Lexus to preview all new Concept car at the 85th International Geneva Motor Show.

Lexus will reveal an all-new concept car, the LF-SA, at the Geneva motor show. The new concept reflects Lexus’s passion for new design trends and explores unexpected territories for the brand. The LF-SA has been conceived as a luxurious, driver-focused vehicle, designed to address a future world that is more influenced by technology and virtual experiences.

The concept will be unveiled during the Lexus press conference at the Geneva motor show, at 12.30pm on 3 March, hosted on stand 4211 in Hall 4 at Palexpo.

Lexus  LF-SA

Other Lexus cars expected to appear.

The World Car Awards nominations have been announced.

The journey on The Road to the World Car continues with today’s announcement of the finalists in all five award categories.

This release kicks off the countdown for the 2015 World Car Awards (the WCAs) prize-giving ceremony to be hosted by the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Winners of the 2015 World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year will all be declared at this time.

A jury of 75 distinguished international automotive journalists selected the following finalists in the World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car and World Performance Car categories by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. For more details about our jurors, and their outlets please visit our web site: www.wcoty.com and click < Jurors.

The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated the jurors’ ballots and announced the finalists on the evening of February 9.   

The 2015 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) will be selected from the following ten finalists listed in alphabetical order:

• BMW 2 Series Active Tourer                  
• Citroën C4 Cactus
• Ford Mustang
• Hyundai Genesis
• Jeep Renegade
• Mazda2
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• MINI 5 door / MINI 4 door
• Nissan Qashqai
• Volkswagen Passat

The 2015 World Luxury Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:

• BMW i8
• BMW X6
• Cadillac ATS Coupe
• Cadillac Escalade / ESV
• Kia K900
• Lexus NX
• Lexus RC
• Lincoln MKC
• Mercedes-Benz S Coupe
• Range Rover Autobiography Black LWB

The 2015 World Performance Car top ten finalists are:

• Audi S1
• Audi S3
• Audi TT / TTS
• Bentley Continental GT Speed
• BMW M4 Coupe / M3 Sedan
• Corvette Z06
• Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
• Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupe
• Lexus RC-F
• Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

The 2015 World Green Car category is handled differently. Five experts in “green” technology were appointed by the World Car Awards Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate on the list of nominees.  The experts then create a short-list of finalists for review by the 75 jurors in their second round of voting this month. 

The finalists for 2015 are:

• BMW i8
• Hyundai x35 / Tucson Fuel Cell
• Kia Soul EV
• Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine
• Volkswagen Golf GTE

The five experts on the advisory panel are in alphabetical order: Phil Berg (USA - PopularMechanics.com); Richard Bremner (UK - Autocar magazine), Claus-Peter Koeth (Germany - automobil-industrie.de); Yumi Kawabata (Japan - environmental journalist) and John Voelcker (USA - GreenCarReports.com).

Cars eligible for the 2015 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is available in quantities of at least 10 in one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2014 and ending May 31, 2015.  Candidates may be pre-production or all-new production.

Again, a design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts are: Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan – Freelance design journalist); Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy – Auto & Design magazine); Gernot Bracht (Germany – Pforzheim Design School); Sam Livingstone (UK - Car Design Research and Royal College of Art) and Tom Matano (USA - School of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco).

The five finalists chosen for the jurors are:

• BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
• Citroën C4 Cactus
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Porsche Macan
• Volvo XC90

The Road to the World Car began in Paris on October 2, followed by a stop in Los Angeles for a test-drive of the North American contenders in November, and continues with the finalists’ announcement. The next stop is at the Geneva International Auto Show on Tuesday, March 3 when the top three finalists in all categories will be announced.   The journey ends at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 2^nd, 2015 when all winners are declared.

JANUARY USA SALES - TOYOTA/LEXUS - Growth in both brands with toyota the #1 retail manufacturer.

• TMS No. 1 retail manufacturer
• TMS light trucks set new January record
• Lexus posts third consecutive best-ever month 

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported January 2015 sales of 169,194, an increase of 15.6 percent from January 2014 on a volume basis. With one additional selling day in January 2015, sales were up 11.2 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. 

