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Lexus sales up but Toyota's profits tumble

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 13 August 2008 13:25 With spiralling fuel prices, luxury off-roaders may be seen as the devil on wheels in the UK’s current cash-strapped economic climate – which would explain why last month saw a sharp drop in SUV sales at BMW, Audi and Mercedes. But not at Lexus. July 2008 sales of the company’s RX400h hybrid off-roader climbed 28 percent over the same period last year, rising from 223 to 285.

Brilliance V5 revealed – it’s a Chinese BMW X1

Brilliance V5 - a BMW X1 for the budget conscious Chinese motorist The Chinese motor industry has become well-known for its ‘Homage’ cars; Chinese cars that bear more than a passing resemblance to well-known cars from the West. Step forward the latest of these – the Brilliance V5 - which we originally thought would be the Brilliance A3. Interestingly, Brilliance is actually BMW’s partner in China, and the BMW Brilliance Automotive partnership will shortly be launching the real-deal BMW X1 in China.

Honda's future plans cut Acura TSX platform

The future of Acura's TSX appears uncertain as Honda Motor prepares to abandon the platform used for the compact sedan. Acura boss Jeff Conrad says the TSX will remain in the lineup "for the foreseeable future." But when Acura moved into the entry-luxury segment with the ILX last year it jammed up its sedan lineup -- both in terms of vehicle sizes and pricing ladders. The ILX and aging TSX are positioned close to each other, as are the TSX and mid-sized TL.