Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.

According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...

Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.

According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...

Lexus Announces 2011 IS 350C F Sport Special Edition

Lexus has unwrapped the limited run 2011 IS 350C F Sport Special Edition convertible, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. later this month. Only 175 units will be built, each carrying a $55,120 (not including $875 destination) sticker and some styling and performance upgrades over the standard model.

The limited run hardtop convertible comes in a choice of two new colors (Starfire Pearl or Obsidian), and features bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, special exterior badging and 19-inch alloys in a dark graphite finish, wrapped around in 225/35 Michelin Pilot Sport tires. Heated and ventilated black-red leather sport seats with red stitching plus a new wood trim spice up the cabin.

Lexus is also offering a comprehensive standard equipment package, which includes navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, rear back-up camera, voice command, Lexus Enform telematics system with Safety Connect and various XM services.

To improve handling, the Japanese brand's engineers fitted the F Sport model with new Bilstein shock absorbers, shorter springs and a sway bar.

“The F Sport Special Edition builds on the IS 350C and takes the fun of the convertible up another notch,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager. “The racing inspired F Sport accessories on this car were precision engineered specifically for this vehicle, allowing us to provide performance without compromise.”

Lexus Announces 2011 IS 350C F Sport Special Edition

Lexus has unwrapped the limited run 2011 IS 350C F Sport Special Edition convertible, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. later this month. Only 175 units will be built, each carrying a $55,120 (not including $875 destination) sticker and some styling and performance upgrades over the standard model.

The limited run hardtop convertible comes in a choice of two new colors (Starfire Pearl or Obsidian), and features bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, special exterior badging and 19-inch alloys in a dark graphite finish, wrapped around in 225/35 Michelin Pilot Sport tires. Heated and ventilated black-red leather sport seats with red stitching plus a new wood trim spice up the cabin.

Lexus is also offering a comprehensive standard equipment package, which includes navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, rear back-up camera, voice command, Lexus Enform telematics system with Safety Connect and various XM services.

To improve handling, the Japanese brand's engineers fitted the F Sport model with new Bilstein shock absorbers, shorter springs and a sway bar.

“The F Sport Special Edition builds on the IS 350C and takes the fun of the convertible up another notch,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager. “The racing inspired F Sport accessories on this car were precision engineered specifically for this vehicle, allowing us to provide performance without compromise.”

Government Probe Finds no Link Between Electronics and Unintended Acceleration in Toyota and Lexus Vehicles

A 10-month long probe done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA found no link between software-driven throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles. The investigation concluded that the previously suspected sticking accelerator pedals and loose floor mats are to blame for the unfortunate incidents, which allegedly caused some 89 deaths.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas”, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

While the result of the government inquiry on this matter is in Toyota’s favor, the Japanese maker is still not off the hook. First of all, Toyota has been found 'guilty' in regards of the two mechanical safety defects including the 'sticky' accelerator pedals and a design flaw that allowed the floor mat to trap the accelerator pedal.

Besides losing massive amounts of money due to having recalled nearly 8 million vehicles in 2009 and 2010, the automaker also had to pay almost US$50 million in fines and lawsuit settlements. And that’s not the end of it, as there are still many cases in federal and state courts, which have an estimated potential liability of up to US$10 billion.

Last but not least, the government may demand that all vehicles must be equipped with braking systems capable of automatically counteracting unintended acceleration, which could deliver another blow to Toyota’s budget.

In response to the NHTSA/NASA study, Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s Chief Quality Officer for North America, said:

"Toyota welcomes the findings of NASA and NHTSA regarding our Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i) and we appreciate the thoroughness of their review. We believe this rigorous scientific analysis by some of America's foremost engineers should further reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. We hope this important study will help put to rest unsupported speculation about Toyota's ETCS-i, which is well-designed and well-tested to ensure that a real world, un-commanded acceleration of the vehicle cannot occur."

“We will continue to develop and equip Toyota and Lexus vehicles with industry-leading safety technologies, including many based on breakthroughs in sophisticated electronics systems. We will also continue to cooperate fully with NHTSA and respected outside experts in order to help ensure that our customers have the utmost confidence in the safety and reliability of our vehicles. Everyone at Toyota – all 30,000 of our team members in the United States and the many thousands of Americans at our dealers and suppliers across the country – is focused on listening to our customers and constantly improving our products and service”, Mr. Angelo concluded.

