Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX

if ANYONe complains the IS 350 over 300hp at 306hp is not enough, they will get slapped
That is nearly a jump of 100hp from the previous IS 300. That is also highest in the class.

Sometimes, I really wonder what some people want in a car

Originally Posted by nicoff

In today's NYT there is an article about the new BMW 3 series. In the article they compare sales volumes of different brands. In 2004 the IS model sold just 9,972 units. That is the lowest sales figure of the vehicles compared (330i, G35, C320, A4, IS). As a comparison, the Audi A4 was second to last in sales and sold about 47k vehicles last year. The BMW was the sales leader at about 106k units.

The TCC article quotes Lexus saying that they expect that sales "will soar by 400 percent or more". So they are looking at close to 50k units sold next year. That is a huge jump in number of vehicles sold for a vehicle that is not necessarily cheap. It would be quite an achievement if they can pull it off.

Originally Posted by TMQ

This goes to show you that the avg consumers don't consider the current IS on par with the rest of the Lexus lineup (considering how successful Lexus has been overall as a brand and in many vehicle categories). Most of the current IS owners that I have seen are quite young (and reported to have the avg age in the mid 30's, much lower than the rest of Lexus). IS 300 appeals to the young but lacks a broader appeal. I think (like many others) that changes to the dimnsions, interior layout and variants of HP out put will surely make the 2nd gen a much more successful vehicle in terms of sales.