When the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) gathered together for their annual event to name the best vehicles for 2009, they brought in two Lexus’ to compete: The IS-F in the Best New Sports/Performance Car over $50k, and the LX 570 in the Best New SUV/CUV over $60k.

The LX 570 ended up being upstaged by the Mercedes M-Class Bluetec, but the IS-F took top spot in a category that featured some very fierce competition, with the BMW M3 Coupe, Cadillac CTS-V, Jaguar XF Supercharged, Mercedes-Benz C63, and the Nissan GT-R all eligible to win.

I was particularly surprised that the GT-R didn’t race away with the honor, no matter how much emphasis is placed on “real world” testing. In fact, I’d be inclined to call this an upset, but one I’m sure Lexus Canada is very happy about.

[Source: Canadian Driver (Thanks Jarrett!)]

The Lexus LX 570 is up for the Motor Trend SUV of the year:

Since last year’s contest, a lot has changed with regard to the SUV market. Most manufacturers are going for the smaller, more fuel-efficient, and in some cases car based vehicles, the 2009 Lexus LX 570 is none of those, and it’s damn proud of it.

This Lexus is an amazing luxury/utility vehicle, capable of a dash to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, while the quarter mile disappears in under 15 seconds at over 90 mph, and all this by a behemoth that weighs over 6000 pounds. Oh, did we mention the Lexus can also off-road with the best of them?

The LX is up against some stiff competition, though I certainly wouldn’t count the freakish BMW X6 among the contenders. Honestly, no matter how great the LX may be and how well it stacks up, the cost and fuel milage will sink its chances of coming first. (Really, if I had to guess, my money would be on the Infiniti FX35.)

The winner will be announced at midnight tomorrow. Update: The Subaru Forester took the prize.

J.D. Power’s has released a first quarter report on Customer Loyalty, a study that determines what percentage of car buyers stick with the same manufacturer when purchasing a new vehicle. In the study, Lexus lead the way at 48%, four points higher than BMW and nearly four points over Mercedes.

[Source: Next Autos]

For the 14th year straight, Lexus has topped the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, and they did it in style. Take a look at this chart:

This study measures the consumer problems on three-year-old vehicles. The substantial gap between Lexus and their next closest competitor illustrates an impressive 25 problem drop over 2007, when Lexus tied with Buick with 145 problems per 100 vehicles.

What’s more, six Lexus’ managed to lead their respective categories — the ES 330, GX 470, IS 300, LS 430, LX 470 and SC 430 all won best-of-class, and the GS 300/430 and RX 350 both placed second behind the ES 330 & GX 470 respectively. For those counting, that’s every vehicle in the Lexus line-up. Very impressive.

[Source: J.D. Power]

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Note: I will be away until Monday getting married. Enjoy your weekend!

Updated to include the RX 350 placing second behind the GX 470. (Thanks Pond!)

This video of Motor Trend television awarding the Lexus GS the 1998 import car of the year award is extraordinary if only for the sheer amount of praise heaped on the vehicle:

“Almost as good as a new Corvette.” “Matching or exceeding the German traditions in every measure possible.” It’s no wonder why the second-generation GS was such a success, with compliments like that (from Motor Trend of all places!).

The 2008 JD Power Initial Quality Study has been released, and Lexus has placed third overall and just one point under Infiniti for second place.

The lineup is well represented In the individual segments, with both the LS and RX placing first in their respective groups. Here’s a full breakdown:

• Large Premium Car: LS (1st place)
• Midsize Premium Car: ES (Tie for 3rd)
• Midsize Premium MAV: RX (1st place)
• Midsize Premium MAV: GX (2nd place)

The real story with this year’s study is the significant gains shown throughout the industry, where almost 75% of the 36 brands showed major improvements:

Overall quality improves to 118 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) in 2008, down from 125 PP100 in 2007.

“Due to some strong new-vehicle launches, in addition to a continued reduction in the level of defects and malfunctions, overall quality improves by 6 percent in 2008, compared with 2007,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. “This gain is driven not only by strong advances from many of the high-volume brands such as Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, but also by very significant improvements by many other automakers.”

The largest jump in quality was Audi, who moved from 26th place to 10th. More importantly to Lexus is the jump exhibited by Infiniti, who went from 9th last year to 2nd.

[Source: JD Power