up to seven and still let you make the mortgage. A Hyundai prideful enough to compete with the BMWs of the world. Crazy? Get in. We'll take it up the hill.... | |
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| | | Lexus Creates Homage to Tennis Balls | | Posted Thursday, August 31, 2006 10:45:57 AM by Blog57 Team | | TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 28 -- Lexus today announced the debut of a new advertising campaign titled "Life of a Ball." The print and broadcast campaign takes a humorous look through the eyes of a tennis ball as it pursues the ultimate tennis ball status -- US Open play. Lexus created the campaign to celebrate its role as Official Vehicle of the 2006 US Open and Presenting Sponsor of the US Open Men's Singles Championship. "The US Open is an exciting and important sponsorship for Lexus, and we want to create an impactful experience for fans watching live at the matches or from home," said Deborah Meyer, vice president, marketing, Lexus. "The ad campaign showcases Lexus' lighter side as we take a tongue-in-cheek look at the struggles a tennis ball goes through to reach the ultimate game -- a US Open match.... | |
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| | | Toyota's Lexus tops US vehicle quality study | | Posted Thursday, August 10, 2006 12:46:47 AM by Blog57 Team | | DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury Lexus brand ranked highest for the 12th consecutive year in an annual long-term vehicle quality survey released on Wednesday. The closely watched J.D. Power and Associates survey of long-term vehicle dependability is based on responses from 47,620 owners of 3-year-old vehicles when questioned about scores of specific problems ranging from wind or brake noise to uneven tire wear and stalling engines. The survey is significant to the auto industry because new car buyers say long-term quality is one of the most important factors in their choice of brands. It is also important to automakers because of warranty costs. Lexus had 136 problems per 100 vehicles. Lexus was followed by Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury nameplate with 151 problems per 100 vehicles and General Motor Corp.'s Buick brand with 153 problems per 100 vehicles.... | |
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| | | U.S. Lexus IS vs BMW 3-Series sales. How do they stand? | | Posted Tuesday, August 08, 2006 2:45:49 PM by Blog57 Team | | Back around 2003 or so, many an Automotive News article referred to the fact that, in the United States, the BMW 3-Series outsold the Lexus IS by a 7-to-1 margin. Later articles, written at the tail end of 1st-generation IS production, had this ratio at 10-to-1 in favor of the BMW. Coincidentally, the 2nd-generation Lexus IS and the latest iteration of the BMW 3-Series, the E90, debuted simultaneously at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2005. The E90 3-Series went on sale first, however. A couple of months later, the new Lexus IS arrived in showrooms. Soon, reports of huge sales increases for the 2nd-generation IS, approaching the 1000% mark, started appearing every month in the Lexus Pressroom. And, most significantly, The Detroit News officially proclaimed the Lexus IS "the hottest car on the market" as reported in a story from the my.IS archives.... | |
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| | | Lexus hybrid -- luxury, handling, style, with carpool lane thrown ... | | Posted Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:45:57 AM by Blog57 Team | | (07-16) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Luxury and frugality make a strange pair. One embraces excess, celebrates the unnecessary. The other clings to the practical, pays homage to conservation. It is difficult to think of them together, even when accepting the idea that opposites attract. But Lexus, the luxury car division of Toyota Motor Corp., has found a way to combine the two in an attractive package. Witness the 2007 Lexus GS 450h hybrid sports sedan. It is a "performance hybrid," a concept that boggles the mind and furrows the brow. As such, at least on the surface, it is a car seemingly at odds with itself -- dedicated to high speed and precise handling with one hand and to sipping fuel with the other. It is a pleasant example of a dual personality, a happy mixture of "better" and "best." "Better" is easy enough to discern.... | |
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| | | Recalls | | Posted Sunday, July 16, 2006 2:45:54 PM by Blog57 Team | | * Toyota Motor is recalling 367,500 Toyota and Lexus sport utility vehicles in the U.S. because a piece in the front console area could come loose and interfere with the gas pedal.The recall involves 2004-05 models of the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 330 and early 2006 models of the Highlander hybrid SUV and the RX 400h, above, the hybrid version of the RX 330, said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong.A clip could come loose and allow a small trim piece of the console, located on the center-left side of the front compartment, to interfere with the accelerator.The company has received seven complaints and two reports of accidents, Kwong said. No injuries have been reported, he said.Owners were expected to be notified of the recall in late July, and dealers will install new clips on the console.* Nissan North America said it would recall nearly 201,000 Altima and Sentra sedans from the 2003 model year to fix a faulty sensor that can cause the engine to shut down.The automaker said changes in temperature can interrupt the signal from a sensor in the engine compartment, leading to an engine stall in low speeds and in stop-and-go traffic.The automaker said the recall involved 186,279 Altimas and 14,587 Sentras.... | |
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