Sign o' the Times: Even Lexus cancels their annual dealer meeting
01-19-09, 06:37 AM
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Sign o' the Times: Even Lexus cancels their annual dealer meeting
Sign o' the Times: Even Lexus cancels their annual dealer meeting
Jan 19th 2009 at 7:59AM
Lexus has been on a roll for over a decade, but a 21% sales drop has prompted the automaker to cut back on superfluous spending. Lexus canceled its annual dealer meeting to concentrate on selling more luxury automobiles by boosting spending on additional marketing initiatives. The extra marketing capital will be needed, with Lexus launching two all-new vehicles and a refresh in 2009. The extremely successful RX350 has been given a redesign, and the IS250 C convertible and HS250h will arrive later in the year. Lexus GM Mark Templin insists, though, that customers won't feel the pinch of Toyota's pennies. Amenities like top-notch customer service and free vehicles loaners will carry over in 2009. Toyota will also skip their dealer meeting, saving $1 million in the process.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Jan 19th 2009 at 7:59AM
Lexus has been on a roll for over a decade, but a 21% sales drop has prompted the automaker to cut back on superfluous spending. Lexus canceled its annual dealer meeting to concentrate on selling more luxury automobiles by boosting spending on additional marketing initiatives. The extra marketing capital will be needed, with Lexus launching two all-new vehicles and a refresh in 2009. The extremely successful RX350 has been given a redesign, and the IS250 C convertible and HS250h will arrive later in the year. Lexus GM Mark Templin insists, though, that customers won't feel the pinch of Toyota's pennies. Amenities like top-notch customer service and free vehicles loaners will carry over in 2009. Toyota will also skip their dealer meeting, saving $1 million in the process.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
01-19-09, 08:43 AM
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no doubt they canceled the meeting because no one would attend (dealers are broke)
01-19-09, 12:34 PM
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01-19-09, 12:48 PM
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01-19-09, 01:18 PM
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How many new model(s) will Lexus introduce in 2009?
GS is pretty much an aging product, ain't gonna do better but ain't gonna do much worse either.
IS is going to remain at the steady 3,500 units a month but the convertible is going to give it a little boost.
ES is going to be steady too just like this year.
RX is brand new so the number should be AT LEAST as good as 2008 if not a bit better.
LS isn't gonna be doing much better or worse.
GX and LX are more of niche models for Lexus, couple hundreds here and there isn't going to effect the overall picture much.
SC was already a non-factor in '08 and it will remain a non-factor in '09
Let's not forget about the brand new HS coming in late summer, should be good for at least 2k a month.
Still don't think Lexus is going to sell AT LEAST 200k in '09? Do you even know what 200k means in Lexus terms? That means RX and ES combined has to be less than 10k unit a month and the rest combined has to be less than 6667 units a month. The later might be possible but the former is going to be hard.
Last edited by ffpowerLN; 01-19-09 at 01:43 PM.
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01-19-09, 02:33 PM
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01-19-09, 02:33 PM
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01-19-09, 02:49 PM
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Pop Quiz:
How many new model(s) will Lexus introduce in 2009?
GS is pretty much an aging product, ain't gonna do better but ain't gonna do much worse either.
IS is going to remain at the steady 3,500 units a month but the convertible is going to give it a little boost.
ES is going to be steady too just like this year.
RX is brand new so the number should be AT LEAST as good as 2008 if not a bit better.
LS isn't gonna be doing much better or worse.
GX and LX are more of niche models for Lexus, couple hundreds here and there isn't going to effect the overall picture much.
SC was already a non-factor in '08 and it will remain a non-factor in '09
Let's not forget about the brand new HS coming in late summer, should be good for at least 2k a month.
Still don't think Lexus is going to sell AT LEAST 200k in '09? Do you even know what 200k means in Lexus terms? That means RX and ES combined has to be less than 10k unit a month and the rest combined has to be less than 6667 units a month. The later might be possible but the former is going to be hard.
How many new model(s) will Lexus introduce in 2009?
GS is pretty much an aging product, ain't gonna do better but ain't gonna do much worse either.
IS is going to remain at the steady 3,500 units a month but the convertible is going to give it a little boost.
ES is going to be steady too just like this year.
RX is brand new so the number should be AT LEAST as good as 2008 if not a bit better.
LS isn't gonna be doing much better or worse.
GX and LX are more of niche models for Lexus, couple hundreds here and there isn't going to effect the overall picture much.
SC was already a non-factor in '08 and it will remain a non-factor in '09
Let's not forget about the brand new HS coming in late summer, should be good for at least 2k a month.
Still don't think Lexus is going to sell AT LEAST 200k in '09? Do you even know what 200k means in Lexus terms? That means RX and ES combined has to be less than 10k unit a month and the rest combined has to be less than 6667 units a month. The later might be possible but the former is going to be hard.
Look for another 30% drop for the GX. The LX may hold steady but I have started seeing then sitting on lots a lot longer the last few months.
The hardest hit models will be the over $50k club.
In constrast, cars like the Camry (loaded model) and Prius will do well. Toyota has a opportunity to get cars like the Avalon redesigned as future trends will see buyers shifting slightly away from the premium badge however buyers will stay in the Toyota family.
Last edited by pagemaster; 01-19-09 at 02:53 PM.
01-19-09, 03:03 PM
#14
Well. We will see. But Lexus is going to get hit HARD in 2009. Yes the RX and HS will do well. But LS, GS will both be down another 35% in 2009 and ES willl strugle to sell at the pace of 2008.
Look for another 30% drop for the GX. The LX may hold steady but I have started seeing then sitting on lots a lot longer the last few months.
The hardest hit models will be the over $50k club.
In constrast, cars like the Camry (loaded model) and Prius will do well. Toyota has a opportunity to get cars like the Avalon redesigned as future trends will see buyers shifting slightly away from the premium badge however buyers will stay in the Toyota family.
Look for another 30% drop for the GX. The LX may hold steady but I have started seeing then sitting on lots a lot longer the last few months.
The hardest hit models will be the over $50k club.
In constrast, cars like the Camry (loaded model) and Prius will do well. Toyota has a opportunity to get cars like the Avalon redesigned as future trends will see buyers shifting slightly away from the premium badge however buyers will stay in the Toyota family.
For 2009 we are looking at...
Brand new RX350 and RX 450h- this is the bread and butter of Lexus
Brand new HS 250h- I hate it but I think the market will react well to this car. Their goal of 30,000 a year should be doable.
Brand new GX 460- Lexus' own marketing data has shown a solid market for BOF luxury SUVs and the LX 570 has been a sales home run even when gas was $5 a gallon. The GX overall has really outsold Lexus' initial sales expectations and I think a new generation will probably be a very successful product.
IS 250/350c- Not a volume product but I do think they will move quite a few of these and it will probably help other IS sales a bit.
Refreshed ES 350- another core Lexus product that will likely see a bump in sales with new sheet metal and options, etc.
All in all, it's hard to say how 2009 will go for any of the auto makers but Lexus slid 20% in a year when they had almost no new product. This year they are revamping their core model and refreshing the other, adding an all new hybrid sedan, new GX and ISc. There is no way they are going to SLIDE 50K units with this much product in the pipeline. The economy would have to slide into a deep, deep depression for that to happen.
01-19-09, 03:13 PM
#15
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It's all relative to the other manufacturers as well. If Lexus sales go down a bit in 2009 so will BMW and Mercedes.
Overall Lexus will still sell more vehicles than BMW, Mercedes or Audi in 2009 in the United States...
Overall Lexus will still sell more vehicles than BMW, Mercedes or Audi in 2009 in the United States...