Gojirra99

So I guess exotic cars can't be marketed towards woman as well I guess, they NEED to be EXCLUSEVELY for man if they are to be established. I would say if Lexus want to continue building high end exotic cars like the LFA, which we don't even know whether they are interested in, it's the engineering and driving dynamics that they should work on, those are the attributes that real enthusiasts can appreciate. If it drives like a proper supercar should, people will come, whether they are taking significant sales from other exotic brands or not.
But we are assuming a lot that they will even have another exotic car at this price range or lower coming out in the forseeable future. All I hope is they will use their experience in making the car filter down to making more sporty models in their normal price range(under $150K), that's really their bread and butter.

05RollaXRS

Agreed. That is an incredibly sexist view that if a supercar is driven by a woman, it "chickifies the car". What is bad about that??

I only have issues with Paris Hilton not having the "aptitude" to drive the Lexus LFA like it was intended to be driven, but I have no issues whatsoever with women driving exotic cars just Like I said before much like, Justin Bieber who owns a Ferrari F430 Scuderia.

TommyJames

Agreed, but they shouldn't toss away their high end customer base either. They spent big money sticking their toe in the water. To me they should do two cars, one in the $150-200k range and then stick with something in the $350k range where there is an opening.

TommyJames

One more time; ESTABLISHED brand image over NEW brand image. Two entirely different things. Throw a chick on a Harley and everyone thinks she's cool. Throw that same chick on something unknown and they think girly bike.

TommyJames

Let me see if I have this right, one statement is sexist simply because there are perceived differences in branding between women and men oriented products. Then you go on to question her "aptitude" and that's not sexist? I've never ever questioned her driving ability in ANY post. I'm simply talking about brand image with a new brand, the LFA, not Lexus.

05RollaXRS

I am baffled that you could not tell the difference.

That is why I brought Justin Bieber owning the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, which is the same to me as Paris Hilton owning the Lexus LFA. Both don't and probably never will track their car, they are more or less the same poseurs that own many exotics. It is no different to me than Chris Brown owning the Lamborghini Gallardo.

When I see Patrick Dempsey driving a 997.2 GT3 RS, that is when I see a truly enthusiast driving the proper car, but it does not make me respect the GT3 RS any more or any less.

Never in any of my posts have I have ever said a car because it was owned by someone who knows very little about cars automatically "chickifies" the brand.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

of course you can, i don't think there is anything stopping you from posting. and question to me? i have posted my view long ago on the very first page.

you mentioned lexus sold the car to her bf not paris, implying that lexus probably didn't know the car is going to paris. that's first point i was correcting, they knew. second, you brought up that lfa prospective buyers likely won't care about paris having the car. that's the second point i was correcting, at the event people lexus invited to try to sell the car to, commented about that. not all, but some did. that's all the points i was trying to touch. if you read any further than that, you really think too much

07grIS350

I am sure this has crossed your mind, but I am going to say it anyways; I believe that many LFA buyers are in it because of the promise of exlusivity from Lexus. Therefore building on this sales success and damaging the promise potentially is THE MISTAKE.

TommyJames

Yea, but wouldn't that be counter to so much of what I read here about "real" car guys? It goes back to the original goal. What is it exactly? Does Lexus want to strengthen its performance image? Does it want to grow then brand into new segments? Why bother with so much effort to get this car on the cover of everything? Why the big push to get those 20 sold if that's all there is to sell? After all, they have two years to move them. What remains a mystery is how many are going to dealers and will be running around with dealer plates. Possibly there is an answer there. Time will tell the story I guess.

07grIS350

There is a saying that goes something about having the cake and eating it too... maybe it's applicable for LFA "real"-car-guy-customers, at least that is what I am praying for.
As for Lexus, I trust that they know where they are going with this effort. Remember we are only talking about the US, and the other 330 LFA's are going world wide.

