Lexus may be trailing its German rivals in the United States sales race, but the Japanese automaker announced on Monday that it expects to set a new global sales record this year.

Speaking at a lead up event to the Tokyo Motor Show, Mark Templin, executive vice president of Lexus International, said Toyota’s luxury division would finish 2013 “on the north side of 520,000” units. Lexus’ current high watermark, set in 2007, stands at 518,300 deliveries.

Templin added that sales should continue to grow in 2014 and beyond as Lexus adds new products like the recently introduced RC and a compact crossover based on the LF-NX concept.

“We’ve already come to surpass our 2007 number, even though the U.S. market hasn’t grown back yet,” Templin told Automotive News. “The biggest growth in sheer volume over the next few years is going to come from the U.S., just because the market is still growing back.”

Lexus expects to sell about 270,000 units in the U.S. this year, down from a high of 329,177 in 2007.

Lexus currently trails Mercedes-Benz and BMW in U.S. deliveries, but the automaker’s sale have increased by 12 percent to 213,479 vehicles through October.

Photo by Mark Elias.

 

Official specs and photos of Nissan’s high-performance GT-R Nismo model have leaked online ahead of the car’s worldwide debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.

The GT-R Nismo wasn’t scheduled to make its first public showing until the start of the Tokyo show on Tuesday, but Car and Driver has spilled the beans on the most capable version of Godzilla to date.

The GT-R Nismo is powered by the same general 3.8L V6 as the standard version of the car, but horsepower has been lifted from 545 to 595 courtesy of a new intake, revised exhaust, tweaked ignition timing and bigger turbos. Torque has also grown from 463 lb-ft to “more than” 480 lb-ft.

Of note, Nissan says the GT-R’s motor has more to give, but that engineers were limited by the capabilities of the car’s dual-clutch transmission.

The GT-R Nismo also boasts an upgraded suspension, stickier tires mounted on wider wheels and a body kit that increases high-speed downforce. Most of the Nismo’s new bits are made of carbon fiber, reducing the car’s overall weight by 143 pounds.

The results of those improvements were realized in September when former FIA GT1 champion Michael Krumm secretly piloted the GT-R Nismo around the Nurburgring in just 7:08.69, making the GT-R Nismo one of the fastest road cars ever produced.

The Nissan GT-R Nismo is expected to arrive in showrooms next year with an MSRP under $200,000.

 

Chevrolet announced on Monday that its all-new Colorado pickup truck will be joined by two new Sonic variants at the Los Angeles auto show – the Sonic RS Sedan and the Sonic Dust. The LA show is scheduled to kick off later this week.

Sonic RS Sedan

For those that like the concept of a performance-minded small car but aren’t quite sold on the idea of a five-door hatchback, Chevrolet will launch the Sonic RS Sedan for the 2014 model year. The Sonic RS Sedan will compliment the Sonic RS Hatchback, which has been on sale for the last year.

Chevrolet hasn’t released official details on the Sonic RS Sedan, but it’s expected to adopt most of the features from its hatchback counterpart. That should include 17-inch wheels, rear disc brakes and a sports suspension lowered by 10mm. The Sonic RS Hatchback is powered by the same 138 horsepower turbo-four used in the standard car, and that should hold true for the Sonic RS Sedan.

No pricing information has been announced, but the Sonic RS Sedan should undercut the hatchback’s base price of $21,150 by about $600.

Sonic Dusk

After making its concept debut at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the Sonic Dusk will finally make its transition to a regular production vehicle at the LA show. Chevy is keeping the details of the Disk package a secret until the start of the LA show on November 20, but the concept featured a unique rear spoiler, body kit and 18-inch wheels.

The Sonic Dusk concept’s interior was decidedly upscale, featuring high-grade leather in black and tan.

The Sonic Dusk will likely be positioned as the line’s range-topping model when it goes on sale next year.

“Chevrolet has one of the freshest portfolios in the industry which enhances our ability to attract new customers in our showrooms, particularly for our new products,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “This year we established a solid foundation for the brand and we will continue to build on that momentum into 2014.”

Be sure to check back for Leftlane‘s live coverage of the LA show later this week.