RON430

The law suit will inevitably get dismissed after the new marketing campaign and all those torqued off owners become Audismart.

AZDesertGS

iTrader: (4)

My poor brother in law has gone through one motor already on his 04 and having problems with the new one now. Besides his issues.....that car hauls arss off the line.

txstud86

Why is Lexus successful in the US but not in Europe or any other market? Perceived quality? Possibly, as Lexus does rank highest among car brands here. Lower price? Another possibility. Customer service? Another possibility. But Infiniti offered this same recipe, and as of yet, hasn't gained the amount of respect that Lexus has. Before you start telling me about Lexus halo cars like the SC that Infiniti doesn't have, let me make one thing clear: THE ONLY REASON WHY LEXUS IS REGARDED AS PRESTIGIOUS AS BMW OR MB IN AMERICA IS BECAUSE OF MARKETING.

Where Infiniti came up short, Lexus came out with clever, entertaining ads which captured American hearts and gave the brand a personality; a philosophy of creating comfortable, luxurious vehicles.

Take my mother for instance, someone who knows little about cars. She drives an A6 and my father drives a GS. I asked her which brand she perceived as more luxurious and her answer was Lexus. She couldn't explain this reasoning with something quantifiable, but admitted the ads she saw on television were a likely culprit.

Maybe it's too difficult for you to grasp, but Lexus marketing has played a very large role in shaping brand image and perceptions among American consumers. Audi has realized this, and their efforts will likely be effective.

Have you not noticed the substancial price increases on Lexus models over the years as well? This when the brand is more profitable than ever, with record sales, a strong dealer network, and an even more successful parent company. Have you also noticed increased Lexus advertisements? I know I have. INCREASED ADVERTISING = INCREASED SALES in the US market. And using your logic, I can deduce that Americans are "paying for all of these advertisements".


An opinion that is well justified and even better documented. Case in point, the 2006 Luxury Institute survey which found that Americans believe (500 of them) Lexus to be a more "prestigious" brand than Audi and BMW. How do you think they could have reached such an opinion? Was it the actual products themselves, or was it clever advertising which made them THINK this was the case? I can assure it was latter rather than the former.

That's an opinion that you and most Americans hold. But the fact of the matter is that, unlike you, study after study conclude Americans are more likely to try something or buy something, that has been marketed to them. Ensuring that Audi is correctly advertised, a price increase will not hurt sales. If anything, it will help sales. Maybe then, more "ignorant Americans" as you put it, will see that Audi is certainly just as good, and in many areas, better than BMW and MB.

txstud86

Something else that really irritates me about Lexus owners. A belief that they have the most perfect, reliable cars, and that "nothing ever breaks, fails, or goes wrong on my Lexus".

I guess my father's case of a 2006 GS430 with transmission problems was a one in a million case then? Well, not according to the ES350 forum, because the same problem can be documented there as well. Not to mention an alleged "structural integrity" issue with the ES.

Plus the rash of Toyota recalls lately. Perfect Toyota/Lexus can't possibly be slipping in reliabilty, after all, that's why "we bought a Lexus".

Maybe once all of you realize ANY car can have problems, and stop chastizing European cars for having so many so-called issues, you'll be better off. Because Lexus vehicles aren't perfect either.

Shawnmack

I see that Audi are also updating their dealerships.