Lexmex

I think in Central America they had an almost similar lineup. I'll have to go digging to take a current look. Brazil had something like the ES, RX and LS at one time and then in Bolivia they had the LS for a bit.

The RX is interesting because the Highlander isn't sold in the rest of the Americas to my knowledge just Canada, Mexico and the U.S. so we will have to see, but it could certainly do the trick in sacking some of that market currently owned by Acura, BMW and Mercedes in the luxury SUV category. Range Rover is here, but people know better.

I don't think they will ever get the odd market like they had when I went to Jamaica (that's where I got my Harrier emblem), and both RXs and Toyota badged Harriers shared the streets along with a lot of other right hand JDM vehicles.

encore888

Yeah, there is also some of the shared badging in Singapore, Thailand, and indonesia. I also recently saw Harriers and some rebadged RX's in Japan.

BTW would armored vehicles be a big business there? Just wondering since it was mentioned.

Lexmex

Being a bodyguard is a big business here. That movie Man on Fire is no joke. There are some people who spend some serious cash trying to protect themselves because kidnapping was and is still a big business here for the elite. Where I live is a guarded compound. Armored vehicles are a novelty of sorts because we have very good gun control, I kid you not.

encore888

Wow, well I can only imagine...Mexico City is the biggest city on Earth by population so one expects a wide range of businesses and social classes.

Aftermarket armoring for new Lexus, there are several firms that I've seen do that online.

Lexmex

That is certainly true on the social classes here. I heard a former presidential candidate here make the claim that more than half the population lives on less than $50 pesos/$5 USD a day and that might be true. There isn't a true middle class here, but the upper class so-to-speak now has a significantly greater access to credit than they did when I moved down here in 2002.

I have heard this stated frequently in car dealer showroom here, "I can afford this car today, but can I afford it tomorrow".

That brings me up to this point that I have noticed where I live in my neigborhood of Interlomas is that you see all of the apartment buildings like in the shot below (I guarantee you if I were to pan left you'd see a whole bunch more), I always wondered why I would see a lot of for sale or for rent and in addition in my own apartment building there are a lot of empty floors (and empty parking spaces) and there is new construction all the time. The fact is it has been that way for a while and even around where I work in central Mexico City they are redeveloping battered or old neighborhood buildings into so-called luxury apartments (same bad air downtown, I'll pass).

However, a neighbor of mind noted that the traffic has increased significantly over the past few years, but the vacancy rate for apartments is practically unchanged.

What has indeed been ocurring, and no doubt I am sure Lexus took note, is that people are using the credit to go after a new vehicle or some other luxury item rather than moving into a new apartment or home (which is not a great investment proposition here given the vacancy rates).

Now, whether this pans out into additional sales for Lexus remains to be seen, but certainly such justification is there, because before I kept hearing several more years for its arrival.

Lil4X

THAT'LL fix 'em! Wait 'til they get those 28% interest credit cards . . .

encore888

Interesting details on the condos and new development...hopefully right now is a good time for Lexus to enter the Mexican market. A lot of consumer research and analysis is accompanying this, I expect.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

its about time...its taken long enough

encore888

Very very good point on the marketing, it also reinforces brand image and makes those who bought the vehicle happy about their purchase.