mmarshall

Yes...that WOULD be original. Enough companies are designing wheels for squares.

KrazyLexus

And you sir don't need to keep bringing up my name.

LEXUS FAN!

wow...i didn't notice that

and the 2006 MB ML is eerily similar to the Sorento

flipside909

Yeah there are alot of shared styling cues all around. Mimicking/copying is the best form of flattery.

AlwaysLate

If you don't see the direct copy of the S-Class in the pictures I've posted, then you are either blinded with your own bias or just literally blind. And yes, it's been well known and said that the 2nd generation GS was a copy of the E-class. The SC had quad headlamps, but not quad round head lights like the E-class. I can't think of any other manufacturer that was using a quad round head light design during the mid-90's other than Jaguar and BMW. Even then, their quad lights were much smaller in design.

As for the ML design vs RX design, I don't think Mercedes-Benz copied Lexus. I see more of the previous M-Class headlights in the new M-class design. I don't think Mercedes-Benz, one of the most well known prestige brands in the world would copy a Lexus design, or Kia. It's like the thought of the IS copying the Sonota, it's not happening.

Gojirra99

The second generation GS's quad lamps are NOT round like the E's contrary to your bogus claims, but a direct evolution of the SC's which came out YEARS before the previous generation E class which wasn't launched until 1996. Those that claim that the GS & the E class look anything alike, much less copy of each other must be either blinded with their own bias or just literally blind. If it's well known that the GS copied the E class head lights, it must be well known only to a small group of literally blind people.

TheRupp

Yeah, the E class and the GS look NOTHING like each other.

jrock65

Everyone takes design cues from others. Yes, even Lexus (one example that many people point out is the current gen LS430 front end looking a lot like the previous gen Mercedes CL Coupe front end.)

Some do it more than others (Kia and Hyundai, their cars are getting better, but they really need to get their own common theme in their designs).

Gojirra99

Many members even in MB forums think the new S class looks like a Lexus from the front, with a Bangle butt in the rear, and the interior a direct rip-off of the 7 series . . .

chuckb

did you guys see the commercial for this Chevy Equinox where they blatently compare it's similarities with the RX330?

blaznsc4

yup hyundai definitely copyed the honda accord. i was working at the new hyundai plant for 2months as a contractor and in the testing rooms i see a toyota camry and a honda accord parked next to a hyundai sonata. i also got a sneak peak of the new santa fe. they had the new rx330 also in the testing room next to the santa fe. looks very similar.

LexFather

Its getting tiring seeing the anti-lexus remarks in thread after thread, trying to pick and take anything away from the company. Its CLAR the Hundai is a knock-off RX. How DARE some of you come on a Lexus forum and try to tell us things we are AWARE of and things just WRONG.

Dave and I are hanging at NOPI currently, guess we'll have a nice chat.

mmarshall

Good.....you are one of the people I want to ask a few questions to:

What do you think of the new Alabama plant? Do you think it can or will produce well-made cars like the recent Korean-made Sonatas? Do you think that the new workers hired there locally are up to the job and have the necessary skills? ( I assume that few if any non-managers were transferred from the Korean plant ).

I am concerned for several reasons.

First, the fact that the Korean-made Sonata, in the space of just 7-8 years, went from being one of the world's worst-made cars to one of the best....check Consumer Reports for verification of this. However, this superb accomplishment was done at a Korean plant, and now not only is the car itself a completely brand-new and untested design, but so is the factory and the workers....three possible sources for problems.
Second, I find myself recommending Hyundai and Kia products to more and more to people ( both on and off CL ) who want the most vehicle......and one of the best-backed to boot...... for the least amount of money. Most of the people I know who HAVE bought new Hyundais and Kias in the last couple of years ( even my own pastor ) have been well-pleased with them, but now we have a major question mark on whether that new-found quality will continue, at least for the Sonata. I'm not sure of Hyundai's reasoning in doing this....they had a plant that produced a quality product and one of the best bargains on the market....and now they want to swap horses in the middle of the stream, perhaps needlessly.
Third, as I have posted in other threads here at CL, the experience of other automakers opening new plants in the American South has been mixed. The Toyota plant at Georgetown, KY, the Nissan plant at Smyrna, TN, and the Saturn plant at Spring Hill, TN have had good results. The BMW plant at Spartanburg, SC, the Mercedes plant at Tuscaloosa, AL, and the Nissan plant at Canton, MS have not. So in many ways it will be hard to predict the results of this new Hyundai plant.....but you are obviously in a position to know a lot more about it than most of us.
Thanks in advance for your reply.

Mods....sorry to get a little off-topic, but this IMO is an important matter and blaznsc may be in a position to address it. Thanks.

AlwaysLate

Just curious, which Lexus? I have a feeling the MB guys are saying it looks like a Lexus from the front in the same demeanor that some people here say it looks like a Korean car.

Well some of you can agree or disagree on what I pointed out about the GS vs. E-Class. I'm not the first person to have said it. And yes, the LS copying Mercedes is as obvious as it can get, there is no denying that. One question I have though is, does the 2nd generation GS headlights look more like the 1st generation SC headlights or previous generation E-Class headlights? On that note, I won't debate this specific topic any further so it doesn't turn into an arguement.

flipside909

Well Lexus started the Electroluminescent guage display craze. Now almost every luxury manufacturer including MBZ now utilizes this type of technology on their dashboards. The new upcoming S and E classes are starting to look more Japanese-like. Perahps because Daimler Chrysler hired a former long-time Toyota designer to their team. The first project was the latest interpretation of the Viper.

Why wouldn't MBZ copy the leader in the luxury SUV segment? The ML series sells well, but not quite as well as the RX. If it wasn't for Lexus, you wouldn't see an ML or X series from Deutschland. They were smart and jumped on the hot SUV market bandwagon.