Car Chat General discussion about Lexus, other auto manufacturers and automotive news.

Toyota vs Lexus.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 05-30-20, 07:31 PM
  #16  
coolsaber
Lead Lap
 
coolsaber's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: In your head
Posts: 4,086
Received 275 Likes on 246 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
problem is, lexus is running out of time in the u.s. at least. their reputation is getting weak... now basically 'reliable but nothing special'.
1) That reliable spiel somehow is still convincing buyers into their vehicles, some almost going on a decade (I will concede that in the US they are loosing marketshare and money)
2) It doesnt hurt to have an unlimited balance debit card minted under their parent company Toyota right?

coolsaber is offline  
Old 05-30-20, 09:17 PM
  #17  
Felix
Pole Position
 
Felix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: The Jet City
Posts: 2,573
Received 484 Likes on 420 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by sorptd
Am not sure if their reputation is getting weak it’s more like the competition is catching up and they aren’t moving fast enough. Having said that these cycles are normal in the auto industry am sure Toyota is aware of it
x 2^^^^^ It comes & goes thru the different manufacturers as well as different consumer needs.
Felix is offline  
Old 05-30-20, 11:17 PM
  #18  
TRDRAV4
Advanced
 
TRDRAV4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: ca
Posts: 523
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Compare the positioning of Lexus to that of Cadillac with their new CT4, CT5 and Escalade which are now pretty much going to be money losing endeavours. Same with Ford and their Mach Mustang. Chevy and the Corvette.....or Genesis with their new G80 and GV which will never ever get off the ground Toyota was in the same situation in 07 when they spend billions on the Tundra only to see the 08/09 recession destroy their ambitions (at one time Tundra was built in not one but two different plants in the US)....THIS error would not happen again.

Happy to here your thoughts on my perspective
So you act like Lexus should act high and mighty because they're still #3 luxury sales leader, but should disregard the competition? Look what two models called the ES250 and LS400 did to the market 30 years ago. Mom always said, never say never.
TRDRAV4 is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 12:26 AM
  #19  
703
Lead Lap
 
703's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 3,757
Received 780 Likes on 529 Posts
Default

Lexus will stop catering to the US market as US will be in a recession much longer than other wealthy nations.US no longer have the consumer buying power, either in volume or value.

Lexus will consolidate their lineup to push more of their affordable cars. Like UX,ES and RX. Say goodbye to LS,GX and LX
703 is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 01:23 AM
  #20  
natnut
Pole Position
 
natnut's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Singapore
Posts: 2,602
Received 88 Likes on 53 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
An interesting thread, I have not pursued the other responses. I don’t know if Toyota if ruining Lexus. Prior to the pandemic, it was pretty clear that there was going to be a downturn at some point in the US economy. When that happens, consumer buying habits tend to shift. Now, as the pandemic ranges on and the US economy suffers more, the Lexus brand is in the unique situation where the brand is not going to suffer from brand new expensive product launches that would just lose money, in other words, not sell.

Compare the positioning of Lexus to that of Cadillac with their new CT4, CT5 and Escalade which are now pretty much going to be money losing endeavours. Same with Ford and their Mach Mustang. Chevy and the Corvette.....or Genesis with their new G80 and GV which will never ever get off the ground Toyota was in the same situation in 07 when they spend billions on the Tundra only to see the 08/09 recession destroy their ambitions (at one time Tundra was built in not one but two different plants in the US)....THIS error would not happen again.

circling back to Lexus, the LC convertible is in a tough place for the brand....very likely it will not sell well. UX, NX and RX will very likely be the future for Lexus for the next year or two. More and more consumers will shift to Toyota for a little while and as things improve, we should see more Lexus offerings....and I think NX and RX are due for new models around 2022, right about the time the US economy begins to do really well again.

Lastly, it takes incredible foresight and courage to cancel out future model expenditures such as IS, GS or GX and LX as well as Toyota Land Cruiser....in addition to delaying upgrades to Tacoma, 4Runner etc.

I wlll even say that right now (because of the pandemic), I would bet money on the idea that Prius is in its final standalone model. And the LS Lexus might never see a new redesign......Mary Barra’s decisions to cancel Impala, XTS, Lacrosse and close plants looks like shinning stars in the night sky right about now...I would expect Toyota to cancel some models as well.

Now...post pandemic..in hindsight...where the vision is closer to 20/20....Toyota lost HUGE $$$ with the delay of the 2020 Olympics....just think at how much money Toyota could be losing right about now if there were new IS, GS and GX and LX as well as 4Runner, Sequoia and Land Cruiser all in their 1st or 2nd model years right about now.....

Happy to here your thoughts on my perspective
Great points. Considering how Toyota as a company is one of the few or only car company to turn a profit during the Covid 19 era, Toyota may not be flashy but its fundamentals are solid. As long as Toyota thrives, Lexus will always be a player in the luxury market.
natnut is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 11:35 AM
  #21  
Toys4RJill
Lexus Fanatic
 
Toys4RJill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ON/NY
Posts: 30,948
Received 64 Likes on 55 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by 703
Say goodbye to LS,GX and LX
It is probably the right thing to do at this point,

Originally Posted by natnut
Great points. Considering how Toyota as a company is one of the few or only car company to turn a profit during the Covid 19 era, Toyota may not be flashy but its fundamentals are solid. As long as Toyota thrives, Lexus will always be a player in the luxury market.
Thanks for the call out. It will be very interesting to see how Toyota responds with its Lexus brand as the pandemic works its way through and things improve. Toyota is now in a situation where they have the flexibility to respond. And I was not surprised that Toyota has made a profit during the pandemic

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 05-31-20 at 11:57 AM.
Toys4RJill is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 11:47 AM
  #22  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,696
Received 2,398 Likes on 1,571 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by natnut
Considering how Toyota as a company is one of the few or only car company to turn a profit during the Covid 19 era,...
1 quarter does not make a trend.

