Lexus Presents Special Edition Version of 2012 LS 460, ES 350 and CT 200h

What's the first thing automakers do when they want to boost their sales but don't have a completely new or refresh product(s) in the pipeline? The age-old answer to that question is a special edition model.

For Lexus it's actually three new limited edition models based on the 2012 LS 460, ES 350 and CT 200h, with the first two arriving in U.S. dealerships in November, and the third next month.

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Lexus LS TMG Edition 650HP Spied on Video: Are Those the Sounds of a V8 or a V10?

Our trusty spies have scored another touchdown with the high-performance, wide-body Lexus LS saloon that has piqued our interest over the past few days.

We already know it is called the Lexus LS TMG Edition and that it is being developed by the Japanese group's Toyota Motorsports GmbH division, formerly known as Toyota Team Europe, based in Cologne, Germany.

Toyota's subsidiary was responsible for firm's World Rally Championship cars starting from the 1970s right up to the 1990s, but now works on various special projects.

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Fresh Spy Shots of Lexus LS TMG Edition and New Spec Sheet that Says it gets 650-Horses

The veil of secrecy surrounding the super Lexus LS that we captured testing on the Nürburgring racetrack last week has started to fall apart.

Today, along with a fresh batch of scoop pictures of the hotted up LS, our spy photographers also sent us a shot of a spec sheet that's been circulating on the internet and which we were also informed about from the guys over at the Clublexus fan site.

Here's what Mike from ClubLexus told Carscoop:

"We had an insider at the old F1 Toyota facility snap photos of this LS and what looked like a modified LFA GT2 with BBS wheels, widened fenders....they snapped photos of the specs for the LS...it stated 650hp at 9,000 RPM with 20" wheels. Within hours of the pics posted, we got a message from Toyota to take the pics down, which we did."

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Toyota Invests in Safety, Demonstrates Hybrid Synthetic Sound Alert and More

Toyota has taken a lot of heat in the past couple of years over safety issues, especially in North America. But last January, the Japanese company announced that it will invest $50 million over five years in its Collaborative Research Safety Center (CRSC) to develop new safety technologies.

Recently, Toyota Motor Sales USA organized a Safety Seminar in which it displayed the technologies developed by the CRSC and its partners while also announcing plans to launch 10 new research initiatives with leading US universities and institutions.

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