Facebook is more than just checking to see what your friends are up to. Automakers, such as Lexus, are using the social media platform to giveaway some pretty cool prizes to fans.

Not too long ago, Lexus held a Facebook contest that gave three lucky fans the chance to win a driving experience in the Lexus LFA supercar at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. They got the whole racing experience – they were briefed, taken out with an experienced instructor, got a chance to lap the track on their own and then were taken out for a spin with a professional driver. And they finished off the experience with a spot of tea – not a bad way to spend the day.

The entire event was captured on video, so although we couldn’t be there in person, we can share in the excitement of the day. You can check out the video after the jump. And if you’re on Facebook, don’t forget to like us.

The Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient cars have been named for 2012 by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA (those guys that come up with the official ratings for cars) has compiled the list, which is dominated by Japanese automakers. Those remaining two are domestic vehicles, although with one being a commercial van, it almost should count. On the list are electric and hybrid vehicles only, with no diesels or pure gasoline engines.

Looking to compete against BMW’s 520d and Audi’s A6 2.0 TDI, Lexus is flexing its hybrid muscles and developing a smaller hybrid engine for its new-generation GS. Given its success in building and selling hybrid engines and models, it’s no surprise that Lexus is looking to add a smaller h-variant for the European market, which will also be getting the GS450h and GS250 upon release.

TrueCar, Inc. subsidiary, ALG, has announced the top spots for this year’s 13th Annual Residual Value Awards for mainstream and luxury brands with Subaru and Lexus taking honors respectively. According to historic data, vehicles from Japan have won 11 out of the overall 21 ALG awards, which is more than half of the honors. For Subaru, this will be its third consecutive Mainstream Brand Residual Value Award. For Lexus, this is its return to glory after last receiving the Luxury Brand Residual Value Award in 2007.

Lexus was one of the first premier automakers to introduce a series of hybrids in its line-up. In 2009, Lexus launched its first dedicated hybrid model, the HS 250h.

Lexus has dropped a few serious hints that it is planning a coupe version of its all-new GS350. While attending the launch of the luxury sedan (we’ll have driving impressions once the embargo lifts November 23rd) we spoke to Lexus Corporate Manager of Product Planning Ben Mitchell, pushing him for details on a possible GS-F to sit as a rival to the BMW M5.

Toyota has announced a recall of roughly 400,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicle to replace the crankshaft pulley.

Lexus chose the world’s largest aftermarket expo to reveal its new GS350 F-sport. Debuting at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the F-Sport model adds a new aero kit, upgraded wheels and a modified suspension, plus there are some bigger changes inside.

Find out exactly what by watching the video after the jump:

However, after the unfavorable publicity relating to allegations of unintended acceleration and then a production shortage due to the tsunami in Japan, Lexus lost the top spot in sales for luxury cars.

Debuting along side the production GS350 F-Sport today at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas is a wildly modified version of the very same car, built by long-time Lexus tuning partner Five Axis. Painted Glacier White it’s in stark contrast to the subtle silver-gray of the factory F-Sport model on display. The real drama, however, comes from a custom widebody, with Slate Gray accents, huge Five:AD S5:F alloy wheels and some truly massive exhaust pipes.

With plenty of dressed-up tuner cars on display at the Lexus booth at this year’s SEMA Show, the real star is the GS350 F-Sport. It might not have any power adders, but with 306-hp and a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds it doesn’t really need any anyway.

Meguiar’s will be heading to SEMA this year with this custom two-tone Lexus CT 200h. While it’s not exactly the crazy project one would expect from a SEMA display car, the 2012 CT 200h serves a purpose as a proper marketing tool for Meguiar’s.

Lexus will be bringing a fine collection of vehicles to this year’s SEMA Show, and AutoGuide has compiled a guide to all the ones we’re expecting to see. In addition to the previously mentioned GS 350 F-Sport, Lexus will also be showing off a custom GS F Sport and CT 200h by Five Axis, a custom IS 350C by VIP Auto Salon, a custom LX 570 by JT Grey Racing, while Lexus themselves will be bringing F Sport variants of their CT 200h, IS 350, and IS 250C models to go along with their IS F.

