Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

To be fair we're not all deviants, 'twas a funny

Pamperme

Sad but true.

fly2low

I love Akio Toyoda's Lexus. On the contrary of the thread title, I wasn't the target market for LeSux jk

huy33

Just because old customers are becoming 60-70+ doesn't mean that the younger 30-40 year olds haven't aged. Yes the ES350 is softer than the IS, RC, and CT but why does it need a sport option on the dial or other sport attributes. I'm not a big fan of the new designs and where Lexus is heading. Just because other car manufacturers are pushing a sportier design, doesn't mean you have to follow it to. Lexus should have just stuck the ES/LS with the traditional soft/cushy ride and put make the GS/IS as sporty as they want. So to answer the original question, I don't fit in the target market that Lexus is currently going after.

SW17LS

Have you driven a new ES? Have you driven a new LS? These cars are still very comfortable cars. I had two LSs and two ESs. The LS has an incredible ride, and it still does. The ES rides well, but I never thought either of the ones I had rode incredibly well (I actually think my GS rides better, and rides more similarly to the LS in a lot of ways). I drove a lot of 2013 6ES models before deciding to upgrade to the GS...I personally don't think the new ES rides any harder than the old ES, save for the 18" wheel version.

LOTS of cars out there ride better than the ES, and thats not a new development.

As for why should they have a "Sport" mode. My dad's 98 LS had a sport mode. His 04 LS had a sport mode. The original LS had a sport mode. The ES had a sport mode. Your SC430 has a sport mode. They used to call it "ECT PWR" now they call it "Sport" its the same thing.

My GS has two modes because it has AVS, Sport and Sport +. Sport + involves the suspension. So I can have the Sport (ECT PWR) mode with the standard ride, or a sportier ride. Lexus has had a sport suspension option in the LS...since 2000. Thats 15 years. You act like this is a new trend.

Whats wrong with having the option? An option they've always offered? I love the duality of my car. In normal mode it rides incredibly well. In Sport + mode it firms up and its a lot of fun on a mountain road. The LS AVS has a comfort setting too...which rides great.

dseag2

I appreciate what Lexus is doing to attract younger buyers. When I bought my '03 SC430 one of my co-workers said she thought Lexus was an "old person's car".

I loved my GS F Sport and the fact that it was actually fun to drive.

With that said, the majority of disposable income is still held by the Baby Boomers (older folks) and the upcoming generation (Gen Next, featured in the ads) is waiting a lot longer to obtain their driver's licenses because when they have a tiff with their parents they don't get in the car and visit a friend... they go on the Internet. I think this makes it tough for all automakers to produce a product that will appeal to all generations. Even so, Lexus is moving in the right direction in making the brand "hip".

mmarshall

That is generally true.......people often have the most disposable income to spend on a new car in their 50s and 60s....at or just before retirement age. Before that age-range, they often are either still saving or haven't reached their highest incomes yet, and, after that, their incomes often drop after retirement, and/or they are depending more on their savings.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

Ironically, I'm supposed to be in their "new" target market, yet they have lost my interest due to the lack of commitment to progressing their performance brand i.e. RC-F and GS-F. With their marketing strategy and dilution of the F-brand, it's obvious that they are going after people who value style over substance. With that said, Lexus actually has a really big stronghold with folks in the ES and RX market, and I don't see them losing those customers anytime soon. It seems as though the aggressive styling doesn't sway the older folks one way or another, as they ultimately care most about comfort and amenities.

GQD_GS4

Ten years ago, "luxury" came to mind when i thought of Lexus. I was in love with the brand and thought i would be lexus for life. Now, i think "trendy" and i cannot stand the commercials (nor the grill). I have moved on to more exclusive vehicles. I still give lexus props for making sales though. They know how to run a business.

GSthe4th

iTrader: (1)

Like someone said earlier, they still have toned down non F sport/F models with most of their offerings, although one may not know it from the current add campaign. So those "traditional" buyers can still have their cake too. One thing that sets Lexus apart from other luxury brands is their customer service, and that alone can keep people coming back. This alone has the potential to make current marketing strategies obsolete for certain long time buyers. Granted that is partly dealer specific, but that is the brands reputation. IF by some slim chance that fades, then they may have a issue, down the line. Ironically, for me the bold new design language brought me to the brand (GS F sport), and I like it for the most part. All of the other perks of Lexus ownership are just a bonus. I know I will miss the dealership experience if, like currently planning, I move on to the 2016 CTS-V later this year. Regardless, I will continue to follow (and support) Lexus' endless pursuit of perfection.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

i couldn't more disagree with you. i am presently of upper middle economic wealth, 33 years old, wife but no kids. we have expensive tastes but are very very conscious about our purchases and i for one prefer mods over new. i highly prefer a modded 2-3 gen older car over a new car hands down. i was one phone call/internet click away from making my most current car purchase a 1981 Nissan President.

really not sure where you are coming from at all, most may be in your target audience but not myself. i have lived in japan the last 3 years and don't watch american commercials nor am i exposed to much commercialism at all cept for what i see on the net and from a few co-workers that are of similar means.

i used to drive a 2005 LS430UL back in 2010 and my license plate was Jones's, not because i was keeping up but i was poking fun at others. i had numerous chances to pickup an LS460 but every time one popped up on my radar and i test drove it, it just wasn't as nice and the styling appealed to me less than my LS430 did.

Newer is not always better and i can't wait for the masses to wake up realize this.

I think the guy on here Jacket posted up something pretty intelligent. it just seems like everything being made right now is disposable/consumable. we need a new cell phone every year to keep up with the new Iphone x+1. btw i don't have a single I product and i am surviving just fine.

if you don't buy all the everyday crap you too could afford to choose exactly what you want and have the monies to pay for the maintenance and up keep of an older model if you so chose, but i guess you are most likely to busy standing in some Apple line waiting for the new Ipood 37 to drop.


go ask your pops about the LS430, maybe he can school you on enjoying some of the finer things in life. not everyone is chasing the Jones's, just most folks in the DMV area

chromedome

As far as the ES is concerned, it's no longer your affluent grandpa's default mode of transportation. I got mine because of the styling, reliable engineering and decent prices compared to the German competition. Lexus are going after 30-50 year olds because that's where the money is, that's the age group willing to continuously spend on new stuff.

chikoo

We were younger then, when Lexus sold us softmobiles. No reason why today's younger generation would not like it.

tex2670

Isn't the desired natural progression, start with a Toyota, accumulate some wealth and move up to entry Lexus, grow a family and get a family-style vehicle (maybe that doesn't scream "soccer mom"), mature and stay with a more luxurious Lexus? Isn't that exactly what they are doing? If you appeal to the younger set, and hook them on the product early, you have a much better chance at having them keep coming back at every life stage. This is exactly what Cadillac and Lincoln, and Buick, failed to do for years, and are now struggling to lure in younger buyers. Remember "This is not your father's Oldsmobile"? Brand loyalty doesn't just happen organically.

airgas1998

um...i have an 15' i don't think it's a comfy lux ride, and yes i have the 17"'s with the michs.don't get me wrong it's not bad, but nowhere what it used to be.