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How does Lexus keep winning so many dependability awards?

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Old 02-23-20 | 06:04 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Theie new engines they are bringing to market are quite innovative. Some say the LS500 V6 is the most advanced engine they have ever seen in the tuning circuit. The amount of power vs size as well as their hybrid motors are quite good. The hybrid are unparalleled. Multi-mode hybrid transmissions or whatever they actually call it. Safety tech is very competitive. It’s not all Apple Car Play which you said time and time again is the only thing you use now...so it can’t be their infotainment stuff.
But they’re not out there in any cars! That engine has been out for almost 3 years now and it’s still only in one car.

And infotainment is important. CarPlay helps but when it comes to tech and infotainment they need to do a lot better.
Old 02-23-20 | 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Benoit
It's very important that we take some distance here.

BMW is not ahead of their time. I was, at first, also thinking that. But BMW does a lot of mistakes for the sake to ride the hype train. Their engines have more lots of horsepower yes, but suffer carbon buildup and quicker engine failure as payment. Lexus and Toyota do exactly the opposite in this regard, in going port and direct injection, they prevent successfully carbon buildup and a longer run.

They have given the market big horsepower and some sort of lightness. But are defintely behind in hybrid technology and long run toughness. They are starting paying very high fines for their lack of innovation and the exceeding pollution of their fleet, and will defintely suffer in a low emission car future.

They have cool infotainment though. What I not consider to be irrelevant if you want to enjoy a car that you will drive long, because all functions can today. I can clearly imagine that, if a heavy and long lasting economic crisis strikes us, BWM will be one of the brands that will feel the heat hotter than others out there.
Flip side of the coin:
The price one must pay for being cutting edge. Any car company from any brand in any tier, has a focus on new car sales primarily and for the majority of units. They could care less that their 20 year old units are still on the road. in some weird twisted reality, the more a car lasts, the harder time car companies have selling their new units (apologizes for the generalization there)
Old 02-23-20 | 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted by coolsaber
Flip side of the coin:
The price one must pay for being cutting edge. Any car company from any brand in any tier, has a focus on new car sales primarily and for the majority of units. They could care less that their 20 year old units are still on the road. in some weird twisted reality, the more a car lasts, the harder time car companies have selling their new units (apologizes for the generalization there)
Or, the more a company can charge for new models.
The easier they have charging higher prices for new models.
Old 02-23-20 | 07:56 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Or, the more a company can charge for new models.
The easier they have charging higher prices for new models.
Of course, until someone comes out of nowhere and starts offering more value per dollar which in this case has been Genesis, and the Kia/Hyundai duo.

Old 02-23-20 | 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by coolsaber
Of course, until someone comes out of nowhere and starts offering more value per dollar which in this case has been Genesis, and the Kia/Hyundai duo.
Lexus is up 10% worldwide, about 80,000 units. Genesis has been out for how many years? Hyundai has 5 straight years of declining sales worldwide. I think Toyota increased their profits last year as well. It’s a tough business. All the brands have their role and place for market share. Lexus and all the other brands can absorb Genesis as they have a part too

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-23-20 at 08:01 PM.
Old 02-23-20 | 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Lexus is up 10% worldwide, about 80,000 units. Genesis has been out for how many years? Hyundai has 5 straight years of declining sales worldwide
Correct, and just to add some context that 10% came from primarily Europe and China. however Lexus has witnessed a pretty stale USDM 2019.
Sales in the U.S. fell 0.1% last year to 298,114 vehicles. That marked a fourth straight year of declines and the lowest level since 2013.]
The point is that, when Lexus trails behind German rivals. (Mercedes-Benz saw 2019 sales rise 1.3% to 2.34 million vehicles, besting No. 2 BMW AG’s 2% gain to 2.17 million vehicles) how much is the long term reliability helping further new car sales.

By measuring long term endurance, Lexus isnt moving the sales needle to become number 1. They could start and have started charging more for models, but the market hasnt really gone ahead by embracing said price increases.
Old 02-23-20 | 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by coolsaber
Correct, and just to add some context that 10% came from primarily Europe and China. however Lexus has witnessed a pretty stale USDM 2019.


The point is that, when Lexus trails behind German rivals. (Mercedes-Benz saw 2019 sales rise 1.3% to 2.34 million vehicles, besting No. 2 BMW AG’s 2% gain to 2.17 million vehicles) how much is the long term reliability helping further new car sales.

