Lexus Goes After Tesla Owners in Full Bore Effort
By Brett Foote

Lexus is gearing up to chip away at Tesla's dominance of the electric vehicle market in a number of ways.

 

Lexus and Tesla buyers are polar opposites lol so good luck with that.

Lexus should go back to 1989 and focus on their core principles that drove their success and not worry about Tesla or other brands who know their identity. Lexus is not sure who they are or where they want to go. Hence your stuck with old / inferior products and negative market penetration.

 

Problem with that comparison is that what was asked of cars in 1989 was completely different than what is asked of cars today.

 

Lexus made the best car in the world at the time they need to do the same again this time as a BEV. It is not encouraging when we keep seeing the same renders of a car that will never be made. Is Lexus completely asleep at the switch?

 

Lexus is betting on Fuel Cells vs BEV. This concept is just for fun and won't see the light of day but at least the Mirai is real and they are putting in effort where they believe the future will be. I can respect Lexus for that at least and hope they bring the Mirai II to market soon.

 

Let's forget the BEV aspect for a while. It's hard to admit, but the truth is that the LS 400 was a one-hit wonder for Lexus. Nothing they have made came close to the impact of that vehicle, which was designed in Japan's bubble period over the course of a decade and with an almost unlimited budget. Even when Lexus exerted the same amount of time, effort, and cash into the LFA, it failed to make an impact. The peak of Lexus's current ability is already represented by the current LS and LC. And as sales and online criticism has shown, it just isn't enough to be competitive.

To ask them to become experts overnight in a field they have no experience in like BEVs is simply asking for too much. For goodness sakes, they don't even use lithium ion batteries in their hybrids.

 

I was referring to their philosophy and purpose as an automaker which was LUXURY experience and pursuit of perfection- quality, reliability, smoothness, performance etc.

Now they are all over the place with no
clear vision.

Tesla is laser focused on who they are.
Same with Porsche.
MB has really got its act together since early 2000s when Lexus had truly better cars.

 

The Mirai is a spectacular failure in every respect. It's slow, expensive, a sales dud, only available in selected markets and there is almost no supporting infrastructure. Will that change? I have my doubts but either way talking about the future doesn't help Toyota or Lexus compete.
When you make a BEV, FCEV, hybrid, gas vehicle at the same time it is impossible to be master of all. That's the problem I see with Toyota they can't make up their mind what they want to be. If the FCEV is so great then make only that, nothing else.

 

the 'full bore effort' appears to just consist of advertising with winning lines like: "you've had your fun, now it's time for zero compromise."

really? a hybrid or hydrogen car has no compromises? mmkay.

 

Lexus can't chip away at Tesla when Tesla is getting further and further away. Their quality is not at the level of Lexus yet, but the vehicles are eons better and way more fun to drive.