New Lexus Chief to Focus More on Personalization
04-21-07, 03:33 PM
#1
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New Lexus Chief to Focus More on Personalization
Excerpt from the WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/google_login.h...googlenews_wsj
Does anyone have the full article? Bob Carter was promoted to VP of TMS USA yesterday; Mr. Farley was the VP of marketing. He previously worked at Lexus as a product planner.
http://online.wsj.com/google_login.h...googlenews_wsj
New Lexus Chief to Focus More on Personalization
By Gina Chon
Word Count: 533 | Companies Featured in This Article: Toyota Motor
Jim Farley, the new U.S. head of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division, said Friday he wants to take customer service to the next level by focusing more on personalization, which is something he learned about at the youth-oriented Scion brand.
In one of his first interviews since being named general manager of the Japanese car maker's luxury unit on Thursday, Mr. Farley said he is in the "shut up and listen" phase in his first position as head of a division. Mr. Farley succeeded Bob Carter, who became head of the Toyota division.
Mr. Farley, who was group vice president ...
By Gina Chon
Word Count: 533 | Companies Featured in This Article: Toyota Motor
Jim Farley, the new U.S. head of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division, said Friday he wants to take customer service to the next level by focusing more on personalization, which is something he learned about at the youth-oriented Scion brand.
In one of his first interviews since being named general manager of the Japanese car maker's luxury unit on Thursday, Mr. Farley said he is in the "shut up and listen" phase in his first position as head of a division. Mr. Farley succeeded Bob Carter, who became head of the Toyota division.
Mr. Farley, who was group vice president ...
04-21-07, 04:24 PM
#3
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VP of marketing to prez of Lexus? We have had some great leaders so I expect Mr. Farley to continue this trend.
Lexus has acknowledged they need more pesonalization before, like the Germans.
It also means, more $$$$$ to Lexus, as those things add a lot to the bottom line MSRP.
Lexus has acknowledged they need more pesonalization before, like the Germans.
It also means, more $$$$$ to Lexus, as those things add a lot to the bottom line MSRP.
04-21-07, 04:30 PM
#4
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Sure. Lexus for instance before had only 1 of each sedan
GS 300
LS 400
then GS 300/400
IS 300.
Now
GS 350/430/450h
LS 460/460 L/600h L
IS 250/350/IS-F
SO this is one example of "more" personalization. More cars for the customer to choose.
Going into a more "micro" level, before
Lexus interior
Cloth
Leather-black/beige/gray
Wood-one color
Today
Cloth
Leather-black/beige/tan/gray/dark brown/light beige
Wood-blackwood/maple wood/ecru wood
More choices. I see Mr. Farley extending this. You really can't customize a Lexus. You can't get say black leather with gray wood, it has to come with maple. You can't get a IS GS 350 with aluminum trim.
Looking at the Germans, you can damn near make the cars how you want, especially the more expensive models.
Lexus is now going to begin to offer this.
Even with cheap cars,
The Mini Cooper STARTS at 19k
The AVERAGE Mini has 10k in options. That is AVERAGE
. People can personalize their Mini.
So BMW makes a killing on such a cheap car!!
Hope this helps AJ
GS 300
LS 400
then GS 300/400
IS 300.
Now
GS 350/430/450h
LS 460/460 L/600h L
IS 250/350/IS-F
SO this is one example of "more" personalization. More cars for the customer to choose.
Going into a more "micro" level, before
Lexus interior
Cloth
Leather-black/beige/gray
Wood-one color
Today
Cloth
Leather-black/beige/tan/gray/dark brown/light beige
Wood-blackwood/maple wood/ecru wood
More choices. I see Mr. Farley extending this. You really can't customize a Lexus. You can't get say black leather with gray wood, it has to come with maple. You can't get a IS GS 350 with aluminum trim.
Looking at the Germans, you can damn near make the cars how you want, especially the more expensive models.