Government Probe Finds no Link Between Electronics and Unintended Acceleration in Toyota and Lexus Vehicles

A 10-month long probe done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA found no link between software-driven throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles. The investigation concluded that the previously suspected sticking accelerator pedals and loose floor mats are to blame for the unfortunate incidents, which allegedly caused some 89 deaths.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas”, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

While the result of the government inquiry on this matter is in Toyota’s favor, the Japanese maker is still not off the hook. First of all, Toyota has been found 'guilty' in regards of the two mechanical safety defects including the 'sticky' accelerator pedals and a design flaw that allowed the floor mat to trap the accelerator pedal.

Besides losing massive amounts of money due to having recalled nearly 8 million vehicles in 2009 and 2010, the automaker also had to pay almost US$50 million in fines and lawsuit settlements. And that’s not the end of it, as there are still many cases in federal and state courts, which have an estimated potential liability of up to US$10 billion.

Last but not least, the government may demand that all vehicles must be equipped with braking systems capable of automatically counteracting unintended acceleration, which could deliver another blow to Toyota’s budget.

In response to the NHTSA/NASA study, Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s Chief Quality Officer for North America, said:

"Toyota welcomes the findings of NASA and NHTSA regarding our Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i) and we appreciate the thoroughness of their review. We believe this rigorous scientific analysis by some of America's foremost engineers should further reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. We hope this important study will help put to rest unsupported speculation about Toyota's ETCS-i, which is well-designed and well-tested to ensure that a real world, un-commanded acceleration of the vehicle cannot occur."

“We will continue to develop and equip Toyota and Lexus vehicles with industry-leading safety technologies, including many based on breakthroughs in sophisticated electronics systems. We will also continue to cooperate fully with NHTSA and respected outside experts in order to help ensure that our customers have the utmost confidence in the safety and reliability of our vehicles. Everyone at Toyota – all 30,000 of our team members in the United States and the many thousands of Americans at our dealers and suppliers across the country – is focused on listening to our customers and constantly improving our products and service”, Mr. Angelo concluded.

Green Machine gets Meaner: Brian Fox’s Sema-Ready Lexus LS 600h L

SEMA is so close you can almost hear the 'doof doof' music ringing in your ears. With all those souped up Hyundais at the show every year, it's about time someone paid attention to the Mac Daddy of Retiree-Mobiles: the Lexus LS 600h L.

Fortunately, Brian Fox has done just that. His company, Fox Marketing, has taken the LS 600h L and made it show worthy. More pictures and specs after the jump.

First he added a fiberglass aerokit by Artisan Spirits, which includes bumpers, fenders and side skirts. A roof and rear deck wing, HID fog lights round and smoked taillights out the exterior package.

The car is finished in Glacier Green (which looks almost black) with Satin Black touches and Lexus logos. The exterior colors extend to parts of the interior, too. Finally there are the spectacular 20-inch Candy Copper wheels that remind me of the BBS ones everyone had on their Beamers in the 1980s.

I don't know if this is too subtle for SEMA though. The show is all about loud colors, carbon fiber and big speakers. With its stock standard great interior and subdued exterior, is Fox Marketing's LS 600h L a dud or a stud? Let us know in the comments.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Cardomain / Blog

Engine

5.0L V8 438hp Hybrid 22MPG

Interior:
Lexus Light Gray Leather
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Glacier Green Painted Interior Parts
BASF Glasurit Black Painted Interior Parts
Rear Reclining Seats
Rear night shades
Accentz 15 percent window tint

Exterior:
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Glacier Green Paint sprayed with Anesta Iwata LS400 Hyrbid
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Satin Black Accents
Artisan Spirits Front Bumper
Artisan Spirits Front Fenders
Artisan Spirits Side Skirts
Artisan Spirits Rear Bumper
Artisan Spirits Dual HID Fog Lights
Artisan Spirits Light Bar
Artisan Spirits Roof Wing
Artisan Spirits Rear Deck Wing
Color Matched Door Handles
Lexus Satin Black Logo's
Painted by: R Miller Auto Body, Palmyra, Pa.

Lighting:
Smoked Rear Taillights

Brakes:
Front:
Lexus/SSBC Modified 14 inch 6 piston Calipers
Rear:
Lexus SSBC Modified 13inch 4 piston Calipers

Suspension:
Factory Air Ride Suspension
Custom Controller – Adjusts Ride Height from 0-4 inches

Wheels & Tires:
Front:
20x9.5 Rotiform Concave BLQ Wheel Candy Copper Finish
255/35/22 Toyo T1R
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts
Rear:
20x10.5 Rotiform Concave BLQ Wheel Candy Copper Finish
265/35/20 Toyo T1R
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts

Partners:
Lexus USA, BASF Refinish, Yonaka Motorsports, Artisan Spirits, Rotiform, Toyo Tires, SSBC Brakes, Anesta Iwata, Slammed Garage

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