Looks like the ‘24 was announced in August of ‘23, so when would one expect a ‘25 Inspiration Series to be announced given that even the production of the ‘25 wasn’t announced until so late?

 

I feel like I've read previously it's been as late as March. It would not surprise me if they skip this model year and save it for the final production year whatever that ends up being, especially if there is potential that we are nearing the end of the LC with the LFR on the horizon.

The US market did not get a 2023 inspiration series at all either.

 

I think I remember hearing March, as well, which is why I asked. I’m getting jittery, because I want one. Any color with gloss paint and that wing. I hope that they don’t wait another year, and it’s always possible that ‘25 actually is the final year. It was absurdly late before they even announced the renewal, forget about put them into production. Tick tock, I guess.

 

I talked to a salesman yesterday and he said they won't be making an inspiration series this year and this is the final year of production. Personally I don't think he had real verifiable knowledge. Generally sales people don't have an inside scoop. He said that 2 flagship cars will be coming out in the next 2 years. An all electric and a 700+ hp $200k car.

 

He very much COULD be 100% spot on, and there’s even a good chance of that, but I agree that he has no inside information as to what Lexus is planning to do. Everything about the marketing of this car, as it seems like they just don’t want to sell them, has been off. They’re not using any of the normal ways to drum up interest and demand, as they don’t seem to care about demand at all.

 

There’s not much demand. That’s the issue. And they know it.
New LC are advertised at 5-8k off sticker price. And probably can negotiate more.
Even the darling of inspiration series 2021 convertible are not fetching much more than regular trim.
BAT listing struggles to bring higher bidder on any LC500.

 

I agree but also disagree. There’s not much demand. I get it. The car is in a very small niche, one where I don’t know if there are any competitors, where it’s BETWEEN a sports car and a grand tourer. I don’t think you can say that it’s either. That limits demand. But, Lexus does an atrocious job as a company of creating demand. How much marketing have you seen? How informed are dealers who can sell one to a 911 owner who has an LS? (Not to stereotype, but I will and say that such owners aren’t pushing their 911s as instructors on track day. Some are old ladies who never hit 70mph. An LC is simply a better choice for them.) Dealers don’t even know how to order these cars. At the same time, every automotive journalist just raves about this car.

I used to be a really big car guy who washed cars in the snow for $5/hour in high school to be around luxury cars, and still know about any models of interest, but life moves on and there are only so many hours in the day. (And, Top Gear got cancelled.) I was looking for something new when I shuffled my stable of cars after my driving needs took a sudden change, and I had a hole that I was having trouble filling. My friend, who watches more car YouTube than a man in his position should, suggested an LC. “What’s that”, I asked him. I’ve been driving German cars (with the unfortunate detour with some Brits here and there) since my late teens, but the fact that this car was nowhere on my radar is a Lexus Corporate problem. This is far worse than when I walked into the BMW dealership for an E36 M3 in the ‘90s, after some blank stares at reception they sent me to their “M guy”, he said “I’m getting two in, next month, if you want to check back” and when they came they were in the back of the lot for guys like me who specifically asked. You didn’t get upsold into an M3 from a 325is, it was a limited edition that people went looking for, but car people knew about them. Don’t get me started on how BMW, Merc, and Audi have destroyed the M, AMG, and S brands’ purpose by putting the badge on every car that they make, now. Anyway, they could probably double their LC sales if they wanted to. Maybe the financial folks have told them that they don’t want to.

 

How much marketing you want them to do? Lexus spent plenty of marketing materials when it first came out and again in 2021 when the convertible came out. Every new model year, they sent plenty to journalist and youtubers. Every LC that shows up at dealership is on their showroom floor. You think that's not marketing? And how about appearing in a Marvel movie that, at the time, was the biggest box office movie.
The LC had plenty of opportunity to create demand. The truth is, it couldn't despite all the high praises.
A couple of forum posts about not able to find the LC500 and not able to order one is not going to matter and not an indication of a high demand car at all.
How can they double their sales if they can't even sell the one they got? You really want your LC to be 15% discount from MSRP? A 2023 convertible(Infrared, one of the most popular color) sat at my dealer for over 16 months before it went somewhere.
I'm okay with Lexus if they just silently kill the LC and does nothing else. I already have one.

 

It would have marketed itself if they produced it with 500+ horse and got it under 4s 0-60. I really think this is where they fell flat in terms of underestimating how much weight buyers put into raw numbers out there from competitors at the same price point, and then it didn't sell the way they wanted it to against their main demo on top of that.