Evitzee

Have you seen the new Lexus commercial with Elvis Costello sitting in the back seet of, I assume, a LS460 listening to Beethoven's Fifty Symphony? There are no other shots other than him while he describes the experience. At the end of the commercial the screen shows the name 'Mark Levinson'. It is an obvious advertisement for the stand alone ML option. Yet it seems ML is an almost unobtainable item on the IS in any dealers stock, and not always seen on the GS or LS lines either. Not sure on the LS. Why does a company advertise a product so that when a potential client drops into the Lexus dealer to see it he is told 'it is not available'? It seems like dumb-*** marketing. If they are going to start advertising it they better be ready to start outfitting dealer ordered stock with the item. But they probably won't. Odd.

Old Oiler

Evitzee,

I agree with you! With so many people wanting the ML, you'd think that Lexus would pretty much have it in most of the cars they ordered. I find it hard to believe at this point that there is a shortage of the systems.

Poor planning if that's the case.

Cheers,
Old Oiler

RXSF

well...i dont think there is a shortage for the LS or the GS. However, the IS is aimed at younger buyers, who probably wouldnt shell out an extra 2grand for the sound system. such a small car doesnt need such a good sound system, especially for regular joes who cant tell the difference.

Mike V

The actual system is less than 1K. You don't have to get the NAV.

duckduck

Well, that's why you see Elvis Costello sitting in an LS and not an IS. The LS and GS have bigger cabins that really benefit a lot more with upgraded sound systems. Not saying that the ML on the IS is bad, but it's small and thus there are limitations (placement of speakers, small cabins, etc).

I'm sure if you look for an LS, you'll see ML a standard option (like 18" wheels for the IS. It's an "option", but all cars have it).

ben_r_

Man I REALLY wanted it for mine! Was pissed when the dealer told me they didnt come with it. I knew they didnt but I also knew that if they were telling me that, that meant that the ML models were so rare I would have to special order.

r1lee

I'm assuming the LS460 appeals more to an older crowd. Majority of these people who are buying the LS do not care about $$, they just want everything to match properly. These people also probably have nice homes with nice Home Theatre's. Mark Levinson appeals to these people since they are probably one of the top Brands in that market.

The IS on the other hand appeals to the younger audience. People which are probably more likely to rip apart their systems and redo the whole audio system (not always the case, but of course more then the LS crowd). Also Mark Levinson is mainly a home audio company, not car audio. So most likely the younger crowd might not be interested in the ML name (this is an assumption) as per Lexus.

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

I don't think it's a lack of the ML, it's the dealers not ordering cars equipped with the ML. Here in NY you will never find a ES 350, RX 330\350, or IS 250\350 with the ML unless you order it. Yet if I build a Lexus online in one of the Cali zip codes you can select the ML.