CSB from my family holiday: Has the LFA changed the perception of Lexus.

[ValveCoverGasket]

Those brands are world famous for making supercars. So much so that the very word "supercar" automatically conjures up either a Ferrari or Lambo in the of the general public.

yup.

while the name "lexus" conjures up images of old people falling asleep behind the wheel of their gs400

[2.0T_Convert]

yup.

while the name "lexus" conjures up images of old people falling asleep behind the wheel of their gs400

So how does Lexus change that image?

Based on some of the responses it appears a few of you don't want that to change. Let Toyota be the racecar division while Lexus just stays boring luxury.

[ValveCoverGasket]

Let Toyota be the racecar division while Lexus just stays boring luxury.

im good with that

[71DubBugBug]

To me the LFA is like the GT-R, almost everyone into cars knows about them.
So I think lexus got what it wanted from the LFA. 5yrs ago I never respected lexus, now I do.
why? cause of the LFA and IS-F mmm

I dont think you can compare the two, completely different cars, and I think built for different reasons


I have seen many GTRs, and yet to see a LFA in the wild.

Most people dont even know a r8 is an audi, let alone a LFA is a lexus.

[Fritz27]

So how does Lexus chance that image?

Based on some of the responses it appears a few of you don't want that to change. Let Toyota be the racecar division while Lexus just stays boring luxury.

Be like Audi and put your cars center stage in action movies.

I, Robot; Iron Man 1 & 2; Transporter 2; etc.

[Tuneman7]

I just think it's funny that Hahn bought a brand new Lexus LFA then goes to Tokyo to drift and all of the sudden nobody owns a car beyond 2005/2006 model year. Then he dies. Poor bastard.

I think the LFA has changed the image of Lexus somewhat. Cars like these don't instantly perform a 180 for a company's image. However slowly but surely I think Lexus has shown they can build performance cars with the LFA being the pinnacle and it's starting to trickle down into their more common offerings like the IS and GS.

Toyota's owner I think is slowly but surely breathing life back into Toyota's performance offerings.

[PsyberVW]

So how does Lexus chance that image?

Based on some of the responses it appears a few of you don't want that to change. Let Toyota be the racecar division while Lexus just stays boring luxury.

Not "boring" luxury, but real "no compromise" luxury.

I don't believe that you can have both luxury and performance without compromise.

Compare an S550 to a 750i.

The S550 feels like you're driving on a sheet of glass - the steering is effortless,the power is abundant, the body solid and heavy, and the occupants feel NOTHING.

The 750 feels like a mid-size sport sedan (it feels like a smaller car) because the feedback through the wheel is more direct, the suspension gives slightly less, the body is ever so lighter and tighter -- the occupants feel EVERYTHING.

BMW doesn't make luxury cars. No BMW feels like a luxury car - they all feel like "sport" models, just with/without more comforts and ammenities.

Audi is trying to go right down the middle as "perfomance-luxury." It's a great compromise for people who are trying to have both - but as any compromises go, it's not the best at either. BMW is still the driver's car, and the S-Class is still the class leader.

The traits of the brand are consistent in every model. The same criticisms apply for a comparison between the C class, the A4, and the 3 series.

In terms of Lexus, this lack of consistency is what dilutes the brand. Lexus worked very hard to create a strong brand image, and instead of embracing it they are fighting it.

Let Toyota be the motorsports brand it has always been and allow Lexus to be the pinnacle of "luxury" that it has been aiming for.

[PsyberVW]

Be like Audi and put your cars center stage in action movies.

I, Robot; Iron Man 1 & 2; Transporter 2; etc.

Remember that Lexus concept thing in Minority Report?

That was good marketing for Lexus. No one thought of them as a sports car brand then either - but it got their name position in the social dialogue.

That's what's really missing from the LF-A to be successful from a marketing perspective. "No one" has heard of it, of those that have, few have seen one, fewer have driven own, and fewer own one.

Was it an excercise to prove what could be done? Perhaps - but it wasn't neccesary. No one doubted this could be done by one of the largest automakers in the world. Instead the question is why the need to prove anything at all? To whom? It wasn't to the general public - so where was this effort targeted? Internet blogs and arm-chair racers?

