1SICKBLOG: Lexus future product expansion and balance
#19
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Good post as usual, Mike.
The reason that Cadillac dropped the Eldorado, Coupe de Ville, and their other 2-doors (though we may see a CTS coupe) was that they didn't sell much when they were offered. The Eldorado was popular in the 1970s, but gradually lost appeal after that. Same with the Lincoln Mark-series coupes.....and they were dropped. We don't see any expensive/upmarket coupes from Infiniti or Acura either (the 2-door Legend was dropped) for the same reason. Audi does market the gorgeous A5 coupe, but sales even there have not been up to A4 levels. BMW does manage to sell 1 and 3-Series coupes (and the Z4 coupe), but that is to a somewhat more sporting crowd than the ES would appeal to.
I'm with you in that I'd like to see more upmarket coupes offered, but, right now, it might not be a good buisness case. An ES coupe would probably (of necessity), be done on the Camry-ES platform, and Toyota recently dropped the Solara.....its sales couldn't come anywhere near the Camry 4-door.
Yes. I totally agree. These customers are NOT dying off, as many critics keep alledging. Yet companies like Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Buick are ignoring them more and more for the sport-oriented crowd (the Town Car is pretty much gone, and the DTS and Lucerne will probably soon be also). Lexus simply cannot afford to do likewise. Fortunately, the LS remains as a world-standard for comfort, although even the LS has been stiffened a little with lower-profile tires. The ES is reasonably comfortable, but, of course, not to LS levels.
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
The ES coupe might not appeal to hearts but to my head its a good move. I don't think the ES can stand out being one model. They need more engines, more drivetrains and a COUPE would set it apart from new threats. I'm thinking like a Lexus Eldorado.
I'm with you in that I'd like to see more upmarket coupes offered, but, right now, it might not be a good buisness case. An ES coupe would probably (of necessity), be done on the Camry-ES platform, and Toyota recently dropped the Solara.....its sales couldn't come anywhere near the Camry 4-door.
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
-Lexus has a very happy traditional base of customer who love the comfort. They also have this reputation so new buyers expect this comfort. They are going to have to continue to offer these vehicles to customers
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-25-10 at 09:02 AM.
#23
Lead Lap
iTrader: (3)
Well, it is obvious that for the past what, 5 - 6 years Lexus's focus was primarily on IS. As 1Sicklex has mentioned above, we've got ISF, ISC, ISX50 models. The question is, on which model are they going to focus for the next 5 or 6 years? Is it going to be a GS, which was forgotten I think after all glory it has received in the 90s... or the LS / ES? I guess the time will tell
#24
Yes. I totally agree. These customers are NOT dying off, as many critics keep alledging. Yet companies like Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Buick are ignoring them more and more for the sport-oriented crowd (the Town Car is pretty much gone, and the DTS and Lucerne will probably soon be also). Lexus simply cannot afford to do likewise. Fortunately, the LS remains as a world-standard for comfort, although even the LS has been stiffened a little with lower-profile tires. The ES is reasonably comfortable, but, of course, not to LS levels.
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