Lexus is now going to begin to offer this. Even with cheap cars,
The Mini Cooper STARTS at 19k
The AVERAGE Mini has 10k in options. That is AVERAGE
. People can personalize their Mini.So BMW makes a killing on such a cheap car!!
Hope this helps AJ
muhahahahaha
04-21-07, 06:09 PM
#7
Good idea but don't people already complain that you have to "pay" for everything on a German car. When shopping for an ISx50 I found that you could only find the car with the full premium package w/navi and w/o. Mark Levingston and other options were very few and far between. I think Lexus should shorten the time it takes to custom order a car as well. Personalization is great, but 4 months is rather long.
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04-21-07, 06:18 PM
#8
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Good idea but don't people already complain that you have to "pay" for everything on a German car. When shopping for an ISx50 I found that you could only find the car with the full premium package w/navi and w/o. Mark Levingston and other options were very few and far between. I think Lexus should shorten the time it takes to custom order a car as well. Personalization is great, but 4 months is rather long.
You make a point about dealer allocations and the way cars are ordered. Some of complained they cannot find the car they want from Lexus.
04-21-07, 06:40 PM
#9
More options are good, I just hope they are available in a reasonable time frame. 2 months is more reasonable (generally how long it takes from BMW unless you want a car that is backordered like the current 335i Coupe).
Marble trim? Porsche does the same type of thing as far as personalization. The more and more we see Lexus enter the high priced segment, I assume the more we'll see this.
Marble trim?
Porsche does the same type of thing as far as personalization. The more and more we see Lexus enter the high priced segment, I assume the more we'll see this.
04-21-07, 06:41 PM
#10
Here is the text of the WSJ article
New Lexus Chief to Focus
More on Personalization
By GINA CHON
April 20, 2007 3:04 p.m.
Jim Farley, the new U.S. head of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division, said Friday he wants to take customer service to the next level by focusing more on personalization, which is something he learned about at the youth-oriented Scion brand.
In one of his first interviews since being named general manager of the Japanese car maker's luxury unit on Thursday, Mr. Farley said he is in the "shut up and listen" phase in his first position as head of a division. Mr. Farley succeeded Bob Carter, who became head of the Toyota division.
Mr. Farley, who was group vice president of Toyota marketing, added that his focus at Lexus will be on product execution, customer service and dealer profitability.
"The next stage for Lexus is more than just plasma screens at dealerships," Mr. Farley said. "I'm really interested in personalized service. Our customers are all different and with today's technology, you can capture that information and use it in customer transactions."
Already the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S., Lexus is embarking on new product launches that will determine where the brand can move in the future. Lexus is introducing its first vehicle with a price tag of more than $100,000, the Lexus LS 600h, a hybrid version of its redesigned, top-of-the-line sedan. The vehicle competes with the Mercedes's S-Class and BMW 7-series sedans.
Lexus is also launching a performance series next year, similar to Mercedes-Benz's AMG series and BMW's M models, and will soon have a super sports car that has more than 500 horsepower.
Known for his innovative marketing strategies at Toyota and Scion, Mr. Farley said he wants to hone Lexus's online strategy and focus on building customer communities, especially for some of Lexus's new launches that are niche products.
Mr. Farley said he also wants to diversify the emotions that surround Lexus beyond the customer service and quality products for which the brand is known. "People with a high net worth also care about the environment, education and performance and we can play a role in that," he said.
With many vehicles on equal footing when it comes to basic quality and function, Mr. Farley said creative design and engineering will play a role in how quality is defined in the future. And as vehicles, particularly in the luxury segment, become more technologically sophisticated, Mr. Farley wants to figure out a way to convey that in the company's marketing.
"The key is how do you let customers know that without completely overwhelming them," he said.
Mr. Farley said he also wants to find pockets of consumers defining trends in the luxury segment, such as wealthy Hispanics, whom he says are underserved in the market. "Those customers spend a lot of money on large SUVs and are incredibly important decision makers," he said.
Mr. Farley, who has quickly moved up the ladder at Toyota, is in a way, returning to his roots. After he joined Toyota in 1990, he became a Lexus product planner early in his career and was a Lexus Central Area manager before moving to Scion. He was part of Scion's successful launch and eventually became vice president of the brand.
