jjscsix

You have to start somewhere. If you don't agree with my ideas, wha t so you think Lexus needs to do to increase GS sales. And BTW, MB is offering an engine just as potent as the V8 to replace it.

Btw, covering various responses, BMW does not even offer a factory wood steering wheel in the 5 Series.

GSCT

IMHO the best ideas for better sales are more advertising (I really like the new ads taking dead aim at BMW, Mercedes and Audi, just keep them going), better differentiation to the ES and more options such as a GS 300h, the GS F etc. I must also admit that among car enthusiasts the GS seems to be gaining respect - I have had quite a few tell me the GS is their favourite Lexus and two that said it was the only Lexus they would consider buying.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Yes but it also needs an array of powertrains to choose from. Luxury is about choice

LexFather

I don't think they "need" to if the GS met its target (was only 800 units short in 2013) and sold 50k worldwide which was the most it ever sold. If I would "like" for sales to increase again to me a base engine that is not a gas guzzling V-6 is the answer. And again Merecdes nor BMW have their own internal car to fight with like Lexus does with the ES. I never expect GS sales to match the 5 or E class.

You say Lexus targets "grey haired ladies" b/c of a wood steering wheel but people like them. Just b/c BMW doesn't offer on most of their cars it does't mean it should not be offered by Lexus. I thought luxury was choice? So on one hand Lexus gives people a wood option and its bad now? If you don't want a wood wheel, get the F-sport. Also BMW does not offer a red leather option on the 5 series unless you go to the M5. Why is that not brought up? We can pick things apart each way.

Who do you think buy the 5 series? Exactly, base 528/335 models. Lexus does not offer a 4 cylinder here. Most of those are not sport models at all, they appeal to people who want a 5 series and don't care about sport etc. BMW is very smart offering this model as it drives 1500-2000 sales a month!

The exhaust finishers have been used on Lexus since the LS back in 2006, I like them, many people like them, more in the industry copied it so not sure what the problem is. That is a personal preference.

Its kind of funny to see complaints about everything but the drive. The 5 series used to be by far the best driving car in class. Today its gotten bloated and less sporty while still fast. The GS contrarily is sportiest in class and has won rave reviews for how it drives.

That is what USED to matter to people that argued on the internet. How sporty the car was. Now that Lexus is sportist the argument has moved to wood steering wheels and exhaust finishers.

So in this case, once again, damned if Lexus doesn't or does. People will move the bar and still accuse the car of selling poorly. Mind you a brand new not even 1 year old Acura RLX can't even sell 400 units a month and an Infiniti M37/56 with the V-8 also sells as bad. Yet the focus is constantly on the GS.

Needsdecaf

Like I said, can be solved by making it a dealer installed accessory. That way it doesn't need to come into the stupid Japanese packaging system.

F Sport is fine the way it is, but an option package to add in the luxury stuff would be nice.

jjscsix

The comment about the wood steering wheel is a broad statement that in marketing terms means if you try to build a car that offers "options" that send mixed messages to the market, you can't complaint when buyers don't understand who the car is aimed at.

I don't agree that the car is perceived as a gas guzzler either (29 highway rating is very good). BMW and Audi don't offer those engines to appeal to buyers who want better mileage in my opinion, they are digging into a lower price market which is not a marketing move I believe in for a premium car. On the other hand, a 528 is actually more expensive than a GS 350.

I never complained or stated the GS is selling poorly, I'm just addressing the thread title and question as to how they would increase sales. I have no idea what the actual market numbers are for the car or it's competitors.

Btw, the new Genisis is the car that Lexus and Acura should fear the most.

SW17LS

He's offered his viewpoint and suggestions, and a valid one is that the car is selling as well as Lexus intended and needs it to sell. Sales projections were 24,000 units a year, and they were pretty accurate.

They certainly do. I posted a picture of it. The BMW individual wood inlay steering wheel is an $800 option, just verified on bmwusa.com. Available with the complete individual package or without.

In any event, whether BMW offers something or not should not be the criteria from which Lexus is judged. Its not a BMW...its a Lexus. I don't have an issue with it being an option, but I want that option available. Options are a good thing. I don't want to see Lexus abandon what makes them Lexus just because BMW may not do something the way they do. If I wanted a BMW...I would buy a BMW. I want a Lexus with a better driving experience...and thats what I have.

I think you're really putting too much emphasis on the importance of this wood/leather wheel deal. Like Mike said, the GS is available in three configurations (not counting the hybrid), two of which have an all leather steering wheel. If thats really that important to you...buy one in a configuration that has the all leather wheel. It was important to me too in the opposite way, and I bought $5,000 worth of options I probably wouldn't have anyways to get it.

I think these packages should be more adjustable. if you want wood on the F Sport, I think that should be an option as well. I've read posts from multiple people here who got the luxury over the F Sport because of wood vs/metal trim...and went on to swap the bumpers after the purchase.

I don't have a problem with it coming in the package personally, if you don't want it...simply select a different package (2 out of the 3 available packages have an all leather wheel). Or have there be a delete function or something out of the package, thats fine.

Wood/leather wheels are a Lexus thing...as a longtime Lexus owner to me the GS felt very plain without one in the base/premium car. The F Sport is another story...

