Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, will be releasing a high-performance variant to add to its 'IS' range of sedans. The new sports sedan from Lexus, dubbed the IS F, has been designed to compete with the likes of BMW's M3, Mercedes C 63 AMG and Audi's RS4 - all of which have been established in the sports sedan market for some time now.

A new family of hybrids built under a Prius sub-brand is expected for Toyota’s next-generation of petrol-electric vehicles, but with the global debut of the first of these cars not due until mid next year solid details are hard to come by. The latest word indicates that Toyota is building a second dedicated hybrid model - meaning it will have no standard-engine counterpart - to offer a larger, more luxurious platform for the brand’s customers.

As the only SUV with a hybrid-drive option available for sale, the Lexus RX 400h could be extremely well-positioned to capitalise on increasing petrol prices. The current model has not seen tremendous sales since the recent price spike, however this is likely due to its steep initial cost and more focus on the comparable V6 model. The next-generation model, and its hybrid drivetrain, will be essential in cementing Lexus’ technological lead over the competition and staying ahead of increasing oil prices.

Prototypes for Lexus’ upcoming LF-A supercar have been spotted testing at the Nurburgring several times this year but exact details of the coming supercar have yet to be released by the company. The LF-A is expected to be powered by a high-revving V10 engine displacing 5.0L and developing in excess of 350kW.

Toyota has confirmed its upcoming Lexus LF-A supercar will contest the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge – dubbed the 36th ADAC Zurich 24h Race 2008 – in Germany next month.

This will be the first public debut of the new supercar although details about the final production model are expected to be kept secret.