#2013LexusGs

The IIHS tests our cars safety standards through a series of simulated crash tests, and joining the list of top saftey picks is the 2013 Lexus GS.

To be a top safety pick, a vehicles must garner a ‘good’ rating in each of the companies safety tests. The car goes through 40 mph head on collisions, side crash tests into each door, rollover tests to assess the strength of the roof, seat and head restraint assessment and bumper evaluations.

While Toyota celebrated all-time record Prius sales and Camry had its best March ever, luxury division Lexus enjoyed “a solid month” according to Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager.

Lexus is a top of line car company focusing on performance and luxury, and the Japanese automaker plans to keep it that way.

Lexus is hoping for the latter, and is aiming to correct that issue with a multi-pronged advertising campaign to help support the launch of the all-new 2013 GS ( read our review here). The campaign will see the Lexus GS showing up in several media spots.

If you’re a Facebook user, you may be dreading your profile’s eventual move to the new “Timeline” look. Not so with Lexus – the automaker is proving itself a social media trendsetter by offering a Timeline-inspired Facebook app.

Not to be left out of the fun, Lexus is joining the Super Bowl action with an ad of its own.

The first time the company is running an ad during the big game, this 30-second spot will star the 2013 GS. Titled “The Beast,” the commercial features the GS breaking free of a silver metal box, proving that “change cannot be contained.” At the end of the commercial, you can see four additional containers in the background – according to Lexus, these represent new models that will be revealed later this year.

“The Beast” will air during the end of the first quarter, but just watch it after the jump if you can’t wait a few more days to see it.

Lexus clearly has a winner on its hands with their new 2013 GS – read our review here – and it appears that they didn’t want to stop the customizing options with just the F Sport model. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) has come up with a lineup even more special parts and accessories for the performance variant.

As a lead-in to a range of new products planned for introduction this year, Lexus is putting together its first ever Superbowl commercial, which will air during the first half of this year’s game on February 5th on NBC.

The almost Super 8 esque 30-second commercial, centers around the new 2013 Lexus GS, which officially launches in February, as well as emphasizing future products to come (catch a sneak peek below).

In the run up to the Superbowl XLVI commercial, Lexus is also launching a social media activation tool called “TweetDrive Engineered by Lexus.” This airs live on NBCSports.com and will provide football fans with the opportunity to put both their knowledge of the game and social media skills to the test during the actual Playoffs, according to Lexus’ vice-president of marketing Brian Smith.

The objective is for each fan to gain enough yards on the “field” so their “team” can score a touchdown, by providing the correct answers to both trivia and predictive game questions, using a Lexus TweetDrive hash tag.

For every Playoff game in which fans play TweetDrive, they are entered into a draw for a grand prize, which is a trip for two to any NBC Sports Premium Event.

Watch the teaser video below:

If buzz at the LA Auto Show last week was anything to go by, a high-performance Lexus GS is on its way. During inside discussions at the west coast auto show, enthusiasm about building a GS based M5 beater was very much in evidence.

Lexus has just announced that they’re adding to the GS family with a GS 250 variant, revealed ahead of its global premiere at the 2011 Guangzhou Motor Show. No pricing was announced with the reveal, but it will go on sale starting June 2012 and it appears to not have any significant aesthetic changes compared to the GS 350.

Lexus is introducing a world’s first with their 2013 GS 450h, boasting the first premium performance sedan to be equipped with a V6 Atkinson cycle gas engine and two-motor hybrid system in a front engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle. The hybrid version of the 2013 GS made its official debut at Frankfurt Motor Show packing 338-hp with a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds.

After the reveal of the all-new 2013 GS350 at Pebble Beach, Lexus is soon planning to unveil both the F Sport and 450h variants.

And now, drumroll, please…at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Lexus has unveiled the all-new GS350,with sharper styling and sportier handling.

A series of leaked photos and a UK market press release are the first look we have at the 2013 Lexus GS luxury sedan. Also confirmed are F-Spot, and hybrid versions (with a GS450h mentioned) as well as a GS250 packing a 2.5L V6 – for Europe only we presume.

Lexus has released a single teaser image of its new GS350 luxury sedan ahead of the car’s Pebble Beach debut. A drastic design change from the previous generation car, the new GS is inspired by the LF-Gh concept car and promises an, “entirely new direction of driving dynamics.”