As for the packages, I see it two ways. One of the reasons I've remained with Lexus is because they always seem to offer a configuration that is comfortable for me and checks all my boxes that is easily accessible on the lot to buy. I find the options in a BMW or MB confusing. Audi is similar to Lexus. As much as I look at BMWs or MBs, Lexus is just "easy" because the packages are set up the way I'm used to and that appeal to me.

However, if they are trying to conquer BMW and MB customers, I can understand the frustration because those buyers are used to being able to option a car just how they want and get it in a reasonable time. Lexus just isn't set up that way.

That I don't know if it will change. Thats part of Toyota's corporate mentaility.

jjscsix

I stand corrected on the BMW wheel - I have literally never seen a wood wheel in a 5 series, and I walk the lots all the time. My point is not the wood wheel itself, it's an example of the sort of thing that I think sends mixed signals to what the market is for a car. I have no problem with the fact that you don't agree with me. As to telling me I should have bought a different version to get the leather wheel, therein lies part of Lexus problem. There are three basic packages that dealers keep in stock (and they HATE special ordering cars). We had to make a decision based upon what was available. Yes, we had to live with some compromises.

This thread is all about opinions. My opinion is that Lexus has not positioned the car very well from a marketing standpoint. But I hope you will keep in mind that I just spend a lot of money on a loaded GS for my wife that I bought her because I drive the car a lot too, and I had a 2010 GS that was my daily driver. So please don't shoot the messenger when I tell you what I think they could do better.

SW17LS

I've seen them. Certainly rare.

Personally I don't think it really send the message you're thinking it does. Its only one package, and the base car (which makes up most sales) has an all leather wheel, and the F Sport (the handling-edge oriented trim) has an all leather wheel. When you see this as a comparison to EVERY other Lexus vehicle, the only Lexus vehicles that offer all leather wheels are the GS, IS & CT. The luxury package is pretty rare from a vehicle run standpoint (we see a lot of them on here, but on the road almost all of them are premiums, and if you look at used listings...the VAST majority are premiums with the luxury being a little more common than the F Sport.

Anyways, I don't think the reason the car doesn't sell in higher volumes is because they offer a wood/leather wheel in one option package.

No messenger shooting here...

Infamous3

the genesis isn't even comparable to the GS, totally different car in a totally different class

jjscsix

I have driven the outgoing version, and I have read a lot about the new one. I could not disagree with you more. Mercedes and BMW said that about the LS400 when it come out in 1989….until people started trading them in on the LS.

SW17LS

I actually like the current Genesis a lot, and would consider an Equus when it comes time to replace my GS (I'm thinking next time of taking the flagship leap)...but...theres a big difference between the Genesis and Equus now and Lexus and the LS400 in 1989.

Toyota recognized that there was more to buying a luxury car than just the car. They created a brand and dealer network that really rewrote the book on what it meant to purchase, own, and live with a luxury vehicle. Hyundai hasn't done this with the Genesis, or even the Equus. Hyundai dealers on the whole are crappy, at the lower end of even a mainstream dealer. Buying a Genesis is just like buying an Accent. No special treatment...no nothing. Servicing it is just like servicing an Accent...with a loaner...maybe. They have this whole "idea" of not making an Equus customer ever touch the dealer, bringing cars out to the customer to drive and buy, picking up and dropping off for service (remember when Lexus did that?)...but if you go on the Equus owners forums you find that in practice this is just a PITA. Dealers don't stock any Equuses, people have had problems getting dealers to even take them seriously because they just so infrequently ever sell an Equus.

Then...the car. The LS400 was a GREAT car, with a brand that got people talking and quickly became "cool" to own and buck the establishment. The outgoing Genesis was a great car when compared to say an ES at that price point...but when you compared it to what it was supposed to be competing with if you believed Hyundai...it quickly fell apart (3GS, let alone 4GS, 5, E, etc).

The Equus is similar, its great if you want a flagship car and can't really or really don't want to pay for one, but when you really compare it to an LS or an A8 or a 7 or an XJ...it quickly falls apart.

I'm sure the new Genesis is much better, but again this is a fabulous class of cars that is always improving. People who are serious about a midsized luxury car aren't going to consider the Genesis, as they don't now. Its going to be a car for someone with mid-level tastes on an upper-end entry level budget...an off brand luxury car...like a Vizio TV...

larryinWA

I looked at all the typical competitors and was leaning toward lexus before the 4th Gen, because I wanted something that was going to last without significant mechanical issues. Then, when the new 350 came out, that pretty much sealed the deal. It doesn't have all the best in every department, compared to the others, but it's a competitive car in terms of it's handling, has plenty of power for me, fun to drive. Looks are fine. Comfort is good. Now if it just lasts as long as I'm hoping for, that will be great. I do my own maintenance and it's a pretty easy car to work on. Lot's of things I'd change if I were in charge of Lexus, but I'm not.

natnut

I actually like that we are having a civilized discussion with clearly stated views and no defensiveness.

GSthe4th

iTrader: (1)

The body blow sessions are nice once in a while too! I have had many laughs during my reads on this site!