The remaining 2009 Lexus model updates & US price changes are small, so let's just put them all together:

• ES 350: Unchanged for 2009, the ES 350 will see a fractional price increase of $200, bringing the base MSRP to $34,320.
• GS 350/460: All versions of the gas engine GS will have a $300 price increase, bringing the base price of the GS 350 RWD to $44,850, the GS 350 AWD to $46,800, and the GS 460 up to $53,320.
• GS 450h: This made me raise my eyebrows -- the GS hybrid is getting a 40+% increase in trunk space, making the 1.1% price increase of $600 seem entirely justified.
• LS 460/L: The LS 460/L will now have front-passenger seat memory installed, with the LS 460 price increasing $775 to $63,675 and the LS 460L jumping to $73,585.
• LS 460/L AWD: The new AWD versions of the LS 460s will cost an additional $3525 over RWD. This brings the LS 460 AWD to $67,200 and the LS 460L to $77,110, respectively.
• LS 600hL: The LS 600hL also gets front-passenger seat memory, and gets a bump of $985, bringing the base MSRP to $105,885

Very interested in how the 40% increase in trunk space was achieved with the GS, and even more curious why it wasn't applied to the LS 600hL as well.

[Source: Lexus]

J.D. Power's has released a first quarter report on Customer Loyalty, a study that determines what percentage of car buyers stick with the same manufacturer when purchasing a new vehicle. In the study, Lexus lead the way at 48%, four points higher than BMW and nearly four points over Mercedes.

Lexus' August sales numbers are in, and it's not that bad, considering the year so far:

After that 24.6% drop in July, any decrease that doesn't hit double digits has to be viewed as a good thing. The 17.4% jump in IS sales is surprising, and would be immediately attributed to the US dealership Summer Sales Event, except the same sale happened last year. Must just be a hot month for the sporty sedan.

The LX 570 continues to be a mind-boggling success -- I would have never expected so many to be sold. I suppose it's just proof that there's an exception to every rule.

[Source: Lexus]

Although no exact numbers are mentioned, The Auto Channel is reporting that Lexus RX 400h sales have increased in the UK by 28% over last July, which is especially impressive given the current SUV climate in the country:

That [28%] growth stands in stark contrast to the fortunes of rival luxury brands, which suffered an average decline of 30 per cent in SUV sales.

And for some famous names, new registrations have tumbled by as much as 50 per cent.

Lexus attributes the strong showing to the hybrid engine, which sneaks the RX 400h into a lower tax band.

Commenting on the results, Belinda Poole, Lexus GB Director, said: "The RX 400h is the first and remains the only hybrid SUV on the market.

"In what is a tough market overall, this gives our Lexus Centres a great advantage in being able to offer the type of car customers want, but without the penalties in running costs they would incur with models from rival brands."

I would have thought that the hybrid RX was simply cannabilizing sales from its conventional petrol-engine twin, but the RX 400h was dominating in 2007, making up 86% of all RX model sales in Europe.

It's going to be interesting to see how the upcoming RX redesign affects the momentum, but it's clear the hybrid crossover is already the brand's #1 model in Europe.

[Source The Auto Channel]

Automotive News has published a report detailing what seems to be Lexus' entire future manufacturing plans, though it's unclear as to the source of this information. Regardless, allow me to summarize:

• The LF-A, or the "LF-1" as its referred to in the article, has been pushed back yet again due to the performance-to-cost ratio and the slumping global economy. The supercar is now looking at a 2010 release, which means there will be a need for significant restyling on top of the performance reworking.
• The rumored GS-F has been put on hold due to the economy and rising concern about oil prices. The GS is expected to be redesigned in 2011.
• The non-hybrid LS 460 will be getting AWD as an option in 2010, with a redesign following in 2013.
• The dedicated hybrid getting so much press will indeed be different from the Toyota Prius, though it will be a small 4-cylinder sedan. It's expected to be released in early 2010.
• The ES will be redesigned for 2011, and will be offered with the hybrid engine currently in the RX 400h.
• There will be a RAV4-sized Lexus offered in Europe & Japan, and will be brought to North America in 2013.
• Next year will see the introduction of the new RX, and with RX 430h, RX 440h and RX 450h recently trademarked by Lexus, it looks as though the hybrid version will be getting more power. No third row will be offered.
• The 4Runner-based GX may be replaced by seven-seat crossover built on the GS platform, depending on consumer SUV demand.

If that seems like a lot of information to process, that's because it is. It'll take some time to process, but it really seems like Lexus is slowing down the pace. It's possible there's a wait-and-see position as the company watches how the new RX and coupe/convertible IS are received. There's obviously some fairly extensive re-evaluating happening...

[Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)] (Thanks Jarrett!)

800 temporary workers at a Toyota plant in Japan were laid off yesterday:

Japanese automaker Toyota has laid off 800 people at a plant in southwestern Japan, or about 10 percent of the plant's work force, in response to declining sales in North America, a company official said Tuesday.

All the job cuts — carried out in June and August at Toyota Motor Corp.'s wholly owned subsidiary Toyota Motor Kyushu — applied to workers sent by job-referral agencies. Japanese companies are increasingly relying on such agencies for temporary workers called "haken" to be flexible to market demand.

Prior to the layoffs, Toyota Motor Kyushu, which makes Lexus luxury models, had employed 8,200 workers — 1,950 of them haken — an official said on condition of anonymity, citing company policy.

The official said the job cuts were temporary and 500 haken workers will be brought back later this year. He declined to comment on why they would be needed back, saying product plans can't be released.

Just looking at the first six months of Lexus sales, it's not surprising that a workforce adjustment was necessary. (The article also talks about the concept of Haken workers in Japan, which I found very interesting.)

[Source: Manufacturing.net]