You lived in a different world than I did LOL. I remember reading articles about the LS (which is what we had) being "thrown to the soulless scrap heap", I endured lots of "fancy Toyota" jabs and "Why wouldn't you get an S Class, couldn't you afford one" jabs. In all honestly, my Lexus cars get a lot more respect now than they did then.

Like I said, rose colored glasses looking at the past.

This is not new lol

If the cars were not truly better - tech, power, reliability, etc - Lexus would of never been successful.

Those models won numerous awards - please go on youtube and google to dig up some reviews.

People that refused to give them credit are same ones that think LS is a bigger Camry.

Acura will never become a true luxury car in my eyes due to FWD configurations . That was their downfall.

The other issue with Acuras is build quality, they just don't feel special, too similar to Hondas.

Not everything needs to be tangible. Though for what it's worth there is new innovative technology. The 2018 LS is a prime example:



Much of what makes Lexus so special is their philosophy.

Omotenashi, is the concept of Japanese hospitality. Applied to a luxury automobile, it means taking care of the driver and passengers, anticipating their needs, attending to their comfort, and helping to protect them from hazards. Omotenashi is valued by Lexus as a means of ensuring that their vehicles exceed expectations. It involves close attention to detail and a personalized approach which understands that every customer is different. The aim is to create a refined interior environment which places customers at the center of the Lexus experience – calm, in complete control, and delighting in every moment.

Ex. Latest LS500

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...98b80908c7.jpg

Welp, since you cant "feel" and "touch" philosophy, its an invaluable variable!

Lexus was not built from nothing. Lexus is the high end Toyota division. Lexus was built on the founding principles of Toyota....Don't forget Toyota had a RWD flagship at the launch of the LS400 and it coexisted for a few model years.

Toyota also used the Toyota brand as leveragefor a while. Lexus dealers were side by side with Toyota dealers. Both brands were side by side at auto show circuits, and when Toyota introduced Thier current logo they debuted it alongside the Lexus logo at the same time. It's only recently that Lexus and Toyota have been viewed as more and more separate.

Sometimes I have a feeling that there is some sort of agreement between German and Japanese manufacturers that Japanese will always stay a few steps behind.

There is no such thing at all.

I happen to work in infotainment industry as a software engineer, designing a car from scratch will spend unbelievable amount of money, let along the complexity of integration with 3rd party's technology.
German and US car companies intend to let some high tech companies to help them design the infotainment system, the car company itself only do feature design, system integration and road test.
Japanese car companies intend to do all these on their own, so the Japanese pace is little bit slow, but the overall quality is better.

My wording with 'tangible' was in response to the "where is the innovation?", to which I mentioned Lexus SS+AP and 24" HUD. My wording with philosophy is separate and highlighting that luxury doesn't just mean the physical, but also the 'behind the scenes', things you don't have to think about, and the stories that led to the culmination of each Lexus generation.

Invaluable? Signs of Omotenashi can be found everywhere on your LS and of LS's and Lexus's past. Things many take for granted.

• The LS uses the award-winning Lexus Nanoe air conditioning also seen on the GS, which purifies the air to eliminate smells, while deodorizing seats and the roof lining. Even designed to moisturize skin and hair.
• Lexus Climate Concierge automatically adjusts cabin, seat and steering wheel temperatures in concert. Additionally, infrared sensors track the body temperature of your rear seat passengers, adjusting air conditioning and seat heating/cooling accordingly.
• The LS is one of the quietest car in its class. The LS is built using a laser screw welding technique that enables panels to fit together perfectly, increasing rigidity and allowing near-silent running, even at motorway speeds.

Even stories about the processes make the car feel special

• Lexus offers an optional wooden steering wheel for its flagship model the Lexus LS. The steering wheel is designed, using exclusive Shimamoku wood by alternating layers layers of dark and light wood venners. The complete manufacturing process consists of 67 operations and takes 31 days.
• The Japanese automaker proves that attention to details is everything, when it comes to luxury vehicles. The sound of the engine on one of the first Lexus LS models was adjusted with the support of musical instruments manufacturer Yamaha.

