Tag Archives: Lexus

Women’s World Car Of The Year Names 2021 Awards Category Winners

The Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) jurors have announced the 2021 winners in nine different categories.

Selected by a panel of 50 motoring journalists from 38 countries across five continents composed exclusively of women, the winners were narrowed down from three models in each category, all of which had to be launched between January and December 2020.

Also Check Out: 2021 Ford F-150 And Mustang Mach-E Named North American Truck And Utility Of The Year

“This year, voting was more complicated due to the pandemic, which limited each juror’s ability to drive”, WWCOTY notes in the press release about the nine vehicles declared best of the best in each category. “Despite the challenges, jurors made an extra effort to get behind the wheel of these vehicles to evaluate them in time for voting.”

Their work isn’t done yet, as they will now have to select the ‘Best Car of the Year’. Thus, another round of voting will take place, and the result will be announced on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.

You can check out the winners in each category down below.

2021 WWCOTY Best Urban Car: Peugeot 208

2021 WWCOTY Best Family Car: Skoda Octavia

2021 WWCOTY Best Luxury Car: Lexus LC500 Cabrio

2021 WWCOTY Best Sports Car: Ferrari F8 Spider

2021 WWCOTY Best Urban SUV: Peugeot 2008

2021 WWCOTY Best Medium SUV: Land Rover Defender

2021 WWCOTY Best Large SUV: Kia Sorento

2021 WWCOTY Best 4×4 & Pickup: Ford F-150

2021 WWCOTY Best EV: Honda e

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BMW Wins U.S. Luxury Sales Crown By Less Than 4,000 Units

2020 was a year most automakers would like to forget and that’s especially true in the luxury segment as every single brand posted a decline in U.S. sales.

However, the luxury sales crown is a closely watched contest and only a few thousand units separated BMW, Mercedes and Lexus last year.

BMW took top honors as they sold 278,732 vehicles in the United States. That’s a drop of 17.5%, but it’s worth noting the automaker was fined $18 (£13.3 / €14.7) million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for inflating their sales between 2015 and 2019.

Also Read: 2020 Was Brutal For Automakers As Many Post Decline In Sales

Second place went to Lexus which sold 275,041 vehicles last year. That’s a decline of 7.7% and the drop can be partly attributed to weak sales of the ES and RX.

Rounding out the podium is Mercedes. They sold 274,916 passengers vehicles – excluding vans – for a drop of 13.0%. C-Class sales plummeted 46.5% for the year, while sales of the E-Class / CLS and S-Class were both off by more than 30%.

Over at Audi, sales dropped 17% to 186,620 units. Their big losers were the A4, A6 and A7 which all saw declines of between 31-42%. On the bright side, Q3 sales skyrocketed 84% for the year.

Acura came in fifth place with sales of 136,983 units. That’s a decline of 13.5% and that can be chalked up to weaker demand for the outgoing TLX and MDX.  However, both models are new for 2021.

The final two spots go to Cadillac and Lincoln. Cadillac sales were down 17.1% to 129,495 units, while Lincoln sales were off 6.1% at 105,410 units.

Lincoln sales will likely drop again this year as the brand has axed the MKZ and Continental. While they were Lincoln’s slowest selling vehicles, aside from the MKT, they still contributed 17,780 units to the bottom line last year.

Lastly, Infiniti sales were down 32.5% to 79,502 units. The drop was largely due to a decline in Q50 and QX60 sales which were off 36.4% and 47.0%, respectively.

Lexus LFA Vs. Audi R8 V10 Spyder Drag Race Could Go Either Way

The Lexus LFA is regarded as one of the best supercars ever made, yet ever since it left production at the end of 2012 after only two years and 500 units made, the automotive industry has stepped up its game with significant advancements in aerodynamics and powertrain development.

So, can it still hold its ground in a direct battle with more modern machines like the Audi R8? That is what we are about to find out in the next few minutes, as the Japanese exotic faced the Spyder version of the German supercar in a quarter-mile sprint.

Read Also: Lexus Sold Three Brand New LFAs In The U.S. In 2019

The R8 V10 Spyder seems to have the upper hand in this test, as its naturally aspirated 5.2-liter ten-cylinder engine puts out 611 HP (620 PS / 456 kW) and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm) of torque. According to Audi Sport, this translates into a nought to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration of just 3.2 seconds and a 204 mph (328 km/h) top speed.

The LFA also packs a V10, but with a smaller displacement of 4.8 liters. Co-developed with Yamaha, the engine pumps out 552 HP (560 PS / 412 kW) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque. It needs 3.8 seconds to hit the 62 mph mark and will max out at 202 mph (325 km/h).

However, despite being less powerful, the Lexus is around 640 lbs (290 kg) lighter than the R8, which tips the scales at 3,900 lbs (1,770 kg). This levels the playing field somewhat and, thus, makes the outcome of this drag race far from a foregone conclusion.

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The 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Oozes Sex Appeal

The 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is one of the best-looking cars currently on sale, and in this video from Doug DeMuro, we get to hear his first take on what the car is like.

Much like the LC 500 Coupe, the Convertible is powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 with 471 hp at 7,100 rpm and 398 lb-ft (539 Nm) of torque at 4,800 rpm. Naturally-aspirated V8 engines are becoming a rarity, so Lexus should be celebrated for not going down the forced induction route – at least not yet.

Coupled to the engine is a 10-speed Direct-Shift automatic transmission that allows the LC 500 Convertible to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.6 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h).

Read More: 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Arriving This Summer With $102,025 Base Price

In addition to chopping off the LC’s roof, Lexus has added a new torsion box at the rear, a new suspension tower brace, and a new V-brace to improve the car’s handling stability and its responsiveness. Lexus also reinforced the chassis with Laser Screw Welding and through the use of high tensile-strength steel. It also relocated various structural braces and has tweaked the suspension setup to account for the added weight.

A good portion of DeMuro’s review focuses on the interior of the LC 500 Convertible and there’s a good reason for that: the LC has one of the most beautiful interiors on the market. It truly is a sight to behold and having spent a week with the LC 500 Coupe last year, we know firsthand that it is indeed a very nice place to spend time in.

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