Lately there seems to be an abundance of concept proposals all over the net from independent designers -professional or amateur. The most recent one to fall upon our hands is the Lexus LF SS which is a somewhat futuristic study for a next-generation Lexus GS created by Jin Hee Kim. According to the designer, while the premium sports sedan concept features the same wheelbase length as the current GS, the two vehicles differ significantly in their styling, drivetrain and packaging.

The official Japanese brochure of the all-new 2010 Lexus RX has somehow found its way into the internet giving us our first glimpse of the luxury SUV that is slated to make its world premiere at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show in November with sales expected to begin in the first half of 2009. From what we can tell by looking at the pictures from the scanned brochure, Toyota Lexus seems to have maintained the current RX’s crossover-ish silhouette adding a few modern design elements to the mixture like the sculpted lower parts of the doors and a new front grille. Inside it appears that the Japanese automaker has completely overhauled its luxury crossover model which now features a more stylish dashboard with a swoopy-looking center console.

Lexus is marking its return to the Las Vegas SEMA Show with a selection of four modded IS-Fs and a F-Sport accessorized IS 350. Among the four IS-Fs that have been customized by various tuners and magazines is last year’s menacing Five Axis “Project IS F” that has been fortified with a new 5.8-liter V8 engine.

As if the four IS-Fs, the factory-prepped IS 350 and the custom GS 460 weren’t impressive enough, Lexus announced that its SEMA Show booth will also host the premiere of a LX 570 SUV that has been modded by ICON 4×4 Design. The highlights include a two-tone matte gray paint finish complemented by black chrome trimming and massive 24-inch alloy wheels wrapped around in Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 285/35R-24 rubber. Mechanical upgrades on the LX 570 comprise of a custom intake and a sport exhaust system as well as a performance brake system with 6-piston units up front and 4-piston at the back.

In what may be one of the worst months in U.S. automotive sales in more than two decades, the Toyota Group which consists of the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands reported U.S. October sales of 152,101 vehicles, a decrease of 25.9 percent from last October, on a daily selling rate basis. More specifically, the Toyota division -including Scion- posted October sales of 135,818 units, a decrease of 24.2 percent from last year while Lexus reported sales of 16,283 units, a 37.6 percent drop from the same month a year-ago.

After the sinister-looking Project IS F that made quite a splash at last year’s SEMA show, Troy Sumitomo and his Five Axis automotive returned to Sin City with a fresh take on the Lexus GS 460. Sporting a titanium matte paint finish, a widebody conversion with concept-like styled bumpers and black-colored 20-inch alloy wheels in 245/30 ZR20 rubber up front and 295/25ZR20 at the rear, Five Axis’ GS 460 is a stealthy proposal for those that like their cars shaken, not stirred.

The new Lexus RX is proving to be one of the worst kept secrets of the automotive-industry this year. In less than two weeks time after the vehicle’s official brochure was leaked a new set of photos that appear to have been shot with a camera phone made their way into the web-o-sphere. On the outside, the Japanese firm’s new proposal in the luxury SUV segment sports a sort of blink-and-miss-it evolutionary styling. The interior however is another story as it has been completely revised featuring a more contemporary design. There’s also talk about a 7-passenger, long-wheelbase version but this is something has not been officially confirmed.

Depending on the model, Lexus has cut prices between £702 and £1,057. For the 2009 IS range Lexus introduces a new three-grade structure (SE, SE-I and SE-L trims) with enhanced specifications across the board. The most important upgrade is the provision of the firm’s Vehicle Integrated Dynamics Management (VDIM) as standard on all models.

Turns out that we had our reasons to question the accuracy of the official LA Auto Show website that did not include the new 2010 Lexus RX SUV in its list with the production and concept cars scheduled to make their debut at the show. Just a few moments ago, Lexus issued an official press-release stating that it will stage the world premiere of the all-new 2010 RX 450h Hybrid and RX 350 SUVs in LA during the first press day of the show on November 19.

There are rumors and there are rumors. And while we don’t know if the report from the latest issue of the Japanese car magazine Mag-X concerning the introduction of a dedicated Lexus hybrid sedan at the Detroit Show in January is based on cold hard facts or flying rumors, we must admit that the story sounds totally plausible. Also, let’s not forget that the Japanese automaker’s president Katsuaki Watanabe has announced that both Toyota and Lexus will expand their hybrid line-up in the near future. Back to Mag-X’s story, the magazine says that the Detroit show model will be badged as the HS250h suggesting that the dedicated luxury hybrid sedan will feature a 2.5-liter petrol engine - quite possibly a V6.