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Click the Lexus LS600h for a high res gallery

It must be nice to be Sir Paul McCartney. Lexus offered to give the über-famous Beatles front-man a brand new car. He settled on an LS600H, the hybrid flagship of the Lexus brand. According to a source familiar with the matter, Paul “ordered the hybrid limo because it helps to reduce emissions.” Those emissions took a giant leap forward before Sir Paul even got behind the wheel, as the vehicle was delivered by plane. The estimated carbon footprint of the trip comes to 38,050kg, which, for perspective, is ten times what it would have been if the Lexus had been delivered by boat. Put another way, according to Co2balance.com Director Mike Rigby, “That is the equivalent of driving the car around the world six times.” Even the air freight shipping company was surprised, with a spokesman quoted as saying, “Obviously we were happy for the business but everyone was shocked. The carbon footprint must be enormous.” McCartney is reportedly rather unhappy about the chosen method for delivery. Thanks for the tip, Pat!

[Source: New Car Net, The Telegraph]

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Motorcycling, as you already know, has many sides and all of them are very interesting, but I bet you weren’t expecting to see an adult have this much fun on a mini bike. Well, it does and it is very serious about his ride. Simon lives in the United Kingdom and owns a 140cc Casey Stoner replica machine that finds its place every weekend at the Kinsham Raceway. That is also where the video below was shot.

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Lexus is celebrating double success in the 2008 Fleet World Honours, winning the Security Award and, for the second year running, the Best Luxury Car title for the LS.
The Security Award reflects Lexus’s attention to detail in providing the highest levels of protection against theft of or from its vehicles, a commitment that is also recognised by high ratings from Thatcham, the UK insurance industry’s research body.

George Emmerson, chairman of the judging panel, said Lexus “does more than anyone else in the market” in terms of effective anti-theft provisions.

Retaining its Best Luxury Car title confirms the Lexus LS’s status as a flagship limousine that delivers exceptional comfort, refinement and technical brilliance, not least in the seamless performance of the hybrid power LS 600h.

Lexus LS600h

Ken Rogers, Fleet World editor said: “The Lexus LS stands above its worthy competitors simply because it is such a quality product, manufactured to the highest standards. No longer the new kid on the block, Lexus has nothing more to prove.”

Andy Simpson, Manager National Corporate and Re-marketing for Lexus said: ‘”These awards demonstrate the high value of Lexus products to fleet customers in key areas of vehicle security and luxury. Where the LS range is concerned, we continue to offer an unrivalled market proposition with both conventional V8 and advanced hybrid power versions in the form of the LS 460 and LS 600h, both of which deliver exceptional luxury standards.”

The Fleet World Honours were presented at a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club in London on 13 May.

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A racecar.

Toyota is still prepping the LF-A for its assault on the 24 Hours of Nurburgring later this month, but it managed to campaign the Lexus supercar in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance, held on a 15.1-mile course that combines the Nordschliefe with the adjoining grand prix circuit. The LF-A placed 77th overall after completing 23 laps during the four-hour race, with its fastest lap coming in at 9:06. Just to reiterate so there’s no confusion: this isn’t the same course that the GT-R and ZR1 are lapping. That course is exclusively run on the Nordschliefe, so comparing times is like comparing apples and oranges… racing with traffic. Regardless, we’ve posted a video after the jump that shows the LF-A racecar up close and personal, along with some text from KGP to go along with the accompanying gallery.

Gallery: Lexus LF-A Racecar at the Nurburgring

The race-prepared Lexus LF-A–first spotted during manufacturer testing at the ‘Ring on April 17th–made its official competition debut on Saturday in the ADAC Rundstrecken Trophy Endurance series in Germany. The race was run on a combination of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, along with a sprint portion of the famous Grand Prix circuit, with each lap covering 15.18 miles (24.433 km). Saturday’s race was one of seven four-hour races this year, with a six-hour race and a 24-hour race rounding out the series. In its inaugural four-hour race, the LFA covered 23 laps, grabbing 77th place and a fastest lap of 9:06. While that lap may sound slow compared to the Nissan GT-R’s best ‘Ring time of 7:29, one must take into account the longer laps with the addition of the Grand Prix sprint, and fighting race traffic (which consisted of several racing classes similar to an ALMS series). The LF-A drove in group SP8. The drivers that piloted the LF-A are listed as Nakaya, Akihiko, llda, Akira, Kinoshita, and Takauki. The LF-A is expected to continue competitive runs in this series, including the 24-hour race at the end of this month–as part of the LF-A’s development process.

