Toyota's Teutonic performance group, Toyota Motorsports GmbH, has a long, rich history of making Toyotas go faster, and they've now turned their speeditization gaze on Toyota's flagship of quiet, comfortable cruising for aging, successful dentists, the Lexus LS.

If you leave cable news on in the background while you work, like I do, there's a chance you'll see an ad for the 2013 LS. I'm not gunning to be Jalopnik's car commercial critic, but let's consider what we're seeing in this ad versus what used to be able to sell a Lexus LS.

Japanese magazine Mag-X speculates on the next major update of the Lexus LS flagship, due in 2013. Expect the six-figure sedan-o-fortress to make another stab upward toward parity with the likes of Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8.

Toyota plans to recall approximately 270,000 Lexus and Toyota models over engines that could stall due to defective valve springs. Soon-to-be recalled models include the Lexus GS and LS, and Toyota Crown. [WSJ]

They don’t even make American criminals like they used to. Can you imagine Bernie Madoff writing a letter to Bob Lutz about a Cadillac’s Palm Beach cruising powers?

Whenever we see a chromed vehicle we immediately think "Dubai." However, this chrome foil-covered LS 460 is actually from Kuwait. Our mistake. [The Lexus Enthusiast]