theanimala

I too have been wondering about this for a long time, and I have to say I never thought the next GS would be a M5 killer, I just kept my mouth shut.

Lexus might come out with a model of the GS to compete, but not make the stock version to do it. First of all, think how many M5s are sold... not to many. Then, think about the GS. How many are even GS400's? Less then 25% of all GS sales. What amount of them are tweaked with power upgrades or suspention upgrades? I have no idea, but I'm sure less then 5%. I think there are more people doing now since there are younger people who can afford a used GS (such as myself), most buyers are older people not so interested in it.

Let's be honest, the new GS in '98 was supposed to be a 540 killer, and it is not. It is just as fast, but admittedly does not handle as well without modifying. Would I trade my GS for a 540 ad loose the comfort and reliability? Certainly not. I would love for a newer, more powerful GS in the next gen, and hopefully I am wrong, but I do not see a GS500, at least not until a mid-gen refresh.

ShowGSLuVv

I have to partially agree with theanamala... But maybe the reason why lexus hasn't increased the ES300's engine power was because they are planning to have a couple very sporty cars, like the IS200/300/ now 430... they came out with the IS because they wanted to get the younger crowd, so maybe I was wrong about a few things that I said in my earlier post, but to be honest, I dont care how fast they make the GS... if it doesn't look as good as the one thats out right now, or better, than I won't get one =)

SecPole14

These kinds of discussions annoy me. Lexus doesn't make performance its top priority. Get over it.

TXSTYLE

iTrader: (1)

This is what the concept of "forum" and open discussion is all about. Everyone is welcome to post up ideas, whishes, hopes, and dreams and the like. It's also been a place for education and "hook-ups." So there's something here for everyone. As I have mentioned before, if and when I come across threads that are of no interest to me, I move on.

SecPole14

Did I say this was an objectionable topic? No. Did I criticize anyone in particular? No. All I said was that I am annoyed. No one should read into that statement too much. It seems as though the GS forum in particular has been clogged with SUV issues as of late. Also, about every 30 seconds someone posts a "Lexus wish/complaints list." The fact is that we are a very tiny percentage of Lexus customers, and, as others have pointed out, Lexus would not make as much money catering to the performance crowd (us) as they make catering to the rest of their customers who seem to be very pleased with Lexus products just the way they are. Sales figures prove it.

QBranchCars

As others have stated, Lexus caters to the majority. They are an automobile manufacturer running their business by the numbers. Lexus is well aware of us minority owners and our desire for more performance. Their corporative marketing have been to our ClubLexus meets, and know of other clubs like IS300.net. I know dealership GMs that feed back to corporate requesting for a "M5" type GS. So they really know their whole market. They have said to me, to no real surprise, their real sales come from the ES and the RX models, and that is where their focus is.

Their main focus for the IS300 may not be solely a 3-series competitor in the sense of performance, but to bring new younger customers into the Lexus fold and move them up the product line as they mature. It would be interesting to know if most IS300 owners are new semi-luxury car owners, or if they are former 3-series owners. My money is on the former.

Every brand has an "image" car or two, the M5 and the M3 for BMW, and I believe Lexus is satisfied with the SC430. The SC430 outsells the M5 to boot.

As for the IS430, it's not a corporate car. It's by TTE, the european tuner for Toyota as much as TRD USA is for Toyota here in North America. Lexus/Toyota will invest in these businesses, but they are not under the corporate umbrella. Lexus is testing the water, and perhaps TTE and TRD will eventually be fully owned by them, as AMG is by Mercedes. L-Tuned by TRD is Lexus' first trial at this. IMO, the pending release of the supercharged IS300 by L-Tuned will be a "performance" milestone, not because of the peformance increase in the car itself, but a stake in the ground for Lexus corporate support for such a "product".

It's great that Lexus is backing a race team like Team Lexus, but it's only the beginning.

Like all of you here, I want to see a GS500, but I will not hold my breath. Who knows, Lexus may surprise us all with the next gen GS. We should continue to voice our desire for a hi-performance Lexus, because that is how change occurs. For now, Lexus is still a luxury marque for a relatively conservative Japanese automotive corporation. Careful steps are taken in the forms of "Coach", "Platinum", and Silversport editions, rather than giant leaps of horsepower. We may not like it, but that's the way it is.

lexguynj

The key is that myself and the rest of us Clublexus.com members are still the minority voice as Lexus Customers. We are younger consumers that want more sports oriented factory options for our cars, we want it all!

Lexus still has this aura of being an old man's luxury car, which is kind of true based on the reputation Lexus has built over the years. This in not a bad thing at all, however I truly think they are slowly trying to dispell this image to marke to all ages, but it will take some time, since other reputable brands are already ahead in the game.

BMW does this right with an available and agreesive sports package for each and everyone of their models. BMW knows how to cater to both the younger and older generation consumer.

One good example of youth at Clublexus.com is if you check out the LS forum here, there are hardly any posts by owners that have the new LS430, which is a beautiful car. I don't think the demographic of older Lexus owners frequent this site as often as the younger crowd because they are not in search of further enhancements, they are happy with what they have and what Lexus is offering now.

Again this is just a generalization and there are always exceptions.

liazon

iTrader: (1)

the higher performance competitors of mercedes and bmw, as examples, are also MUCH higher maintenance. this is the main reason why lexus is the car for me...the depreciation on a luxury car is already high enough without extra thousands annually on high performance parts that wear out very quickly. just my opinion.