The only es made in Japan for the north American market is the 300h correct? I see no es350 Ultra luxury's with a Japanese Vin online.

It's been mentioned that they switch production to Japan depending on demand. But I don't think this is the case with this generation.

 

Just saw a F sport with JTH vin today at the dealer.

 

When I bought my 2019 ES 350 UL in December, there was another ES 350 on the lot that was built in Japan with a "J" VIN... I was surprised and asked the salesman about it and he stated that some ES 350's - in addition to the hybrids - still come from Japan... That was 4 months ago so don't know about currently.

 

It sounds like the situation is much the same as it had been with the Generation 6 ES ever since the Kentucky plant started building the ES350 in 2016. Most ES350 will come from the US plant, but, when the US plant is not set up to build certain configurations, the dealers will get their supply of those configurations from Japan.

 

Sounds like I'll be pulling my hair out when I buy an es in a few years.

 

Why?

I had a 2013 ES that was built in Japan. The fits and finishes, both interior and exterior, were okay, but they weren't great. The alignment of exterior panels was, again, okay, but it was far from perfect. Similarly, the alignment of interior panels was not close to being perfect, and there were a couple of flaws with the interior panel materials. My 2017 ES was built in Kentucky. The fits and finishes on the 2017 ES, both interior and exterior, are pretty close to perfect, and they are far superior to those in the Japan-built 2013 ES. As far as mechanical issues are concerned, I had none with the 2013, and I've had none with the 2017.

While I know that my sample size is small, from my experience with a Japan-built Generation 6 ES and a US-built Generation 6 ES, I would have no concerns at all about buying another vehicle built in the Kentucky factory.

 

I just feel that if you're buying Japanese, it should be built in Japan. The Japanese workers have higher standard for perfection and are meticulous with their work.

An extreme example of this, is when the prius gas pedal /floor mat issue came to light. Multiple workers committed suicide due to this mistake. I don't condone this behavior or action. But I couldn't see an American auto worker giving up everything due to their flaw.

 

On the Generation 6 ES forum, there have been remarkably few posts with people complaining about issues with their cars during the 2016-2018 period when the ES350 was being built in the US. Further, the frequency of complaints about problems with the 2016-2018 ES seems to have been no greater than it was for the 2013-2015 time period, when the ES350 was being built entirely in Japan. And the very small number of issues is especially remarkable when you consider that the ES has, depending on the year, been the 2nd highest or 3rd highest selling Lexus vehicle. Still, the frequency of complaints may well be smaller than that for other Lexus models, including those with much lower sales number.

Further, at this point, there should be somewhere close to 20,000 2019 ES that have been sold and that are on the road in the US. Yet, the number of people complaining about problems with those cars has also been relatively low. There is a long thread here from people who are not happy with the ML sound system, but their complaints seem to be more related to the design of the system, and they have nothing to do with how or where the car was built. There is also another thread with a number of people who have complained about a wind noise from the driver's side window/door at speeds of 50 mph and above. But it would appear that it is likely that the cause of that problem is with the door seal, and that part could have been manufactured anywhere else in the world, and it has nothing to do with how the car was built in Kentucky.

Other than those two issues, the only complaints about the 2019 ES350 seem like very isolated issues, and they are quite small in numbers.

There probably was a time when the Japanese work ethic led to the building of higher quality cars than those built in the US. That was likely true in the 1980s, but the auto industry in the US (both foreign and domestic) has responded well to quality control concerns, and many manufacturers have proved that they can build high quality vehicles in the US. The belief that Lexus can't/doesn't build cars in the US as well as those built in Japan is, I think, a closed-minded generalization that simply is no longer the case.

 

Just an FYI - these are the auto manufacturers building cars in America. Not a complete list. Benz, Toyota Avalon, Highlander, Lexus, Honda, BMW, VW, Nissan. Numerous others are built in Canada including Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Cadillac, and a Buick made in Germany... Auto plants are worldwide and I can say that my 2019 ES is truly beautiful and literally flawless. And I'm happy that an American is building it...

 

I used to feel the same way as the OP. I have changed my ways after researching Mexican built Audi Q5's and South Carolina built BMW X3's. As long as it's not a GM product. you shouldn't be worried about where it's built.

 

Very true. Human error is down to a minimum, no matter where its produced. As long as the parts are the same quality.

It'll be es 350 ultra luxury or es300h ultra luxury in my future.

 

Like you, I'd prefer a Japan built car but in the end, I doubt it matters really.

 

My '14 ES350 imported by Lexus Canada is a Japan build (JTH...). Does that really matter? Probably not. What does matter is that, with the exception of the driver's seat, the previous owner (lessee) took immaculate care of it before the lease expired at around 56 months.