Toyota division posted January 2015 sales of 146,063 units, up 13.5 percent.   

"The year is off to a strong start as the sales momentum we saw in 2014 continued into January," said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager. “Highlander, RAV4 and Corolla all set January records.

"Lexus reported January 2015 sales of 23,131 units, a 31.2 percent increase. 

“January was a great way for our dealers to start the year, with their third straight record month and an industry leading 31 percent sales increase,” said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “We saw good growth throughout our lineup and received an added boost from the all-new NX luxury compact utility vehicles and RC coupes.”

January 2015 Highlights:

• Lexus sets best-ever, any month sales record
• Combined TMS light truck sales set January record
• RAV4 and Highlander set January records
• 4Runner up 75.5 percent
• Tacoma up nearly 16 percent; posts sales of 11,409 units
• Corolla posts best-ever January
• Camry sales of 26,763 units, up nearly 15 percent
• Sienna up 16 percent
• Lexus RX up more than 17 percent

Lexus debuts a number of premiere's at the 85th Geneva Motor Show.

• European premiere of the new Lexus F performance model, the GS F
• European premiere of the LF-C2 roadster concept
• World premiere of a new Lexus concept

The Geneva motor show will host the first European appearance to the latest addition to Lexus’s F portfolio of high-performance models, the new GS F. Seen first at the Detroit show in January, the GS F is a refined, four-door saloon with the speed and agility of a premium sports car. Its normally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 engine produces 470bhp and maximum torque of 530Nm. The GS F is also the first model to be equipped with the new, comprehensive Lexus Safety System+.

The GS F will be shown alongside the LF-C2 concept, which is also making its European debut following its unveiling in Los Angeles in 2014. This 2+2 open-top roadster design study explores styling themes that will be part of a new styling direction for the Lexus brand.

Geneva will also witness the world premiere of a new Lexus concept, to be unveiled during a press conference that will take place at 12:30 on 3 March on the Lexus stand (4211) in Hall 4 of the Palexpo exhibition centre.

2014 Top 30 brands in Europe, like the UK, no real surprises in the top ten.

In 2014, the Volkswagen, PSA and Renault groups remained Europe’s largest car manufactures with VW, Ford and Opel / Vauxhall the best-selling car brands. In an expanding European car market, all of the top 20 top-selling car marques increased car sales in 2014. The VW Golf was again Europe’s favorite car model in 2014.

New passenger vehicle registrations in 2014 in the European Union and EFTA countries increased by 5.4% to 13,006,451 cars.

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2014 (Full Year)

The largest carmakers and marques in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration data released by the ACEA were:

