Lexus Won't Offer a Sub-$30,000 Vehicle
 

Lexus Won't Offer a Sub-$30,000 Vehicle

Lexus sees no point in selling itself short by offering a vehicle under thirty grand, but will this measure help or hurt the brand?

By Sarah Portia - July 10, 2018

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IMO, what Lexus needs are sub-30K vehicles that are better and more Lexus-like than their last entry-level attempts....the CT and HS

I can't get over how ugly and cheap the plastic side cladding makes the UX look. Even Lexus' true off-roading vehicles, the LX and the GX, don't have any of these, and the UX is a tiny CUV that will barely ever see a day in the mud. Stopping pretending the UX is something it clearly isn't.

They are a luxury brand. Why sell a vehicle in non-luxury territory? The sub-$30k range is not a luxury price range.

Doing it right means offering a sub-30K car without cutting corners. ;) Of course, money does not grow on trees...the lower the price, the more money the company has to save on the vehicle's design and production. But one place they could start, IMO, is to stop offering a million different electronic features and controls on each car, and simply concentrate on traditional luxury-class sound insulation and comfort.

An almost perfect example of a well-done vehicle in this class was, IMO, the Buick Verano....starting in the low-to-mid 20s and offering luxury-car quiet almost unheard of in that class. It also had good solid, Opel-derived materials. It was let down only by the firm 45-series tires that, IMO, should have been 55s or 60s for optimum ride comfort. I had a Verano I paid only 25K for...I loved it so much i kept it for some five years.

Wow what a remarkably ugly vehicle.

Still not as bad as the RX or NX, but yack.

Its fine if they don't offer sub $30k brand new vehicles - i personally have found real value in buying the brand a few years old for around that price. A few years back, I got my three year old '11 IS350 with 40k miles for $27K and my current 4GS with 43k miles for $32k (was also 3yrs old at the time).

You can always get into a more upmarket $$$ Lexus for $30k after a couple years.

Pretty sure that's what my quote touched on

Small vehicles are often not profitable. American companies and others have struggled with that for years. Part why Ford and GM are pulling several sedans, and FCA is axing Chrysler 200 / Dodge Dart. The money is in the trucks, SUVs, and CUVs.

Most of these electronics are built into the head-unit, optional, standard, or expected. Things like Pre-Collision system, Bluetooth Audio, CarPlay to name a few are becoming or have become mainstream. A 'Luxury' car should have a load electronic features AND offer better sound insulation and comfort than mainstream makes. The Lexus CT, the Mercedes CLA, could be so much more if not built or limited to a certain price.

Sure it's a decent little car, but it is a Buick. That is not a Luxury car. It rides that fine line between upscale and premium. These Luxury makes need not dilute their brands with vehicles that could be pass for mainstream. Lexus has spent 30 years trying enhance their image and join the big boys in justifying opulent six figure cars. You don't need to cater to below $30,000. The parent company Toyota is there for that. BMW same thing, you have Mini. Audi, VW. Mercedes, Smart etc.. Seeing models like the 3-Series be milked more and more in the de-contented 320i is frustrating. Solely for the purpose of having a badge. I imagine M3, 340i, and even 330i drivers find it just as annoying when a 320i pulls up with M accessories all over thinking they're God's gift to the road and they punch it at a light.

^ the CT when launched for MY11 started at $29,995 or something like that. But a few years into it, the most basic grew to $30-31K. Mercedes CLA touted a sub $30K price when it launched, now starts at $32,700. With added infotainment and safety tech and inflation in general every year, I don't see any of the big Luxury makes making sub $30K cars. IMO

If you want a sub $30,000 car. Let me introduce you, Toyota. I like the branding strategy as it provides a strength in its image that signals no compromise. Keep in mind, MB, BMW, Audi do not have economical brands... hence why, to capture the market, they have to consider pricing strategy against all brands. Whereas, Toyota has a luxury line called Lexus. It is branded as a LUXURY brand and should maintain its image accordingly. I like this move. Way to go, Lexus.

:uh:

MB - Smart
BMW - Mini
Audi - VW

How are those not economical brands??

Does Smart have the line-up of cars that offer anything nearly as identical as its parent brand? Mini? I'll give it to you on the oversight of VW brand (my bad). Nonetheless, people who find Lexus too expensive might explore the option of a Toyota, same, I doubt, can be said about people who find MB too expensive and looking at Smart as their cheaper option.