This photo thread on the forum makes it clear that a good number of you here love the new Lexus RC. Do you think it’s the best model for Lexus to make right now, though?
I only ask because of something Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Corp.’s North American CEO, recently said. According to him, it would’ve been better had Lexus built a three-row crossover to compete with the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GL for Generation Y dollars before releasing something its dealers kept asking for, the RC Coupe “image vehicle.”
Last year, Lexus division chief Jeff Bracken said, “We feel like we’re missing a 35,000-units-a-year opportunity [by not having a three-row crossover].” Third-row seating is the No. 1 issue Bracken and his people hear about from dealers.
The RC hasn’t been a disppointment, though. Lexus moved 4,258 of them through the first four months of this year. The IS is bringing in younger buyers and the CT is attracting people who have previously bought cars from brands other than Lexus. Overall, U.S. sales for Lexus through April were up almost 17 percent from the same time period in 2014.
Although Automotive News said, “Lexus now trails first-place Mercedes by about 4,300 vehicles and second-place BMW by about 2,400 vehicles,” Lentz doesn’t think pursuing maximum sales volume in the luxury segment is the best idea. That’s why Lexus doesn’t offer a sub-$30,000 model along the lines of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3.
Lentz would rather get the most mileage out of his company’s high-volume models – sedans and crossovers in the near- and entry-level luxury segments – by using them to meet the requirements of 70 percent of Lexus’ customers. Luckily, there’s the sexy, relatively low-volume RC for the other 30 percent.
Not all of you own an RC, though. What do you think? Are you desperate for a three-row Lexus crossover or are you happy waiting on one if it means there are eye-catching Lexus two-doors on the street?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