As promised Lexus will debut its new F-Sport GS350 model at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Taking the all-new 2013 GS sedan, the F-Sport package adds, um, sport, by bolting a long list of “racing-inspired” components.

Toyota‘s leadership in the hybrid car category has reflected extremely highly on its perception as a “green” automaker. And for good reason, with two-thirds of all hybrids currently on the road being Toyota brand products. Much of that success can be given to the Prius, with more models sold than all other hybrids combined, totaling 52 percent of all registered hybrids.

The official launch of the CT200h last year at the Paris Auto Show gave numerous clues as to what Lexus had in mind for the car.

Lexus is looking to expand its lineup with the addition of an all-new model based on the CT200h hybrid hatchback. This news coincides with past reports that the automaker is looking to offer a compact crossover below the RX, possibly called the CX300h.

Don’t street race. We’re begging you. And not just for all of the obvious reasons, but also because we might have to watch another video like this.

Some doubts have been cast as to the legitimacy of the claims about this video, but regardless of the reason, you’re about to watch a rather shiny Lexus get crushed. This is no “regular” Lexus either, but an IS-F, with a 416-hp 5.0-liter V8 under the hood. What a waste.

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Lexus IS-F review

Watch the video after the jump:

No stranger to the Nurburgring, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez has competed at the legendary racetrack since 2006, but this weekend’s event was different. That’s because Bez wasn’t behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, but a race-prepped Lexus LFA.

With an announced debut for the SEMA Show in November, Lexus has instead revealed the new F-Sport version of its 2013 GS350 model at the Johannesburg Motor Show in South Africa.

Surging volumes and a lag in Japanese output helped Hyundai surpass Honda as America’s fifth largest automaker in 2011, selling 522 more units (from both Hyundai and Kia combined) than Honda did through September.

Lexus intends to drum up excitement across its 2012 lineup by offering a series of limited edition models. Lexus has massaged its LS flagship with a sport-tuned air suspension as well as a 19-inch 10 spoke wheels and Brembo brakes. The interior receives sport seats at the front and a two tone leather trim throughout. This Lexus LS460 Sport Special Edition is expected to cost over $77,000.

Toyota‘s new styling chief, Dezi Nagaya, wants to abandon the company’s previous conservative design language for a new direction that is “…more dynamic, more masculine, sportier, with a more obvious design theme and a face to represent the company and the brand.”

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012.

A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists.

As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must be available in at least five European countries and must have an expected sales volume no less than 5,000.

Categories considered include design, safety, performance, and price. This year, says the judging committee, technical innovation and value will be especially influential. What also makes Car of the Year unique is the absence of separate genres for its candidates. Rather than selecting the best of the compacts or the best trucks, vehicles with all sorts of engine size and body types will be vying for the same allotment of points.

Comparison testing of the vehicles will be performed in Sweden.

The following 35 candidates selected for the 2012 Car of the Year award include:

Photos of a wildly modified Lexus LS surfaced last week and now we have the first video of the car lapping the Green Hell.

Called the Lexus LS TMG Edition the car was built by Toyota’s Motorsports Division, although it’s not clear for what purpose. Spy photos of inside the Toyota garage where the car is housed (along with a custom LFA GTE race car) have revealed that it makes 650-hp, from a 5.0-liter engine, although it’s not known if this is a V8, V10 or if it sports forced induction.

The car certainly raises questions as to why Lexus seems to be developing a Mercedes AMG S-Class fighter, or if this is perhaps just some wild one-off intended for the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Watch the video after the jump:

This past week, The International Motor Press Association ( IMPA) held a track day at the Monticello Motor Club in New York, where a number of automotive journalists from various publications gathered together to test cars, critique each vehicle’s merits objectively, and perform all the good work being an automotive journalist entails.

Lexus is looking to follow up their record-setting Nurburgring LFA edition with a Tokyo Edition model, which is supposedly making its debut at, where else, the Tokyo Motor Show.

Before he was able to act, Police in Toronto, Canada arrested a man who planned a daring heist straight from the plot of the “Gone in 60 Seconds” Hollywood blockbuster.