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Last year, Lexus became the first automaker to introduce a production eight-speed automatic transmission in the latest LS460. Recently, German transmission manufacturer ZF announced a new eight-speed of its own which is claimed to provide a 14-percent boost in fuel efficiency compared to a five-speed. It looks like Audi and BMW will likely be the first to directly challenge Lexus when they start using the ZF. Audi may be first out of the gate in 2009, with eight-speed installations in the A8, Q7 and the expected A7 coupe. BMW will probably follow a year later with the X6 and the next-generation 7 series getting the extra gears. Mercedes-Benz already has a seven-speed that it builds on its own. Mercedes’ powertrain chief admits that an extra gear could be added to the unit but that the incremental improvement would be limited. As more gears are added, the weight and complexity of the system increases and the improvements become smaller and smaller. Seven and eight-speed transmissions will likely remain the maximum for the foreseeable future and six-speeds will probably take the bulk of volume in mainstream segments.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req’d]

Source: All Cars Mashup

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There’s a lot of discussion of late blaming the increased use of food crops for biofuel production for the rapid increase in food prices around the world. Unfortunately that’s only a small part of the equation. The reality is that a bigger part of problem is the increase in fuel prices. After all, a lot oil has to be used to cultivate, fertilize, harvest and deliver food crops. With oil topping $120/barrel this week, the trucking industry is working on ways to reduce costs for operators. The American Trucking Association has come up with a six point plan that could cut fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons and CO₂ emissions by 900 million tons over the next decade. Most of the points are pretty obvious such as setting truck speed governors to 68mph to reduce speeds, reduce idling fuel economy standards for trucks and highway infrastructure improvements to reduce congestion. One particular suggestion that could prove controversial is labeled as using more productive truck combinations. This one is all about using fewer larger trucks instead of more smaller trucks. Unfortunately this one goes against the infrastructure improvements. Heavier trucks put a lot more strain on roads and wear them out faster. There is also a major safety concern with larger trucks. On the whole, though, the rest of these proposals should be implemented.

[Source: American Trucking Association]

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Not only the IS-F can be hot; Lexus unveiled a sportier version of the IS 250 on the UK market. No, is not about a performance package, just a full body kit and the “SR” letters in the title.

The body kit features deep skirts to the front, rear and sides of the car, a rear spoiler and 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels. Owners who want to make a sportier statement can order the optional five-spoke 18-inch Tsuki rims. Inside the only additions to the IS 250 SR concern the aluminum scuff plates and pedals along with the standard heated front seats.

The IS 250 SR is offered in three exterior colours -Velvet Black and Cadoxton Slate and Argento Ice metallic finishes. All are matched to Worcester Black interior fabric trim.

Under the hood there is the standard 204Hp 2.5-liter V6 engine.

The IS 250 SR will go on sale in the UK from 19 May price £24,990 (manual) and £25,800 (automatic).

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Source: All Cars Mashup

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• No credit checks, qualify easily for cash loan
• Free information about foreclosure prevention

Tags: auto, parts, automotive

Always looking to expand its horizons, Ducati Motor Holding held a press conference in New Delhi in which it formally announced its entry into the Indian market. Studies had shown that India presents a continuous growth especially in the motorcycle sector and the House of Borgo Panigale couldn’t have missed this train.

The opening of the Italian motorcycle house on the recently prospected Indian market is an important step in keeping the spirit of growth so the announcement wasn’t randomly made by Gabriele Del Torchio, CEO of Ducati Motor, during his meeting with the international press held at Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.

Ducati revealed plans to use the constructive long term partnership agreement with Precision Motor India Private Limited, solid Indian company already representing international brands of high end products such as Porsche, Audi, Fendi and Dolce & Gabana. This surely had a lot to do with Ducati people taking this decision and start slowly, but steady on the new market.

This partnership will be fructified in the coming months together with the strategy that is being developed and with the first models especially produced for this market.

As stated Gabriele Del Torchio during his meeting with the press of India: "We love India and in particular the charm that has this city and we are truly honored to be able to attend this press conference here in New Delhi. Ducati thanked all the people of Precision Motor that we represent in this magnificent country and wishes a warm welcome to this important structure with which share this important partnership agreement.

We are firmly convinced that the Indian market is growing and that is of strategic importance. We will do our best to consolidate our presence and capitalize on the many opportunities that India is able to offer. "

The enthusiasm was confirmed by Ashish Chordia, President and CEO of Precision Motor India Private Limited "The passion I have for this glorious mark is a cause for pride and a great motivation to promote Ducati in the Indian market. I am honored by this agreement and I am sure that Ducati will have a great future in this country."

Source: All Cars Mashup

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Lexus announced that the LF-A racing version will make it official debut this month at the German Nurburgring 24 hour endurance race. but, until then, the car was caught testing at Nurburgring.

The range-topping Lexus is running in virtually undisguised form beneath its matte black paintwork. At the front are distinctive swept back headlamps, together with vents cut into the bonnet to aid cooling of the front-mounted motor.

The LF-A will be powered by a V10 engine that should produce around 500bhp. Performance will be scorching, with a top speed well in excess of 200mph.

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Source: All Cars Mashup

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