Spot on :thumbup: Lexus was so slow returning to the turbo game with the 2.0T (and now the 3.5TT), but all this is done in-house and better quality control. Making sure i's are dotted and t's crossed.

Let's just be completely honest with ourselves here, you're merely cherry picking January sales because it fits into your agenda, aka confirmation bias. But you obviously won't post 2016 calendar year sales figures or even Dec. 2016 sales figures because it would contradict your agenda.

Growth of 4RX sales is arguably higher than growth of 3RX sales and many people said the 4RX would fail, "bcuz spindle". So many were wrong, some eventually caved and even bought one themselves and love it.

I don't understand how any reasonable person can see Lexus' model lineup and sales and then come to the conclusion that they don't have "mass market appeal". Cognitive dissonance might explain it. Emotion vs reason.


Is Lexus going the way of Acura?

Google Lexus LC500 and read all of the reviews in the first page and you'll know which direction Lexus is going in because it is generally agreed that Lexus is going in the UP direction, competing against the best that BMW, MB, Jaguar, Maserati, Porsche have to offer. Many auto writers are obviously excited for the LC and what is signifies for Lexus' future.

Why is the LFA still Jeremy Clarkson's favorite supercar all time? Why did he also say the GSF was the best sports sedan? Because he is blind and couldn't see that Lexus is obviously becoming Acura?

I've noticed this trend where owners of older designs will be very critical of new designs, it probably has more to do with envy but sometimes they are just unnerved that their car isn't the newest one on the block. Psychologically, its just a way of coping with the current reality.

IMO, Lexus has a new President in grandson Akio Toyoda.
He wants TMC to have more inspired styling, and more inspired dynamics.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
However, what is done is done.
TMC is presently going through a rough patch with styling and some firm rides.
TMC burnt a lot of money on hybrids, and hydrogen fuel cells, when the market actually moved towards small capacity turbos, and longer EV range plug-in hybrids PHEV's.
I'm sure TMC will settle down.

Acura on the otherhand went staid with styling, and they never moved into rear wheel drive, nor a true full sized luxury sedan.

I think you're wrong. Akio Toyoda clearly saw Lexus for what it really was, so they set a new daring path for ugly designs and outdated powertrains to out-Acura, Acura.

Check & mate, back to the drawing boards, Acura!

Well, sometimes that's true and sometimes it isn't. Take Ford's SYNC/MYTouch and GM's new E-shifters. Both ran (or are running) into serious opposition and a high level of complaints, both in the auto press and among general auto-buyers in public. That opposition isn't just a bunch of disgruntled people getting together and deciding to toss stones for the sake of tossing...or that they "can't cope with reality". IN reality, those two systems (and some similar ones) have some significant problems, and would have perhaps been best not adopted. Same with Acura's parrot-beak grille. Acura, as a company, suffered greatly because, except perhaps for the MDX, consumers simply rejected that design, and Acura officials refused to listen, until too late, when a lot of damage had been done. As far as the Lexus spindle grilles go, it is probably too early to come to any real conclusion....so I'm not going to make a long-term prediction on that one. There is evidence both ways...they have helped the company in some ways, and hurt in others.

I owned the RL and to me it was an overpriced Accord; same size and V6 engine. I actually liked it, but eh, it was an accord.

The LS was a big step up for me to car that Acura offered no equivalent. It was bigger than anything else Acura offered and it had a V8, something Acura definitely didn't offer.

I do feel that the top-shelf car defined the brand and Acura always felt a step below Lexus because it lacked that true flagship.

Of course, the V8 in the LS is gone now, so that's one strike, but it still has that size that Acura just doesn't offer. Even the newer RL is a runt and almost a foot shorter than the L.

Lexus will be Acura the day it fluffs up a Camry and calls it the flagship. It's not there....yet and let's hope that day never comes.