Originally Posted by PhilipMSPT

Let me clarify.

Simply put, choice costs.

Toyota North America pays Toyota Corporation (in Japan) to bring Toyota cars in the U.S, Mexico, & Canada (no matter if the car is made in Japan or the US or otherwise). It's not just the cost of the car, but also the options, which need to be regulated throughout the market (for instance, within North America). Warranties cover such options, so the more options, the more the cost.

To get their allotment, they need to choose what options will be available. Toyota North America has been "bundling" options into special pre-sorted packages, like "Luxury" packages or "Sport" packages. By doing so, Toyota North America gets to make as many options available as possible, but also limiting the choices you have. You can't get a la carte options individually from the factory (such as upgraded stereo systems or radar cruise or parking sensors or leather seats), but you can add port-installed options (such as wheels or body kits or Bluetooth).

When cars are made in the factory, they make pre-determined cars that are requested by Toyota North America's market demands. Any variation to this will cost; it will make the production and organization of variable cars more complicated. By keeping the choice of options more simple, you lower the final cost of the vehicle.

Originally Posted by LexsCTJill

So that is not a royalty.

Originally Posted by Lil4X

The RX300 was offered in the US as late as the 2000 model, but only on the West Coast, and then it was not advertised. The roof was split into three panels that lifted at the rear and slid back over one another, exposing all but the 'wayback to sunshine and fresh air. It was an innovative product but it didn't work so well.

As I recall, there were two problems with the folding panels, first, some began to leak between the glass panes, and a proper solution was never found. A few members here also noted the roof squeaked as that big unsupported span tended to flex a bit. It's possible that these two problems were related.

Second, with the sunshade open and roof closed, the air conditioning system couldn't keep up with the heat load from all of that glass, particularly in the desert southwest. That was the primary reason for testing the limited release in Northern California where the cooler weather wouldn't be such a problem.

At the time Lexus was just being introduced in Washington and Oregon, and the company didn't offer the oversize sunroof where there was little factory support. I know Lexus had yet to open its Canadian plant, which would occur sometime later. I seem to remember some of our Canadian members owning an RX with the supersize sunroof, but I'm not sure. Maybe some of you guys can chime in on this, eh?