A selection of photos of what is reported to be a new Lexus LS-F model testing at the Nurburgring are circulating the net this morning, but there’s more to this story. Several weeks back pictures of the car first hit the net along with photos of an upcoming LFA GTE race car that will be campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. At the request of Toyota those pictures were taken down, but they did not disappear and have reemerged now that the car has been spied again – and this time there are detailed specifications as well.

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.

A slap in the face to internet bench racers everywhere, Lexus has confirmed its 7:14.64 Nurburgring lap time. Whether or not this is the new production car record is up for some debate, but the LFA is certainly one of the leaders with the only other cars to post quicker times being obscure models like the Gumpert Apollo, or the Radical, which isn’t street legal in many countries. True, Lexus may only have built 500 LFAs and just 50 of these custom are Nurburgring edition models (like the record setting car), however, unlike those cars, the limited number of cars isn’t as a result of a lack of demand or production capability by the automaker.

Powered by the same 4.8-liter V10 engine as the “regular” LFA, the Nurburgring Edition makes 10 more horsepower for a total of 562-hp. Suspension and aerodynamic upgrades are also included. Priced at $70,000 more than the already expensive $375,000 model, just 50 of the 500 LFA models will be Nurburgring editions.

The previous non-obscure record holder was the Porsche GT2 RS.

Watch the proof after the jump:

The Lexus LFA Nurburgring edition is living up to its name and silencing doubters with a claimed 7:14 lap time at the Green Hell. If verified this would put the ultra limited edition car a solid four seconds ahead of the current record holder, the Porsche GT2 RS.

We’re sure there are legions of fans excited to hear that the 2013 Lexus GS450h will bow at September’s Frankfurt Auto Show – maybe not.

Having had the opportunity to experience Lexus‘ LFA firsthand, we can attest to its freakish performance and elegant handling all wrapped in a luxurious package. While its price tag has drawn criticism, it’s certainly not unheard of in the exotic segment and so EVO Magazine decided to compare (very expensive) apples to apples, pitting the Japanese supercar against  Ferrari‘s 599 GTO – both vehicles with MSRPs just barely under the $400,000 mark. The result may be surprising to some, with EVO giving their nod to the LFA despite the 599 GTO’s quicker 0-60 time and higher top speed.

It goes without saying that no true auto enthusiast should judge a car simply by its acceleration and top speed, but the 599 GTO clocked a 0-60 time in just 3.8 seconds while the LFA was a solid few ticks behind at 4.2. The LFA’s top speed was recorded at 179-mph while the GTO easily outpaced it at 193-mph. But the article goes way beyond that, with EVO coming to the conclusion that Lexus now has a vehicle that tops Italy’s finest.

“What marks out the LFA for particular praise is its bravery and originality;” says EVO, “for Lexus to create such a car from scratch, with no evolutionary engineering or existing bias from which to work, is a remarkable achievement. Innovative, extreme, immaculately executed and exquisite to drive, it’s the greatest high-performance car Japan has ever produced.”

“Get hung up on the badge and you’ll be blind to its magic. Revel in its rarity, its rare abilities and the fact we’re unlikely to see its like again and you’ll understand why the LFA is one of the greats, and why this test ends with three unexpected, hard-won and thoroughly deserved words: Lexus beats Ferrari.”

Check out a video of EVO Magazine comparing the two cars after the jump.

[Source: Lexus Enthusiast]

Looking to grow sales and continue to take the fight to the Germans, Lexus is reportedly considering a two-door version of the new 2013 GS350. Based on the same platform the car would use the same rear-drive setup and be powered by the automaker’s 306-hp 3.5-liter V6 engine.

When a car meets its expected sales target it’s not normally worth reporting, but considering the flop that was the HS250h (not to mention slumping brand sales in general), Lexus seems on track to meet and even exceed its goal with the new CT200h.

Lexus has just released a promo clip for the all-new 2013 GS350, highlighting the car’s power and agility. With details provided on the new suspension setup as well as the 306-hp 3.5-liter V6, there are also plenty of stunning visuals.

Prepping your IS-F for the track just got a lot easier thanks to a new line of performance parts released by Toyota‘s TRD performance division.

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.