Lexus LS 460 SZ: Sporty Variant said to Debut at Tokyo Show this Fall

News just in from Japan: in its July issue, Best Car magazine is reporting that Lexus will reveal a sportier variant of its LS 460 luxury sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The magazine claims that the car will carry the SZ moniker and that it will feature a subtle aerokit that includes a new grille treatment plus uprated Brembo brakes and BBS alloy wheels shod in chunkier tires. The LS 460 SZ is estimated to cost in Japan between 9 and 10 million Yen or around to $100,000 US.

There's no mention of any upgrades under the hood so it is possible that the SZ may simply be a special Japanese-market model / trim-level. But as is the case with these kind of rumor-reports, we'll just have to wait for Lexus to come out with something official before we make any definite conclusions.

2009 Tokyo Motor Show Downsizes, Cuts Days -Only 14 Automakers Confirmed

Organizing a car show in these difficult economic times for automakers and consumers alike is proving to be a very difficult task. And whilst the 41st Tokyo Motor Show which is to be held this fall is proceeding as planned, the show's organizers have been forced to make a bevy of changes due to limited participation from automakers and general exhibitors. As of March 24, 2009, only a mere 14 carmakers have confirmed participation.

These include: Alpina, Daihatsu, Porsche, Ferrari, Subaru, Lotus, Honda, Hyundai, Maserati, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki and Toyota.

Up until now, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show has attracted the interest of only 122 companies from 8 countries whereas the previous show that was held in 2007 (the Tokyo motorshow in bi-annual) saw a total of 246 exhibitors from 11 countries.

Due to the weakened interest, the overall exhibition space will be about half the size of the previous show at 22,877 sqm (vs 44,587 sqm in 2007). The organizers also decided to shorten the show by four days and as such, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show will be held for a period of 13 days (instead of 17) from October 23 to November 4, 2009 (public viewing begins on October 24).

Other measures include the cancelation of the large commercial vehicle exhibits and a change in the free admission policy that now includes junior high school children as well as elementary school children.