Edit - Sorry this is a repost . The other thread has a link to the mini site - I posted all the videos individually here.

First video is a commercial - the rest are informational videos I believe. Watch them all, all I can say is.... they are amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJTYPq0gNCo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4yXOHQVBiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50j7SFS-mj4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTG5-S53mKc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aete8xhEeyw

I LOVE the last video ... and LOVE the new direction Lexus is going with their advertising!!! Finally they got rid of the red bows and clasical music ... they finally are showcasing their NEW TECHNOLOGY and INVENTIONS! This is the type of marketing they need to get people excited about lexus!!

 

Those ads are fantastic, the last one is just magnificent!

 

Don't think there was a need for this.

 

I am still waiting for a bio-diesel hybrid. The LFA commercial is more like a middle finger to everyone

 

The entire world doesn't know what frequent ClubLexus members know.

That is why advertising exists.

 

Great videos. I see a billboard everyday driving to work, but I didn't get a chance to see what it was all about until now. I like the way they are doing things! Not an ad to sell cars, per se, but an ad that brings more awareness and attention to the brand itself.

 

Lexus is definitely amazing at what they do. They move the industry forward which is great for everyone...

 

awesome stuff!!!! bout time!

 

This comment is so off base that it's almost funny. By the same logic, should Buick feel "slapped" that Toyota and Ford outsell them? Buick doesn't sell $50K - $445K cars so their sales numbers aren't any more relevant to Lexus than Kia, Scion, or Dodge.

No big deal....just ignore the car that Top Gear called "an engineer's wet dream" (LFA)...how does that not count? I love how people bash Lexus for not being sporty and innovative but then say, "Well, except for the LFA." The LFA is the culmination of 10 years of R&D and will have long standing effects on the rest of the line, not to mention that BMW and Mercedes have not built a car that comes remotely close in an engineering sense. In fact, the only other manufacturer in recent memory that built something equally as impressive was Jag with the XJ220. Merc had McLaren's help with the SLR, Lamborghini had a heavy hand with the R8, and BMW doesn't have anything in the segment.

For what it's worth, Lexus' sedan lineup is now quite old so the lack of technology and innovation there is simply part of the life cycle.

 

What you are saying doesn't really make sense. Lexus has 5 models in the $30,000 - $45,000 segment, where Buick's entire lineup is spread, and several others that are $45,000+...a segment where Buick does not compete at all. I'm not going to argue with you that Buick is a direct competitor to Lexus when companies like Hyundai and Toyota sell more expensive, more luxurious, more advanced cars than they do and aren't considered as much. Buick is Tier 3, Tier 2 at best right now.

Also, if Buick's recent products are considered "amazing," then I am a little concerned...

Certain Buick products are certainly relevant - LaCrosse, Enclave, Regal are all compelling choices that compete directly with certain Lexus models. There is a significant difference between models that are in competition with eachother (LaCrosse vs. ES350) and claiming that entire bands are on the same playing field (Buick vs. Lexus). Lexus has several products in the $50k+ segment and Buick has none...that alone is a serious contributing factor.

 

So does Audi (tons of FWD A3/A4/Q5 in the 28k-45k range) so not sure what the point is exactly? One month does not make a trend.

I take full credit for putting Buick in the luxury sales chart race. No one else wanted to give them credit. I did and people followed suit. They still offer no V-8, no RWD car, and are an Acura type brand. The Verano coming will be a car in the low 20k range. I tire of these psuedo luxury brands being compared to Lexus based that they sell cars in the same price range. Where is Buick's IS, GS, LS, GX, LX, LFA competitors?

Buick isn't relevant to Lexus outside of the ES/RX and both continue to sell well and I seriously doubt many people cross hop the two brands. Lexus is a full blown luxury brand on par with the Germans. Buick is on par with Acura. End of story

Funny how my giving Buick credit now has people taking jabs at Lexus. Buick couldn't begin to produce any ad like this, they offer minimal technology.

That is what the thread is about, Lexus engineering. We should give them praise and credit, not sure why BUick is even being discussed.

Maybe Lexus should have copied Chrysler's ad like Audi did

 

While I see your point and somewhat agree, the development process for these two cars was very different. Lamborghini has an obvious history of building high performance cars so when plans emerged for the R8, it was an easy fix to raid the Lambo parts bin for the V10 engine and other big ticket items. VWAG smartly built in some production efficiencies between the Gallardo and R8 but the base engine came from the old RS4 and the upper level engine came directly from Lambo. They're both wonderful powerplants and it's great that Audi was able to cherry pick from such an elite set of hardware, but it's just not the same as what was done with the LFA.

Toyota never had any corporate parts bin to draw from so everything from the engine to the transmission to the carbon fiber weaving process were all created from scratch, in house, specifically for the LFA, and had to be tested and refined over the 10 year development process.

Not denying that the XJ220 wasn't a let down, but my point was that like Lexus and unline the aformentioned brands, Jag built, designed and engineered the car themselves.

Ageed.

I do see your point and I guess part of it boils down to your personal definition of supercar. I don't think that special editions of the CLK, SLK or SL qualify as supercars...they're supremely modded versions of fairly standard luxury cars, some costing as little as $40,000. The performance is obviously there, but there is a whole other level of "exotic" required to be something like an LFA or Gallardo, even if an SL Black Series could spank them around a track.