By measuring long term endurance, Lexus isnt moving the sales needle to become number 1. They could start and have started charging more for models, but the market hasnt really gone ahead by embracing said price increases.
Why must they be #1?
Old 02-23-20 | 09:38 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Why must they be #1?
Cause their reliability is number 1? So shouldnt that be enough to move new units above newbies such as the Genesis brand, and the status quo vehicles in the luxury market?
Old 02-24-20 | 05:08 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by coolsaber
Cause their reliability is number 1? So shouldn't that be enough to move new units above newbies such as the Genesis brand, and the status quo vehicles in the luxury market?
I am not sure what you are getting at......Lexus is up 10% worldwide, flat in the United States, ...maybe there is a point where the market share for Lexus will no longer increase....US sales are declining overall but Lexus stayed flat. You can't grow every single year

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-24-20 at 05:13 AM.
Old 02-24-20 | 05:13 AM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Lexus used their UZ engines for 24 years. It was ok then but not now? How old are the engines in the Genesis sedans? How old are the MB V12 motors?
the first version of a v8 still used in a genesis came out in 2009, so 11 years ago.
the 3.8 rwd version appears to have also come out in 2009, but likely goes away this year when the (also old) g80 is replaced.
the 3.3tt has only been around 3 years.
the gv80 introduces a new 3.5tt (which is probably a revision of the 3.3tt)

Old 02-24-20 | 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
I am not sure what you are getting at......Lexus is up 10% worldwide, flat in the United States, ...maybe there is a point where the market share for Lexus will no longer increase....US sales are declining overall but Lexus stayed flat. You can't grow every single year
I think you are only focusing on the 10% number and not the fact that Lexus has had 4 years of straight market decline in one of the largest markets of Lexus (possibly behind China). Thats not the same as reaching market saturation which you are contending in the above.

The point here is that reliability, which is the focus of this article, and your latter point which "historical reliability is directly linked to customers purchasing models that the mfg can now price higher" is not true. If that were the case, Lexus holding such high accolades of reliability should easily best sales charts.



Old 02-24-20 | 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by coolsaber
I think you are only focusing on the 10% number and not the fact that Lexus has had 4 years of straight market decline in one of the largest markets of Lexus (possibly behind China). Thats not the same as reaching market saturation which you are contending in the above.

The point here is that reliability, which is the focus of this article, and your latter point which "historical reliability is directly linked to customers purchasing models that the mfg can now price higher" is not true. If that were the case, Lexus holding such high accolades of reliability should easily best sales charts.
OK...I think we have both made our points. Is it really 4 years? I did not know. Lexus does charge a premium because of how long the cars last (whether real or perceived)

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-24-20 at 03:00 PM.
Old 02-24-20 | 03:27 PM
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And yet, as of 2019, Lexus is ranked in the 5th-7th place on CR and RepairPal. The following article appeared (which based solely on repairs) recently:

RepairPal's 2019 Reliability Rating Leaders

Honda and Acura lead RepairPal's 2019 Reliability Rating with 4 out of the top 10 most reliable vehicles.
In 2017, RepairPal created the first ever Reliability Rating based on actual vehicle repairs. Updated annually, the 2019 RepairPal Reliability Rating has analyzed millions of repair orders from over 2,000 auto shops across the US, measuring dependability by evaluating the cost, frequency and severity of repairs.
While other reliability scores are based on subjective results from consumer surveys, RepairPal's Reliability Rating uses real-world data to help consumers seek out the best car for them.

Most Reliable Car Brands

Asian automakers continued to rack up top reliability ratings with Honda, Acura, Kia, Hyundai and Mazda forming the top five.
  1. Honda claimed the title of most reliable brand, with the HR-V, Fit, Civic and Accord all in the top 20 most reliable cars overall.
  2. Acura, the luxury division of Honda, was a close second thanks to every one of its models scoring an Excellent rating, with the TLX and ILX in the top 10 overall.
  3. Kia, Hyundai and Mazda rounded out the top five, with Kia moving down from the No. 1 spot despite all of its models maintaining an Excellent rating.
  4. Toyota dropped out of the top 5 to seventh place, however had strong showings with the Yaris dropping only slightly from first to third overall, and the Corolla and Prius C jumping into the top 10.
  5. Two models from the new and growing subcompact SUV segment topped the rankings, with the Honda HR-V first and the Mazda CX-3 second overall. The Porsche Panamera continued to be the least reliable car for the second year running.
Domestic and European manufacturers rated behind Asian brands. Chrysler and Buick scored highest among domestic brands, while Volkswagen, Volvo and Fiat were the only European manufacturers to earn an Above Average ranking or higher.
Old 02-24-20 | 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Haven’t seen your posts for a while. It is nice to read a balanced opinion and viewpoint. I enjoyed reading what you had to say.
Thank you, it's sweet (don't know the exact american word). I have two jobs that are both extremely time intensive, so I often come to the point of not beeing able to connect to the internet for extended periods of time.
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