[Fritz27]

I think Lexus knows where their bread is buttered, but offering sporty models is still helpful in bringing people in. Lexus has a really old average buyer age compared to BMW so they have to change that and the easiest way to do so is with sporty or cheaper cars. Enter, the IS (and its F-Sport variants), the CT, GS F-Sport, and LFA. They're not going to put bone-jarring suspensions in RXs or ESs and most LSs for good reason, but they can't cater to the gummers and moderately successful real estate agents forever.

[Tuneman7]

No one has heard of it is a bit of an overstatement. I think Kyle Busch getting pulled over for doing 128 in a 35 was broadcasted over pretty much every media station.

They also have had one on the floor of most major auto shows including the NY auto show. It isn't some kind of boutique kit car that only 2% of the population have actually seen...

[speedworks1]

I think it was a success, Lexus has made it ok to buy a $300k car from a brand that did not exist before the 90's. It was not a competitor to the GT-R , 911,Corvette because that is not what it was built for.

My guess is that the LFA has now opened the door for Lexus to sell +$100k cars to compete better with Mercedes S,SL,CL class of cars. To some extinct that is what VW tried with the Phaeton. Lexus is now a legit luxury brand so it has been an easier road to acceptance IMO.

[Shomegrown]

Be like Audi and put your cars center stage in action movies.

I, Robot; Iron Man 1 & 2; Transporter 2; etc.

Silly, but true. They've done a much better job using their halo car to boost the brand's image.

[evosky]

Not "boring" luxury, but real "no compromise" luxury.

I don't believe that you can have both luxury and performance without compromise.

Compare an S550 to a 750i.

The S550 feels like you're driving on a sheet of glass - the steering is effortless,the power is abundant, the body solid and heavy, and the occupants feel NOTHING.

The 750 feels like a mid-size sport sedan (it feels like a smaller car) because the feedback through the wheel is more direct, the suspension gives slightly less, the body is ever so lighter and tighter -- the occupants feel EVERYTHING.

BMW doesn't make luxury cars. No BMW feels like a luxury car - they all feel like "sport" models, just with/without more comforts and ammenities.

Audi is trying to go right down the middle as "perfomance-luxury." It's a great compromise for people who are trying to have both - but as any compromises go, it's not the best at either. BMW is still the driver's car, and the S-Class is still the class leader.

The traits of the brand are consistent in every model. The same criticisms apply for a comparison between the C class, the A4, and the 3 series.

In terms of Lexus, this lack of consistency is what dilutes the brand. Lexus worked very hard to create a strong brand image, and instead of embracing it they are fighting it.

Let Toyota be the motorsports brand it has always been and allow Lexus to be the pinnacle of "luxury" that it has been aiming for.

well said

[Fritz27]

Silly, but true. They've done a much better job using their halo car to boost the brand's image.

I don't think anyone (general public assumption) knew what an Audi was until Transporter 2 came out, then following that up with Iron Man people went ape over how awesome Audis look.

[l88m22vette]

Audi was big in the 80s until the unintended acceleration crap, then got a double boost from selling the A4 and producing the mk1 TT. It helped that BMW got Bangalized, and that Mercedes' worries about Lexus started to eat into its approach. If you think about it, Audi has the most classy and subdued styling of the three companies (in general), whereas while BMW has improved Mercedes seems to have stolen a Hyundai designer. People have known about Audi, sure The Transporter and Iron Man helped, but its not the same as Lexus producing a Ferrari rival after its strived for the Mercedes ring since 1989...

[Fritz27]

You're not seriously arguing that BMW was harmed by Bangle's styling are you? Audi didn't start doing serious volume in this country until a couple years ago. It had more to do with LED DRLs and action movies than Bauhaus styling and classy interiors.

[thetopdog]

The LFA isn't cheap enough to actually be attainable by all but the richest people, isn't it like twice the price of entry level Ferraris and Lamborghinis? So the general public is likely to never see one (I have personally never seen one and I live in one of the supercar capitals of the world). It's also not fast/good looking enough to be the kind of car that stays on your mind without ever seeing one, like an F40, Bugatti, Zonda, etc. It's kind of just "there". $350k for a front-engined car that looks good but not spectacular and isn't the fastest car in the world either

[50fridge]

im good with that

Would anyone in the US buy a $50,000+ sports car out of Toyota dealership vs a Lexus dealership. The Lexus dealerships are nicer facilities and make you feel like a valued customer by offering better service. I think if Toyota sold the Supra through Lexus dealerships in the US it would have sold more.