	Share 2014	Share 2013	Sold 2014	Sold 2013	% Change
ALL BRANDS			13,006,451	12,336,883	5.4
VW Group	25.5	25.1	3,313,435	3,095,392	7
-VOLKSWAGEN	12.5	12.6	1,619,921	1,553,251	4.3
-AUDI	5.6	5.6	726,059	694,600	4.5
-SKODA	4.5	4.1	582,140	511,172	13.9
-SEAT	2.5	2.3	328,334	289,356	13.5
-Others	0.4	0.4	56,981	47,013	21.2
PSA Group	10.7	10.9	1,390,900	1,341,221	3.7
-PEUGEOT	6	6	782,855	739,944	5.8
-CITROEN	4.7	4.9	608,045	601,277	1.1
RENAULT Group	9.5	8.9	1,237,606	1,095,707	13
-RENAULT	6.7	6.5	874,504	801,273	9.1
-DACIA	2.8	2.4	363,102	294,434	23.3
FORD	7.3	7.3	947,951	901,343	5.2
OPEL Group	7.1	7.9	924,275	968,448	-4.6
-OPEL/VAUXHALL	6.8	6.7	885,372	824,787	7.3
-CHEVROLET	0.3	1.2	38,560	143,274	-73.1
BMW Group	6.4	6.4	833,312	794,697	4.9
-BMW	5.2	5.2	676,410	641,196	5.5
-MINI	1.2	1.2	156,902	153,501	2.2
FCA Group	5.9	6	767,856	741,788	3.5
-FIAT	4.5	4.7	586,271	573,674	2.2
-LANCIA/CHRYSLER	0.6	0.6	72,168	74,847	-3.6
-ALFA ROMEO	0.5	0.5	59,198	64,510	-8.2
-JEEP	0.3	0.2	41,378	24,391	69.6
DAIMLER Group	5.4	5.5	708,002	682,651	3.7
-MERCEDES	5	5	652,373	617,244	5.7
-SMART	0.4	0.5	55,629	65,407	-14.9
TOYOTA Group	4.3	4.4	558,459	545,593	2.4
-TOYOTA	4.1	4.2	527,380	521,742	1.1
-LEXUS	0.2	0.2	31,079	23,851	30.3
NISSAN	3.7	3.4	477,183	422,043	13.1
HYUNDAI	3.3	3.4	424,467	422,444	0.5
KIA	2.7	2.8	353,719	339,306	4.2
VOLVO	2	1.9	254,610	230,063	10.7
MAZDA	1.3	1.2	175,028	147,461	18.7
SUZUKI	1.3	1.2	162,828	152,341	6.9
JAGUAR LAND ROVER Group	1.1	1.1	144,442	136,262	6
-LAND ROVER	0.9	0.9	115,826	108,865	6.4
-JAGUAR	0.2	0.2	28,616	27,397	4.4
HONDA	1	1.1	133,268	140,061	-4.9
MITSUBISHI	0.8	0.7	102,364	81,861	25

Top-Selling Carmakers in Europe in 2014

In 2014, the Volkswagen Group expanded it lead as Europe’s top car manufacturing group to more than a quarter of the total new passenger car market. The group’s top-selling marques, Volkswagen and Audi, slightly underperformed the broader market but Skoda and Seat showed strong growth. The “others” in the VW Group is mostly Porsche but also include luxury brands Bugatti, Bentley, and Lamborghini. (Porsche had its best year ever in 2014.)

The PSA Group remained Europe’s second largest car manufacturer despite underperforming the market. Peugeot sales were stronger than the market average but Citroen sales hardly increased in 2014.

The Renault Group had a strong performance in 2014. Renault sales were up 9% but the budget Dacia brand saw sales increase by nearly a quarter.

Ford regained fourth place in Europe in 2014 from the GM Group. Ford sales were just below the market average but strong sales of Opel (Vauxhall) could not make up for the losses of Chevrolet, which withdrew from the European market during the year.

In the BMW Group, BMW sales were just above market average while Mini sales lagged behind, largely a result of a model change during the year.

Sales of the FCA Group were below market average with a mixed performance for the group’s brands. Fiat sales were fairly flat while Lancia / Chrysler and Alfa Romeo were two of only five brands with negative growth in Europe in 2014. However, Jeep (+70%) was the strongest performer of all brands in Europe in 2014.

The Daimler Group also had mixed results. Mercedes Benz sales were just above market average while Smart (-15%) was the worst performing car brand in Europe (apart from Chevrolet). The launch of the new Smart at the end of 2014 should help the brand in 2015.

Strong sales in Europe in 2014 allowed Nissan to overtake Hyundai that had flat sales. Kia sales were also below market average.

Volvo sales increased by 11% while strong growth allowed Mazda to overtake Suzuki in Europe in 2014. Jaguar and Land Rover increased sales but not at the same stellar rate as in previous years.

Honda was the second-weakest performing brand in Europe while Mitsubishi increased sales by a quarter.

Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in 2014

There were no changes in the rank order of the top 10 most popular car marques in Europe in 2014. Skoda missed out on the top 10 list by only around 4,000 cars. The order remained as follow:

	Brand	Cars Sold in 2014
1	VOLKSWAGEN	1,619,921
2	FORD	947,951
3	OPEL/VAUXHALL	885,372
4	RENAULT	874,504
5	PEUGEOT	782,855
6	AUDI	726,059
7	BMW	676,410
8	MERCEDES	652,373
9	CITROEN	608,045
10	FIAT	586,271