LexFather

They are now since they are older. Also those with no concept of how performance works will easily get caught up in HP ratings.

I said it ten years ago, the GS 400 with 300hp and being the "fastest automatic sedan" in fall of 1997 opened a can of worms the Germans were happy to entertain. The Japanese, as in Lexus, cannot keep up.

Yeah. I sometimes regret the sales threads we started here that have spinned off all over the internet b/c most have no concept of the business. They just see sales and make dumbass comments without exploring the "why's".

spwolf

well i am surprised we got what we got... these are the guys whose idea of sports car is Miata and MR-2.... which means nimble and not powerful.

then again, their time is coming with gas prices so high, maybe 500hp will seem wasteful, it sure does in Europe when I get to pay $2 for liter these days.

Yes $19 per gallon.

pavelekPL

1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liter
3.785x2= $7.57

flipside909

Very true, Lexus engines are silky smooth. Compare it to the competition and they have by far the best built, longest lasting, smooth running engines on the market AND they are amongst the most fuel efficient in their respective categories. Lexus likes to play themselves in the middle...not more...not less. It's a safe combo because most people like it that way...and its perfectly fine for them. For us who is asking for a little more, we don't have much options than to defect to another brand.

flipside909

A sports car by definition doesn't have to equate into high horsepower, high price tag. There are plenty of cars that fit the sports car category and are relatively inexpensive and fun to drive. AE86 Corolla and AW/SW MR2 N/A (not ZZ) were low hp, but very fun to drive cars.

CT for example is one of those cars that are actually fun to drive despite the power deficit...and many well known publications have echoed this. If the CT had at least 180-200hp, a turbo 4cyl and a manual trans, it would be a great bang for the buck in the package it comes in. The CT in my opinion ranks 8/10 in the fun to drive factor. What I can live without is the CVT and underpowered motor.

spwolf

haha, yes, it was early morning! Nevertheless, double the price!

MR_F1

How about pushing that point across to the people @ Lexus that need to get this through their head?

spwolf

If CTh had that, they would sell 200 more per month, and wouldnt sell any in Europe.

So I applaud their decision to make it affordable enough. Here in Europe, it is doubling Lexus European sales. Some 200hp turbo version wouldnt sell even 10% of it. Diesel would be the same price and again wouldnt sell anywhere close.

But it seems they want to do 300h, so good for them... we will see how that goes as it is not heavy car right now.

flipside909

Oh trust me I have with many of the top brass at Lexus USA......even with Chief Engineer Sadakata-san when jruhi4 and I were sitting in front of him at dinner at the Chateau de Chantilly in France.

flipside909

That's very true. But TMC has the flexibility to offer a wider range of powertrains outside of Europe. CT is selling like hotcakes here in the states. More power wouldn't hurt either.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

By having the option of a higher powered version, it would defiantly get more people in the dealership..

*Batman*

Its hard to get such logic through the heads of people at Lexus. They are like religious extremeists. You either take what they have to offer or **** off. They don't care what customers want. This is why they are a complete failure in Europe. No V6 Diesel because they think people prefer a hybrid with an extra 400lbs and no boot. No turbos because they have some outdated view of the technology despite having previously been leaders in the segment with the Supra.

spwolf

why is A3 not selling better than CTh?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that's crazy talk.

for one thing, sometimes the customer is wrong.
for another, sometimes you do something 'different' to differentiate, and hope the market catches up with you, or you do it because doing the SAME as market leaders (e.g., in europe) STILL won't net you new sales. read "marketing warfare" to understand. if you're #3 or #10 in a market, you don't try to do exactly what #1 is doing because a) it still doesn't give people a reason to pick you over #1, and b) by the time you actually have what #1 was offering they're offering something else so you keep staying behind. you have to leapfrog the market sometimes or 'flank' to gain marketshare a #1 is overlooking or can't be bother to go after.

flipside909

The constraint here is Japan. The folks at TMC ultimately dictate what comes here even if the top dogs at Lexus USA want things a certain way.