Lexus will always be a player in the luxury market.
'always' is a long time.
bitkahuna is online now  
Old 05-31-20, 12:53 PM
  #23  
mbarron37
Advanced
 
mbarron37's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: MA
Posts: 725
Received 76 Likes on 58 Posts
Default

What I don’t hear talked about much is the opportunity cost of these relics Toyota and Lexus still sell. I am a firm believer that if they redesigned the Tundra, Sequoia, Landcruiser, GX, LX 2-3 years ago they would have sold like hot cakes. The US economy was very strong the past few years and could have sold a ton of those redesigned models. Now that the pandemic has hit will Toyota delay rolling out updated models? Hope not, it’s been way too long already.
mbarron37 is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 01:13 PM
  #24  
Toys4RJill
Lexus Fanatic
 
Toys4RJill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ON/NY
Posts: 30,948
Received 64 Likes on 55 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by mbarron37
What I don’t hear talked about much is the opportunity cost of these relics Toyota and Lexus still sell. I am a firm believer that if they redesigned the Tundra, Sequoia, Landcruiser, GX, LX 2-3 years ago they would have sold like hot cakes. The US economy was very strong the past few years and could have sold a ton of those redesigned models. Now that the pandemic has hit will Toyota delay rolling out updated models? Hope not, it’s been way too long already.
Do is it really matter to you?

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
'always' is a long time.
Lexus worldwide sales actually increased in 2019. I think Lexus was up like 10% or something like that. My guess is that the worldwide Lexus increase (only) in sales numbers is greater that the total worldwide sales numbers of Genesis. Lexus sells something like 800K+ around the world which is very impressive

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 05-31-20 at 01:28 PM.
Toys4RJill is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 01:51 PM
  #25  
jer
Instructor
 
jer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: fl
Posts: 920
Received 96 Likes on 73 Posts
Default

I don't think the reliability angle will continue to cut it. Car manufacturers are getting closer and closer to having the same reliability. We need to see a reason to choose one over the other. Example, we had to replace our 2004 RX. Looked at the NX, compared to it's competition, it didn't even come close. Decided on getting a Kia to see how it goes for the next year. While there, looked at a Telluride, and now i see why everyone is so enamored with it. Space, build quality, etc. Will wait to see how the 1st year holds out, but very possibly on the radar when ready to get rid of the 14 RX. ***and the reason for the Soul as our second car is only for running around locally, no reason to spend twice as much if you're not getting anything 'above and beyond' for the money.
jer is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 02:00 PM
  #26  
mbarron37
Advanced
 
mbarron37's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: MA
Posts: 725
Received 76 Likes on 58 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Do is it really matter to you?
Of course it does; otherwise I would not have made that comment.

I would consider a full size Toyota or Lexus SUV, if they were competitive. Too bad, but they are slow to the dance. I am of the belief that they could have sold a ton of vehicles, if updated and competitive.

Last edited by bitkahuna; 06-01-20 at 10:10 AM.
mbarron37 is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 02:03 PM
  #27  
SW17LS
Lexus Fanatic
 
SW17LS's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 56,994
Received 2,724 Likes on 1,951 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by mbarron37
I would consider a full size Toyota or Lexus SUV, if they were competitive. Too bad, but they are slow to the dance. I am of the belief that they could have sold a ton of vehicles, if updated and competitive.
Same here.

"Does it matter to you?" Seriously?!
SW17LS is online now  
Old 05-31-20, 02:10 PM
  #28  
Toys4RJill
Lexus Fanatic
 
Toys4RJill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ON/NY
Posts: 30,948
Received 64 Likes on 55 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by mbarron37
I am of the belief that they could have sold a ton of vehicles, if updated and competitive.
I think an update would have been a failure for sales. The domestic manufacturers just do it better and have far better economies of scale to make it all the more worthwhile I also think it is time to cancel the Land Cruiser for the US. And move to hybrid only technology for Sequoia and LX. Even if the Tundra was cancelled..it is probably the right thing to do.

Last edited by bitkahuna; 06-01-20 at 10:12 AM.
Toys4RJill is offline  
Old 05-31-20, 02:14 PM
  #29  
SW17LS
Lexus Fanatic
 
SW17LS's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 56,994
Received 2,724 Likes on 1,951 Posts
Default

An update would have been a failure for sales...that makes zero sense lol

Why doesn't every manufacturer just keep all their cars around with no updates then?
SW17LS is online now  
Old 05-31-20, 02:22 PM
  #30  
mbarron37
Advanced
 
mbarron37's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: MA
Posts: 725
Received 76 Likes on 58 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
I think an update would have been a failure for sales. The domestic manufacturers just do it better and have far better economies of scale to make it all the more worthwhile I also think it is time to cancel the Land Cruiser for the US. And move to hybrid only technology for Sequoia and LX. Even if the Tundra was cancelled..it is probably the right thing to do.
I don’t agree. They can and have been competitive in the past.

I agree the Landcruiser does not make sense in the NA market. What they need is a redesigned Sequoia and equivalent Lexus version. They need a truly full size SUV that is luxurious. They need a good engine, probably the rumored hybrid, but it must be competitive.

Last edited by bitkahuna; 06-01-20 at 10:12 AM.
mbarron37 is offline  


Quick Reply: Toyota vs Lexus.



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:29 AM.