TF109B

Nah, I didn't mean LFA buyers thinking twice because Paris has one. I meant Lexus in general. I figured Lexus gave the LFA to the guy because of his relation to Paris, I said that. I was wondering why you felt it was a bad idea. I could care less, because hardly any celeb out there is going to the track in their cars, be it Ferrari's Lamborghini's, etc. Hell, even Billionaires who own a slew of exotics drive them around just to be seen, hardly to be seriously driven on track. I really don't care though. I heard Lexus was going to build another car to 'succeed' the LFA. And with Akio Toyoda at the helm, I think it's a real possibility. Maybe not so much an LFA, but could be a Hybrid sports car. Honda is talking that game with a new NSX, so why not Lexus? Porsche has one in their 918, and we all saw the photo of him Staring that car down. He even loves the VW Scirocco. We'll see in the future, I'm betting he'll put a team together and have them come up with another car maybe not like the LFA, but sporty, luxurious and probably lightweight.

jpvarghese

iTrader: (1)

This is what Lexus is doing. The placement of the LFA in its ads can be seen in networks with highly viewed programming, magazine covers, news articles. One can deduce that they are reaching out to a market that may not already be involved in car circles. Like you said, time is going to tell the story.

TommyJames

Yea, but is this the exposure you'd want? I'm trying to think of another way of explaining it.

Often car guys are also watch guys. There are watches that are focused on what's on the outside, and there are those that are about what's on the inside. Some watches are rather plain but cost 10X or even 100X more than something more common, simply because of how they are made or what are referred to as 'complications'. The more complications, the more expensive the watch. Watch companies still have to carefully manage how their brand is perceived and shape the image as they do their best to carve out their own market, especially as they move up the price range were there are fewer customers. Just because a watch has complications doesn't mean it has value in the market. You still have to make your argument with customers. Sound familiar? Those that try to be all things to all people tend to not survive. Those that thrive usually try and find segments that build on a core theme, even if they change that theme now and then.

Think Breitling and aviation. Bell & Ross and military. Even Swatch and fashion on the low end. Then think Timex.

The LFA is standing all alone in the Lexus lineup. It's also standing all alone in exotic circles. It has had almost zero impact on existing exotic customers so like a watch, Lexus has created a unique niche for the car. To sustain the brand, the image, the uniqueness of the LFA, once it leaves Lexus, that brand ends up in the hands and control of those who own the product and not Lexus. When you're looking at such small numbers, someone dumps a car and it impacts the value of the other cars.

Paris Hilton is a marketing machine but she's definitely not a car girl nor does she have a positive impact on what guys buy. In fact, I'd argue that she has just the opposite. She's just not respected among car guys or the manufacturers would have been using her a long time ago, even among established brands. She'd help win women over to a Prius, Volt, or just about any mainstream brand that has both men and women buyers.

While I never believed that the LFA had the strength to shape who buys the car, they do have the strength to shape how the car is perceived by consumers. Lexus is already known as a "luxury" brand. (I hate the term) It's not known as a raw, bad-***, performance brand and Lexus has been pushing that in all the press, trying to get across to consumers that it's not the conservative pillowy spiritless performer that some would expect. While Lexus can't deny her buying a car, they can downplay the purchase if it truly was driven (excuse the pun) by her boyfriend. There is a much stronger impact on the brand if it's someone who's known in car circles who's opinion carries some influence in the very market Lexus is trying to create for the brand. If a guy's guy drives the car, it carries far more weight.

This stuff matters. I know some of you think it doesn't. This is the mistake niche manufacturers keep making again and again, especially when their corporate marketing experience comes from mainstream automotive marketing that is subject to different market forces entirely. The LFA is definitely a niche brand within a brand with an existing hurdle to overcome within the umbrella brand. Those hurdles are known and rather than continue the drumbeat to overcome them, Lexus sold the car to someone high profile who is counter to the very hurdle they need to overcome.

It's the very reason VW doesn't drop the name of all brands under its ownership and call them all VW. Each has a brand image that's been cemented over time and the LFA is still new, still fragile, and still subject to change if not shaped and managed.

S2000toIS350

Tommy,

Let's try this watch story.

Hublot is a nice brand and I am sure had a fine rep.

They launched the Big Bang a few years ago, got some awards and it seems to have catapulted the brand some.

They have both broadened the Big Bang into a sub (or super) brand and I imagine the Hublot line watches have picked up volume from the recognition around Big Bang.

Wouldn't this scenerio work within the Lexus play?

TommyJames

Yup, great example. They still carefully manage the image of the brand. Look at their industry partners, such as Prada with the America's Cup Challenge, or the various race teams. Hublot has a very distinct image with the look. They are very clear about their mission and their niche marketing.