Agreed. That said, the Germans are far less humble than the Japanese so in a way, it's surprising to see that Lexus has come out and said, "Look what I can do!" before a company like BMW did. I still give major props to Merc and Audi for the SLS and R8 (granted, I hate the SLS but love the R8)...just pointing out some differences.

Very good point and I don't disagree at all.

Consider that it wasn't very long ago that BMW and Mercedes were teetering between red and black ink on a very regular basis when it came time to earnings and profits. The upper brass in both companies literally said, "We need to make more cars with the same hardware," and then the CLS, GLK, GL, E Coupe, 5 GT, X1, 1 series, etc were all born. Further, we hear more about the CLC, GLC, 3GT, etc so BMW and Mercedes have done a good job of spreading out costs across more vehicles, most of which have all been pretty successful, and they will continue to do so.

Lexus and Audi are significantly more profitable because of their architecture and ability to share costs with larger/parent companies. In Lexus' case, two of their core products, RX and ES, are based on Camry architecture and hardware. HS and CT share lots of parts and components with Auris, Prius, etc. This is good for the bottom line and IMO, not so good for the product. Why? For BMW or Mercedes, they are concerned with spreading costs across their lineups. For Lexus (and, Audi) it's about spreading costs into larger parent companies who might loop those expenses into a huge pool...for example, Toyota's Camry platform and hardware, or for Audi, the B-whatever platform that underpins the A4, A6 and A8.

For example, for BMW, everything from the X1 to the 7 series have an 8 speed automatic available because that is how the company spreads costs out over the lineup...one or two engine blocks and trannys for every vehicle. This more or less has to be the standard for the 7 series but to share costs at the front end, it's designed and engineered so that even base products like the X1 or 1 series can utilize the same parts. In a way, you have bottom end products being built to somewhat flagship standards if you're looking at the hardware.


Lexus' production scales for powertrains and hardware are all over the map.

- GS and IS share a platform and many common parts (and LS to a lesser extent)
- ISF and LS share engines and trannys
- ES and RX share heavily with Camry, Sienna, Highlander, etc.,
- GX with 4Runner, LC Prado, Tacoma,
- LX with Land Cruiser and to a lesser extent, Tundra and Sequoia
- CT with Auris and Prius, etc.

In Lexus' case, it makes sense for the GX and LX because Toyota builds such great BOF SUVs to begin with, but they are also somewhat niche products with a pretty dedicated buyer base. For sedans and crossovers, it's less of a winning game because you're trying to sell what started life as a $19,000 Toyota Camry as a $40,000 luxury SUV or sedan. Whereas the X3 has a nice 300hp TT V6 with an 8AT, the RX will continue using Camry hardware for the forseeable future which means the same 2GR-FE engine and 6AT as a Camry LE V6.

Audi is much the same but has he ability to draw richer resources because Lamborghini and Porsche are in house.

There's a definite trade off between profitability and economies of scope or scale and BMW/Merc do it very differently from Audi/Lexus. For the sake of products, I think you could make the case that at the bottom end, they do it better than Audi and Lexus but I'm not so sure for the sake of profitability. Top end, where Lexus invests a significant amount into products like the ISF and LS, their engineering ability shines through.

I think Lexus is at a crossroads where the competition has surpassed them in several instances and much of it is technological. IMO, there will come a time in the not too distant future for products like the RX, which is the core of Lexus, that Toyota underpinnings and hardware will not be sustainable for much longer. Think about it - we're due for a new RX in 3 years and if it doesn't come packing ~320hp and an 8AT, the competition will be standing by and laughing. Can we expect those things from the Camry which is set to debut next quarter? I don't think so.

How Lexus decides to cope with these challenges remains to be seen, but there will be several new products in the next few months and years, and I think we will start to see and understand more more of their strategy in that time.

 

^ I heard sometime a back that the RX and ES would eventually share a new platform unique to them and no longer with the Camry... any truth or even possibility of this?

If any vehicle in the lineup that would make economic sense is here. The ES and RX are Lexus' best selling vehicles.

The IS and GS do also share platforms with the Japanese Mark X and Crown (awesome vehicles in their own right and actually in a similar price bracket despite the Toyota branding). IIRC the SC also shares it's platform with the gen2 GS.

 

You are implying that Lexus cannot implement those things if the continue using the Camry platform. That is simply not true. They are not even bound to use the same powertrain, I'm pretty sure **if** they wanted to, the could more than well use the IS's more powerful DI V6 (same engine different head) just for starters. The fact is, Lexus know their customers and are quite adept at keeping them happy. The RX still far outsells the competition, no matter how many dodads they come up with, because they know their market. The biggest disadvantage that the Camry platform brings is that it provides naysayers with the ammunition to say "it's a camry in a tux", yet the RX still out sells, out fuel misers, out coddles and will probably outlast any of them with better reliability and id quite competent at driving anywhere and in any condition any of it's direct competition can.

Not to say Lexus should be complacent... but IMO the platform doesn't hold them back one bit from an engineering point of view. It's not as if RX buyers were hoping to get an M3 on stilts.

 

Hybrid technology is a lot bigger feat than adding turbos and then having catastrophic fuel pump failures.

RX sells well because it is good car, period. BMW now shares engines with PSA and MB shares engines with Renaults, both low cost brands.

Engine sharing is not going anywhere.