The point I was making, though, is that sometimes freshness works, and sometimes it doesn't (or is not needed). Pbm317, for example, made a good point about what happened with the 3GenIS....I concur.

 

Lexus sales in general had dropped in the period between 2009 to 2011. The unintended acceleration controversy (which proved to be baseless) that hit Lexus/Toyota during this period when the company was recovering from the global recession....and later the Japanese tsunami of 2011 that severely disrupted the supply-chain...have more to do with the lost market share than any design change on any of their cars. Mercedes Benz wasn't affected by the Japanese tsunami, was it? That's the reason why Lexus is no. 2 or no. 3 in US luxury brand sales YTD when it used to be no. 1 for 10 straight years. Only recently has sales momentum recovered. In fact, the IS had strong sales in 2014 (51K) which is almost back to its previous peak of 54K in 2006, but the anticipated arrival of the 200T turbo engine to replace the IS 250 is putting a lid on a total comeback for 2015. Also, the NX may be cannibalizing the IS sales to some degree. The IS and NX share similar buyer demographics, after all.

 

not sure who you're referring to, but seems everyone here, whether they like the rx or not, has no doubt that it will continue to sell well!!!

 

Yep. Controversial looks or not, one thing that the new RX will have going for it (and has had for years) is the continuing wave-effect of great popularity. Like with the Camry and Accord, many will buy the latest RX simply because they have had one or more of them in the past, and liked them.

The NX, of course, has taken some of the lower-end of the former RX market (which was more or less expected), But, given the promise of the new RX having better ride comfort, interior laterals, and refinement than the NX (I haven't sampled the new RX yet myself, but will take the word of reviewers who have), it should still retain a good share of its former popularity.

 

 

For the record I never cared for any of the old RX designs but love the design of the new RX, especially the non-F-Sport version with triple-L LEDs. The design gives the RX a much needed presence and character. The only exterior element that I think can be improved is the floating roof, which I think flows much better on the Murano (and the LF-LC, which started it).

 

Never cared for the design of the outgoing model either. While I found the design inoffensive, I also never found them appealing. On the other hand, I do like the design of the new RX very much, especially because it doesn't have the two piece headlights. That being said, I agree with mmarshal to the extent that I don't believe the design will have an impact on sales. The success of the new RX is going to be based on other factors just as much, if not more, than its exterior design. As long as the new RX continues to perform well or improve upon the strengths of the outgoing model, which according to reviews it does, its success is a foregone conclusion.

 

I think slab sides are the worst part of any lexus.

the contours and indentations put some spice into the design and help to make the vehicle look less tall.

 

It might have an effect on MY sale, as that kind of styling is just not my cup of tea. Enough other people, though, will probably scoop them up, simply from satisfaction from prior ownership, that those like me who don't care for its exterior looks probably won't make much difference. Of course, I also look at a vehicle under the skin, and if I think it is a competent enough design underneath, I'll forgive what I would normally consider quirky or controversial looks. The Nissan Juke, for instance, is just about as controversial an exterior as you can get nowadays, but when I test-drove one, I didn't think it actually drove badly at all for an entry-level, subcompact SUV.

 

No, honestly, I'm not too sure about that, Bit. I think sales will be affected. It's just too polarizing.

Women who typically purchase these RXs will float over to BMWs and Mercedes SUVs, and lord knows they will have several models to choose from in all sizes.

I think Lexus rolled the dice on this aggressive styling, and women may abandon the RX until the exterior design is addressed. It almost looks too "butch", yet I don't see a whole lot of men rushing to buy this either.

The NX will be volume leader for Lexus. I think the RX will struggle.

Refresh already needed, IMO.

 

I agree with you on the styling controversy, Kevin, but you would be surprised at the number of people who buy simply because of a badge, model-name, or satisfaction with the previous version. They could style a Camry or Accord, for example, to look like a golf cart, and they would continue sell simply because of the Camry and Accord names.

However, that's not always the case. One of the VERY few times I ever saw an exception to that rule (I don't know if you remember it or not) was in the mid-1990s, about 20 years ago, when Ford/Mercury radically restyled the Taurus/Sable to give them a controversial all-oval theme inside and out. Before the restyling, the Taurus had been in a three-way battle each year with the Camry and Accord for best-selling passenger car in the American market. After the restyling, sales plummeted, and never returned to their former levels. Today, Ford's Fusion has pretty much taken over the role that the Taurus once held.

 

Sales will be fine.

Seriously, I've been around a long time. EVERY time a new generation of a model comes out we hear this "My God, its hideous, I can't believe that they did this the new model is going to fail horribly" and it never does. In fact...it sells better than the old model. Same will be true here too.

 

It does, but only on rare occasions. One of those rare occasions, as I replied to Kevin, was the '95 Taurus/Sable. And, even then, it didn't necessarily fail "horribly"...it just lost first place in sales and lagged somewhat. But, unlike the Taurus, the RX has clearly been in first-place in that category for years, and did not have to share it with two other competitors like the Taurus did back then with the Camry and Accord.

Though I agree that sales will be fine in the short run, one thing, though, that the RX eventually might have to be concerned about, down the road, is the Jeep Grand Cherokee. You yourself know what a nice vehicle it now is, and, even though reliability is not in the RX's league, its road manners are good enough that it may encroach on some RX sales.

 

Surely some sales will be lost due to the new design, question is whether those lost sales will be greater than sales gained due to the new design. Time will tell.

 

some people in this thread think it will go down, even on this page... Of course, from my personal view, where RX was previously undesirable and now is very desirable, i cant understand it.