Gojirra99

I would say it's highly unlikely, I'll believe it when I see it

mmarshall

Not only that, but, in general, it's the wrong way for Lexus to go. Rolls, Bentley, and Maybach are extremely low-volume manufacturers. There just aren't enough potential sales in that ultra-luxury class, outside of heads of state, billionaires, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc.... for another competitor to come in. Maybach and Rolls/Bentley, even with high-profit vehicles that sell for an average 200-400K apiece, have been classic money-losers over the years. IMO, they exist today only for the extremely "image" conscious and those who want to grossly flaunt their riches.

We just recently had a very interesting thread (and discussion) about whether Lexus should take the OTHER route, and start doing luxury-grade small cars instead (perhaps based on the Corolla/Matrix platform), as Infiniti did for years with the Sentra-based G20 and Acura still does with the TSX. That, as I see it, would make FAR more sense for Lexus than trying to compete in the very small and vastly restricted sales environment of the ultra-luxury field.

In a nutshell, there are a LOT of people out there who would want a nice, luxury-grade small car for 25 or 30K. There are very few, particularly in this economy, who are ready to spend 200K and up.

Mr. Jones

Are serious RR's a much more luxurious.

ren495

The economic crises will be over 2 years from now. It would be smart for Lexus to come out with a ultra luxury brand. from 2011 on number of really rich people in the world will only increase. Plus this would really raise the Lexus prestige and put them on one level with the germans outside of USA. right now most people outside of USA still think every Lexus is a rebadged Camry.

rdgdawg

Interesting point of view, which I respect.... maybe even wishful thinking... however, there's NO guarantee the crisis will have even bottomed out in 2 yrs, let alone be over and far too many support details to go into on this...

AND

More rich people... ummm, maybe... if we all accept a reclassification of what "rich" is... there is not one single Forbes 400 member who's net worth is up from 6 months ago... 31 new, 33 fell off, ALL down from 6 months ago, even Buffet is down 15%. As a group, only "up" 2% for the year. Wealth has become redistributed again, smaller middle, increases in "poor" and "wealthy" percentage-wise so perhaps, but "wealthy" don't have as much as they did either...

And agree Lexus suffers prestige outside USA.

I agree with MM, smaller cars with higher-end quality and finish makes sense

IS-SV

Good luck with that, because Mercedes is currently looking to see if Maybach has a future...

There are a few Maybachs cruising around here and I sometimes see them at the Mercedes dealer getting service. But a Rolls/Bentley is the preferred choice.

Bentley coupes are used by some as daily drivers around here, I see them on my commute.

encore888

I read a comment elsewhere that the next generation V12 Century may somehow figure into this...?

theanimala

Nonsense. They better make some serious changes to those cars to justify those types of prices. Right now the GS has nothing over the E or 5 series except price. Charging more than those brands as certainly not going to help it's already weak sales.

Dave600hL

Like Cocobun brought up earlier, WHAT DOES CHOOSING TIRES HAVE TO DO WITH LEXUS MAKING A MORE EXCLUSIVE BRAND?
B/c that is what the article is about, I am a little baffled.

Diemellz

i was thinking the same thing. sometimes Lexus/Toyota be thinking backwards, why the hell is they focusing on ultra luxury cars when there current line up needs help

no real "sports" coupe, no real "sports" sedan and the top model hybrid is just a joke? is it me or the Venza looks more like the RX concept, while the RX looks like an camry on steroids

ren495

The economy will bounce back in a couple years. The GDP of USA will start to grow in second half of 2010.

There are more people in the world everyday, and with the developing nations joining the global capitalist economy there was a huge rise in rich people up until last year. once the economy rebounds in 2011 that rise will come back. More and more people in China, South America, India etc, not just USA and Europe. By the middle of this century the "rolls royce" market will be exponentially larger.

And I say Lexus needs both, ulta luxury cars and small cars with higher end quality. I'd love to see them battle the germans on every front- sport cars, small cars, large cars, you name it.

ndk83

care to tell us, whats writteon on the naptkin??

I agree, Regarldess of how long the crisis lasts, and how man guys fell off the forbes list, it would make sense for lexus to build such a vehicle. Out side the US, as was pointed out, lexus is just a rebadged toyota, so if they release cars as rebadged lexuses but more expensive and more luxurious, both lexus and the new namesake will benefit from this in terms of branding and sales.

The LF-A will most probably b the coupe, so they will need a 4 door sedan as well. Considering how abd the economy is, i think former Rollers and bently owners will start snatching these "economy" hyper luxury rides. Yes its a niche market, but it will do great for improving the brang image. With the IS-F, the LF-A, the LS600h, and whatever the new upscale behmouth will be called will no doubt put lexus on a whole new level for the next generation of buyers. Sides Toyota has a new boss now, so its possible.

With all that said, I still have my doubts. Fingers crossed though

Dave600hL

In the article it is basically talking about choosing tires blah, blah and is a plug for a new michelin tire. It has nothing to do with lexus.

mmarshall

In general, Lexuses are not simply rebadged Toyotas. If Lexus is perceived that way, even outside of the U.S., that is not the company's fault. That is simply ignorance on the part of the public itself. The answer to that is not Lexus wasting money and resources building $300,000 Rolls/Maybach fighters in an extremely limited market, but simply better education for the public on what EXISTING Lexus products are.

That's one of the main problems in the auto maket.....has been for years. Car buyers look at image, often with no real conception of automotive facts, instead of what they are actually buying. As I see it, that's part of our job here on CAR CHAT....to separate fact from fiction.

My0gr81

No, that is Toyota's fault. They launched the Lexus brand in NA and then rebadged those vehicle in JDM as Toyota (Celsior, Soarer, Harrier, Altezza, etc.). They compunded the confusion by rebadging some Toyota SUV as Lexus until the release of the RX. They further muddled the waters by releasing the Toyota Highlander that is a repackaged RX chassis.