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JAMES B. TREECE Can Akio be the Steve Jobs of Lexus? 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda wants to take personal responsibility for injecting design and performance pizazz into the Lexus brand. In essence, Toyoda is setting out to be the automaker's equivalent of the late Steve Jobs, the legendary boss of Apple James B. Treece is industry editor for Automotive News.... Read More »
JAMES B. TREECE Is Akio Toyoda cut from the Steve Jobs mold? 12:48 pm U.S. ET | May 8, 2013  Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda wants to take personal responsibility for injecting design and performance pizazz into the Lexus brand.... Read More »
AKIO TAKES THE WHEEL Toyota's car-buff president makes Lexus his pet project 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013  By Akio Toyoda's own admission, his beloved Lexus luxury brand has a big problem. Unlike its German rivals, Lexus has no heritage, no narrative. Now the Toyota Motor Corp. president is investing himself personally in the brand by taking direct control of all things Lexus.... Read More »
CARS & CONCEPTS Execs drop hints about the next Lexus model 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013  Lexus hosted a party at a trendy Chelsea nightspot last month to launch a global ad campaign, but brand bosses also fueled speculation on what's next in the lineup.... Read More »
Mercedes extends U.S. luxury lead over BMW in April 2:03 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013  Mercedes-Benz extended its lead over BMW in the U.S. luxury sales race, with a 5.8 percent gain in April. Sales for the Mercedes brand rose to 23,635 in April, led by gains for the C-class sedan and M-class SUV. The BMW brand posted a 10 percent increase in April to 23,225, the company said today in a statement.... Read More »
Mercedes extends U.S. luxury lead over BMW in AprilMay 1, 2013 20:03 CET  Mercedes-Benz extended its lead over BMW in the U.S. luxury sales race, with a 5.8 percent gain in April. Sales for the Mercedes brand rose to 23,635 in April, led by gains for the C-class sedan and M-class SUV. The BMW brand posted a 10 percent increase in April to 23,225, the company said today in a statement.... Read More »
Toyota car sales slide in April 5:05 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013
Lexus prices base 2014 IS at $36,845, up $885 12:10 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013  Lexus has set the base price of the 2014 IS compact sport sedan at $36,845, including shipping, an increase of $885 from its predecessor, Lexus said.... Read More »
FINAL ASSEMBLY Lexus goes hipster, parties with robots in the Big Apple 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013  At the launch party for Lexus' global marketing campaign, the theme was definitely New York hipster.... Read More »
Boston-area dealership had bird's eye view of bombing suspects' gunfight, arrest 4:23 pm U.S. ET | April 22, 2013  A week after the Boston Marathon bombings, the city was beginning to return to normal today with shops reopening and residents heading back to work. But three days ago -- when the area was under lockdown as officials searched endlessly for the second suspect involved in the blasts that left three dead and over 170 injured -- it was a different story.... Read More »
Toyoda's team fast-tracked Lexus move 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013  A year ago Toyota Motor Corp. executives in Japan questioned whether their U.S. factories could meet the exacting standards required to build Lexus vehicles. Now 50,000 units of the Lexus ES will be built in Kentucky starting in 2015.... Read More »
Toyoda, Lexus troll for hipsters in new marketing push 10:44 am U.S. ET | April 20, 2013  Toyota President Akio Toyoda used a waterfront gala in New York's trendy Chelsea district on Friday night to paint Lexus as an avant-garde, aspirational car -- and to launch the luxury brand's new marketing campaign.... Read More »
Toyota to shift Lexus ES output to Kentucky 12:25 pm U.S. ET | April 18, 2013  Toyota plans to invest $360 million to bring production of the Lexus ES sedan to Kentucky, making it the first model from Toyota's premium brand to be built in the United States as the carmaker pushes to localize more manufacturing.... Read More »
Lexus plans rival to Q3, X1 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013 Lexus plans to show a production-ready premium compact crossover to rival the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 at next year's Geneva auto show, a company source said.... Read More »
For Cadillac, early signs of another renaissance 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 6, 2013  At his Houston Cadillac store last weekend, Carl Sewell had an unusual experience: He helped a mother secure a baby seat into a car she was considering. Young-shopper sightings were once a rarity for Sewell. Behind the new ATS sedan, which is helping draw a new type of buyer, Cadillac posted a 49 percent rise in sales last month.... Read More »
NEW PRODUCT Lexus will launch hybrid SUV to rival Q3April 5, 2013 06:01 CET  Lexus plans to show a production-ready hybrid SUV to rival Audi's Q3 and BMW's X1 at next year's Geneva auto show, a company source said.... Read More »
SALES BMW's March advance trims Mercedes lead in U.S. luxury raceApril 3, 2013 06:01 CET  BMW reported a 13 percent U.S. sales increase in March, cutting into the luxury-auto lead of Mercedes as both brands set records for the month.... Read More »
Toyota's sales edge up 1%; Camry slips 4:40 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013 Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s U.S. sales edged up 1 percent in March, to 205,342 units. That lagged the industry's 3 percent gain, but was enough to make March the automaker's best month in terms of volume since the federal cash-for-clunkers program in August 2009.... Read More »
BMW's March advance trims Mercedes lead in U.S. luxury race 3:03 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013  BMW AG reported a 13 percent U.S. sales increase in March, cutting into the luxury-auto lead of Mercedes-Benz as both brands set records for the month.... Read More »
Lexus IS is heavy on carryover, still strong 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013  Lexus' redesigned 2014 IS, which arrives this summer, is the brand's third attempt to match the BMW 3 series, the longtime leader in the compact luxury sedan segment.... Read More »
Lexus global brand effort starts in May 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013 The United States was Lexus' first and most successful market; but now that it is in more than 80 countries, Lexus plans to begin global brand advertising.... Read More »
Audi, BMW, Mercedes look for edge with virtual showroomsMarch 14, 2013 06:01 CET  Audi has opened the second of 20 planned digital showrooms designed to impress urban customers with an interactive experience that goes well beyond the standard dealership fare of brochures and machine coffee.... Read More »
GMC tops volume brands in dealer service satisfaction, Power says 1:15 pm U.S. ET | March 13, 2013  Three General Motors brands, led by GMC, ranked among the top five volume makes for customer satisfaction with the dealership service department, based on an annual J.D. Power and Associates survey released today. Overall, customer satisfaction with dealership service departments is rising as automakers and stores spend more to improve the customer service experience, according to J.D. Power's 2013 U.S. Customer Service Index.... Read More »
Lexus to launch global brand campaign in May 3:23 pm U.S. ET | March 12, 2013  Lexus, aiming to reach consumers who have not considered the brand in the past, will launch its first global advertising campaign in May.... Read More »
Mercedes tops BMW to extend U.S. luxury leadMarch 2, 2013 06:01 CET Mercedes-Benz reported a 22 percent surge in U.S. sales last month, building on its early lead as it tries to unseat BMW as the leader in luxury-auto deliveries this year.... Read More »
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