Write to Gina Chon at gina.chon@wsj.com
More on Personalization
By GINA CHON
April 20, 2007 3:04 p.m.
Jim Farley, the new U.S. head of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus division, said Friday he wants to take customer service to the next level by focusing more on personalization, which is something he learned about at the youth-oriented Scion brand.
In one of his first interviews since being named general manager of the Japanese car maker's luxury unit on Thursday, Mr. Farley said he is in the "shut up and listen" phase in his first position as head of a division. Mr. Farley succeeded Bob Carter, who became head of the Toyota division.
Mr. Farley, who was group vice president of Toyota marketing, added that his focus at Lexus will be on product execution, customer service and dealer profitability.
"The next stage for Lexus is more than just plasma screens at dealerships," Mr. Farley said. "I'm really interested in personalized service. Our customers are all different and with today's technology, you can capture that information and use it in customer transactions."
Already the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S., Lexus is embarking on new product launches that will determine where the brand can move in the future. Lexus is introducing its first vehicle with a price tag of more than $100,000, the Lexus LS 600h, a hybrid version of its redesigned, top-of-the-line sedan. The vehicle competes with the Mercedes's S-Class and BMW 7-series sedans.
Lexus is also launching a performance series next year, similar to Mercedes-Benz's AMG series and BMW's M models, and will soon have a super sports car that has more than 500 horsepower.
Known for his innovative marketing strategies at Toyota and Scion, Mr. Farley said he wants to hone Lexus's online strategy and focus on building customer communities, especially for some of Lexus's new launches that are niche products.
Mr. Farley said he also wants to diversify the emotions that surround Lexus beyond the customer service and quality products for which the brand is known. "People with a high net worth also care about the environment, education and performance and we can play a role in that," he said.
With many vehicles on equal footing when it comes to basic quality and function, Mr. Farley said creative design and engineering will play a role in how quality is defined in the future. And as vehicles, particularly in the luxury segment, become more technologically sophisticated, Mr. Farley wants to figure out a way to convey that in the company's marketing.
"The key is how do you let customers know that without completely overwhelming them," he said.
Mr. Farley said he also wants to find pockets of consumers defining trends in the luxury segment, such as wealthy Hispanics, whom he says are underserved in the market. "Those customers spend a lot of money on large SUVs and are incredibly important decision makers," he said.
Mr. Farley, who has quickly moved up the ladder at Toyota, is in a way, returning to his roots. After he joined Toyota in 1990, he became a Lexus product planner early in his career and was a Lexus Central Area manager before moving to Scion. He was part of Scion's successful launch and eventually became vice president of the brand.
Write to Gina Chon at gina.chon@wsj.com
04-21-07, 06:52 PM
#11
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Thanks for the full text! So it seems personalization does not equal customization, as the earlier section implied and the discussion focused on.
Evidently he's talking about personalization in a broader sense.
But hopefully in time we'll see a more personalized purchasing experience, including customizable options a la Scion.
Evidently he's talking about personalization in a broader sense.
But hopefully in time we'll see a more personalized purchasing experience, including customizable options a la Scion.
04-21-07, 07:21 PM
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I like how you're more likely to find the car you want at Lexus and buy that day than you are with BMW. Usually they carry only a few of a particular model, whereas Lexus carries quite a bit; at least in Portland/Beaverton. Not to mention, the sales person showed me what they'll be getting in and when, thus allowing me to put a reserve on the car I want should it be on that list. However, to be able to personalize a car the way I want is definitely a bonus. I want black on black with birds eye maple or aluminum.
What I do wish for is a younger sales person with actual knowledge of Lexus products.
What I do wish for is a younger sales person with actual knowledge of Lexus products.
04-21-07, 10:59 PM
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My guess is by greater personalization, Lexus in the future might be more flexible with options and option packages allowing you for instance to pick a unique set of options or accessories for your Lexus.