comparing to MB and BMW, Lexus only has a very short history....when we were very young, we were told that MB is the most prestige car only second to Rolls Royce

 

yeah lexus is smooth and quiet, but we are talking about brand image, they build excellent cars but their image is nowhere near bmw and mb

 

b1g, I think Lexus needs to start mentioning engineering and performance issues more in their ads because performance-oriented buyers are focused on that. When I hear BMW ads here there is mention of engineering in some context that at least puts that into the listeners mind. FWIW, when I recall Lexus ads I don't recall mention of engineering, but I might have missed it.

 

I think the only reason lexus is behind MB and BMW is because it still doesnt have enough history behind it, I mean merc and bmw have been in the luxury car game for over 50 years where as lexus is still fairly new to this, in a few years I believe if the quality and standerds of lexus stay the same or surpass what they are now, it will be equal to the german compotition. The cars that realy made mercedes and bmw were the early 90's S and 7 series and I believe the LS430 right now is doing that for lexus, and Im pretty sure the new long version thats comming out is going to be exceptional, but Lexus needs a V12 flagship to compete with the 600 and the 760 because those are considerd to be the top dog of luxury why buy a V8 if you can afford a V12 and maseratti caught on quick

 

Despite a lot of performance-oriented tests in auto mags and popularity in forums like these, this group is actually not a major part of the auto-buying public and does not account for a very large proportion of sales. Even among M-B, BMW, Cadillac, and Audi buyers, the M, AMG, V, and S models are not large sellers.....neither are Acura A-Specs. Lexus knows where its market is, and has ( correctly ) resisted the temptation to produce 500 HP factory hot-rods that would look good on paper but not sell very well.
As it is, Lexus WILL be upping the HP and torque figures to some extent on some of its products in the next few years anyway.

 

Let me also say something. This is how I think about the luxury and ultra-luxury brands in the modern U.S. auto market. I would say the top two are Maybach and Rolls-Royce, then followed by Mercedes-Benz. Below MB are Lexus and BMW. Lexus and BMW are actually in the same level, where Lexus aims at comfort and quietness when BMW aims at good handling and sporty image. Under them, are the Acura, Audi, Infiniti, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Volvo. These six brands are about the same, they all have their own strongs and weaks. I don't consider Saab as a luxury car company because it doesn't have enough different models and its strategy of using inline-4 with turbocharger doesn't imply a high-tech feeling. But all these situations are only so in the North American market. Since Lexus hasn't created a successful image in many other parts of the world, unlike Mercedes-Benz and BMW. But I deeply believe that Lexus would become the most famous international luxury car brand in soon future, as long as they keep producing excellent cars like they are doing now, and they need to keep emthacizing on what they are good at - making extremely high quality, reliable, super comfortable and luxurious and yet good looking vehicles, instead of trying to cover the high-performance area also.

 

Interesting thread. I think the biggest problem image-wise for Lexus is that it just hasn't been around very long and most of the target buyers (i.e., middle aged with money) have Mercedes and BMW etched into their brains from birth. Mercedes history is just amazing.

Lexus takes a long term view and is slowly building its product line. I for one would love to see what Toyota/Lexus could do in building a $100K car and I think they need it to boost their image. I personally think the most critical single function they need to work on is a real active suspension. With all their resources and talent they should be able to come up with a system that surpasses Mercedes and BMW and offers a VERY comfortable AND very capable ride. The two aren't mutually exclusive when you use hydraulics, electronics, etc. instead of simple springs and shocks and bars. An active suspension isn't only for handling freaks, it actually can produce a more comfortable ride in ALL situations by lessening body roll even in gentle cornering for example which is better than having the car lean over.