Call it a homecoming.
When Toyota introduced Lexus to the U.S. market in 1989, the Georgetown, Ky., plant – its first stand-alone vehicle manufacturing facility in America – was just in its second year of producing the Camry.
Fast forward 26 years and that same plant is celebrating the start of U.S. Lexus production. Today at a ceremony fit for a luxury brand king, the first-ever U.S.-produced ES 350 was unveiled before several thousand proud team members in Georgetown. And, just like a newborn foal at the nearby horse farms in Central Kentucky, the newcomer was brought into the world with plenty of TLC and hope for a bright future.
“This is really a proud moment for us and brings us full circle,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “To be the first wholly owned plant, building the number one best-selling car in America, the Camry, for 13 years in a row, and then to be selected to build the first Lexus is truly a tribute to our team members.”
For the past two and a half years, the Kentucky plant – Toyota’s largest in North America – has been gearing up to make the ES 350, Lexus’ best-selling sedan in the U.S. In all, $360 million was invested toward a new dedicated assembly line, adding 750 new jobs. Total capacity for the new line will be 50,000 vehicles.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655351-lexus-kentucky-plant-es-350/
The 2014 model-year brand and category winners of the annual Best Resale Value Awards, recognizing vehicles for their projected retained value through the initial five-year ownership period, were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. Both Toyota and Lexus earned top honors for best brand and best luxury brand, and each of those top brands had six segment winners from a total of 22 different segments. Honda earned three segment awards, while Chevrolet captured two segment awards and placed an impressive three vehicles in the overall top 10 list.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/63131-kelley-blue-book-kbb-2014-best-resale-value-awards/
Volvo Cars’ design team have completely re-imagined how children could travel safely in cars in the future.
The move follows the Shanghai reveal of the XC90 Excellence and the Lounge Console Concept, which marked a bold and luxurious step forward for the Swedish car brand.
“We started by asking ourselves if we could make life easier for parents and safer for their children when it comes to the child seat experience. We focused on three key benefits – making it easier to get the child into and out of the child seat from an ergonomic and comfort perspective, providing the child with a safe rearward facing seating position that enables it to keep eye-contact with either the driver or the rear passenger and of course including enough storage for those vital child accessories, such as diapers, bottles, wipes, and so on,” said Tisha Johnson, Chief Designer Interiors at Volvo Cars Concept and Monitoring Centre.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7559451-excellence-child-seat-concept/
LG SIGNATURE – the ultra-premium luxury brand from LG Electronics – has kicked off its latest global campaign by teaming up with leading interior designers, fashion designers and chefs around the world including US, Germany, Australia, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, UAE, Singapore, Mexico, Colombia and Taiwan.
Starting in Singapore, LG SIGNATURE held an exclusive event on August 14th inviting prominent tastemakers to take part in a panel discussion outlining the personal and professional benefits of the LG SIGNATURE lineup. Held at the historical Arts House, the exclusive event was attended by over 100 guests including media and high-society VIPs.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8391851-lg-signature-global-campaign/
Master spa award-winning portable spas, hot tubs and swim spas,Luxury Self Cleaning Hot Tubs,Swim spas exercise pools with top-of-the-line features and learn about the benefits of hydrotherapy.
Rivea and Skyfall Lounge, by Michelin-decorated chef Alain Ducasse, are now open atop Delano Las Vegas, the newest luxury hotel on The Strip. Rivea, the first location in the United States, and Skyfall Lounge bring together Riviera-inspired cuisine, celebrated libations, a chic casual atmosphere and the best views of Las Vegas.
“I am thrilled to introduce Rivea and Skyfall Lounge to Las Vegas,” said Chef Ducasse. “Upon entering the restaurant and lounge, every detail transports guests to those endless summer nights in the South of France. The seductive menu highlights simple, fresh Italian and French cooking, while the design is sophisticated and laid-back, complementing the best view of the Las Vegas Strip.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655651-rivea-skyfall-lounge-delano-las-vegas/
Blu® Homes, Inc. (“Blu”), America’s leading provider of premium prefab homes, today announced an elegant new home model. The spacious and luxurious 2014 Element offers architect-designed styling featuring sweeping, high ceilings, and a glorious indoor/outdoor living style sparked by walls of windows and glass doors.
The Element also boasts well designed storage space, a spacious open floor plan with seamlessly connected living, dining and kitchen spaces and a cook’s kitchen highlighted by generous counter space, luxury appliance upgrade options, and beautiful use of natural light.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/70432511-blu-homes-releases-updated-element-design
Echo Entertainment Group Chairman John O’Neill and CEO John Redmond said today that Echo’s expansion plans for The Star would see the world’s first “Connected Integrated Resort” built in Sydney.
Mr O’Neill and Mr Redmond today unveiled details of Echo’s Detailed Proposal which was formally submitted to the NSW Government through its unsolicited proposal process on Friday afternoon.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62180-echo-unveils-proposal-connected-integrated-resort-at-the-star
GENESIS has unveiled its striking ‘New York Concept’ luxury sports sedan at the New York International Auto Show. The New York Concept hints at future GENESIS design direction with its expressive and refined ‘Athletic Elegance,’ first seen in the Vision G concept and in production form with the GENESIS G90 premium luxury sedan.
Acknowledging the GENESIS brand’s sporty and agile nature, the hybrid concept generates 245ps and 36.0 kgf.m of torque from its 2.0 GDi powertrain coupled with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The advanced technological features and precise design language of the concept emphasize key aspects of Korean culture, while elevating the value and perception of the GENESIS brand.
The exterior of the New York Concept presents an elegant interpretation of a luxurious performance vehicle, defined by well-balanced proportions and refined surface treatments. Inside, the concept car combines advanced technology with absolute luxury, contrasting innovative electronics against finely-crafted materials.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7506054-hyundai-genesis-hybrid-sports-sedan-nyias/
New midsize SUV ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that headlights are improving when it comes to visibility, but many still need to do a better job of lighting the road ahead while limiting bothersome glare.
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and the 2017 Volvo XC60 are the only models available with good-rated headlights among the 19 midsize SUVs and 18 midsize luxury SUVs evaluated in this new round of tests. Twelve SUVs are available with headlights rated acceptable, while 23 aren’t available with anything other than marginal- or poor-rated headlights.
The 2014 model-year vehicles and brands (in both non-luxury and luxury categories) with the lowest projected ownership costs were announced today by Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. These awards are based on Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars for the initial five-year ownership period.
While depreciation (or loss of value) and fuel costs may be the greatest expense incurred in owning a vehicle, there are other factors that can have a significant impact on a consumer’s pocketbook. Available on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, 5-Year Cost to Own information takes into consideration depreciation, expected fuel costs, finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state fees for new models.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65344-kelley-blue-book-kbb-announces-2014-5-cost-to-own-award-winners
The Toyota Prius v is the only midsize car out of 31 evaluated to earn a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s first-ever headlight ratings.
The best available headlights on 11 cars earn an acceptable rating, while nine only reach a marginal rating. Ten of the vehicles can’t be purchased with anything other than poor-rated headlights.
A vehicle’s price tag is no guarantee of decent headlights. Many of the poor-rated headlights belong to luxury vehicles.
The ability to see the road ahead, along with any pedestrians, bicyclists or obstacles, is an obvious essential for drivers. However, government standards for headlights, based on laboratory tests, allow huge variation in the amount of illumination that headlights provide in actual on-road driving. With about half of traffic deaths occurring either in the dark or in dawn or dusk conditions, improved headlights have the potential to bring about substantial reductions in fatalities.
