wthrman2

that is correct...he is in canada where dealers sell at msrp but even then, the market for a RWD V8 in canada is not strong. Most people want SUVs or AWD so these may need to find the right customer to buy...

TGPCanada

I went to see this one on Saturday. https://www.northwestlexus.com/new/Lexus-IS%20500.html
Price listed is basically MSRP, and dealer said very little interest in these cars. It will only be enthusiasts like us. And imagine, I'm in the greater Toronto area (6M+ population), one of the largest cities in N. America. Everyone here wants an RX, NX, UX, and any other SUV/crossover that crawls. 20 SUV Lexus's sell for every IS that sells. And most buy the IS 300 AWD. Very few even buy the AWD IS350. I don't even know why the RWD IS300 is offered in Canada. That one makes no sense.

Which is all the more surprising that Lexus is even offering the RWD IS500 in Canada. But then again, this car is only offered in N. America specs, and so it's easy enough for them to extract whatever sales they can from enthusiasts in Canada. If I buy the IS500, I've decided I will drive it all year round. The winters here in Southern Ontario are a joke these days compared to when I was a kid, and the car is more than capable ploughing through whatever snow we get , especially with a good set of winter tires.

The IS500's will eventually all sell, but it's not like people are lining up outside the front doors to buy one.

You American's should make the trip across the border, buy the IS500 at $Canadian MSRP, and bring back home.

wthrman2

^^ Man I have read your post and swear I was reading what I previously wrote!!! You nailed it my friend, nailed it!!! I even wonder if the low take rate MAY influence Lexus Canada to not offer the IS 500 in the future...I have been saying this for a while now that here, everyone drank the SUV and/or AWD cool aid and makes no sense to me!! That might play in our favor for exclusivity for those of us that get it....and Answer, this will increase your odds of getting one so this is POSITIVE news!!

I said the same about the IS 300 RWD, I never understood why they would even offer that model but would not allow the RC 350 RWD to be sold which would make more sense but I know my friend (on here) and I spoke and his theory is that they want to offer the IS 300 RWD to keep the corporate fuel average lower and that is a very plausible scenario. All I can say is yes, if Toronto is lukewarm to the IS 500, you can only imagine ow exclusive it will be in rural Maritimes!!

TGPCanada

The IS500 will be very exclusive in Canada, especially if you get one with an "off the norm" colour like Infrared, USB, etc. Most of the IS's I've seen here are cloudburst grey and white. Forget about the LE. With only 50 for Canada, your chances of seeing one of these is ...forget it. I just can't bring myself to buy the LE - sorry , the incognito, while OK in my view, isn't passing mustard with my wife. She hates the incognito (she says it looks like a colour the military uses . LOL). Ironic thing is she loves the cloudburst grey 350 I have right now. But all joking aside, I just can't see what else you're getting over the "regular" IS500 for the ~$Cdn.7000 or so price escalation over the regular IS500. Anyways, just my opinion. For those who got the LE - good for you. You will be in exclusivity heaven.

And I hope Lexus doesn't pull a 2022 one and done with the IS500 here in Canada. They need some good sales, and the IS isn't selling very well as compared to the rest of their lineup. Sure, the 2021 refresh will create a blip in sales, but it will come back down to earth. The sports sedan is a lost thing nowadays. Nobody wants them. People are obsessed with their SUV's, cross-overs, minivans, trucks, and now the Tesla craze . Funny thing is, everyone I know who has a Tesla doesn't trust it (whether its the range anxiety or battery flushing down the toilet in cold weather) and has it only as their 2nd or 3rd car after their trusted ICE being their primary, daily vehicle. Oh, and one last thing everyone thinks you must have AWD to drive a car in Canada. What a ridiculous perception.

wthrman2

^^ You my friend are my hero!!! You speak the exact same language as me!! I agree that the Infrared, USB and such will be far more exclusive than the Ultra White but I am just so darn biased toward white but given where I live, seeing IS are extremely rare, let alone an IS 500 so I am sure I'll be exclusive regardless My wife feels the same about the Incognito but while I haven't seen it in person, in some of the pics and videos I have seen, it looks either AMAZING or MEH, but we saw some other brands having a similar color and she says, that looks like a car that has a primer color on it. If I were to not go white, I think Cloudburst with the white interior would be my next choice. Am I missing something but I thought the difference between the LE and non-LE is about 4750$ (5400$ when you add the 15% tax) so I agree that the added premium for the LE is really for cosmetic and exclusive rights and nothing with respect to any mechanical bits.

I hope so too but at the same time, I wouldn't be totally shocked if they did - I mean if the take rate is super low, is it worth it for them to offer it? Yeah, sad that people all wanna drive SUV because they feel safer yet when I watch my French car show (on Sundays), most SUVs and vans fail the obstacle avoidance test because they are too tall and their center of gravity being higher doesn't give the ability of swerving as efficiently/effectively as a sedan....but everyone all bought into the hype that SUVs are safer because I am higher....and don't get me going on the AWD hype again! I think the whole electric car craze is another big hype. Just yesterday I received an e-mail from the power company reminding us to limit our power consumption because of the excessive demand on electricity because of the cold weather outbreak. What will happen when we are all driving electric cars?!?! And BTW, saw a guy in Quebec (Antoine Joubert) doing a review on the Mustang Mach-E and the actual electric range, this thing was advertising ~440km range but after a full charge, his display was barely showing 250km in the winter which is unacceptable for people living in our climate - he even said that in the summer, his colleague barely got 350km in ideal summer weather. That is why an electric car may eventually be in my driveway as one of our puddle jumper to go to work, get groceries, go to Tim Horton and such, but not to go on long trips or to replace my "toy" - I will be an ICE love till I die!

TGPCanada

No, you're correct. That is price difference between LE and no-LE. My bad. I've seen the LE in person. My impression is that it's OK. In my opinion, comparing cloudburst grey vs. incognito for example, the cloudburst looks more classy, more refined, more of what you would expect from a luxury car. Again, just my opinion. It's not that the incognito looks terrible, and if it was the only choice for IS500 (LE or non-LE), then I would get it. But since the regular IS500's come in other colours, I'd rather go for one of those, plus its' cheaper.

When I bought my IS 350, friends/relatives said why didn't you buy an SUV. No, I bought this car because it is moving even further away from an SUV. LOL. The new IS is a bit shorter, a bit wider, more RWD than AWD, and IS500 will be even more non-SUVish as it is only RWD. The further away from SUV/cross-overs/minivans/trucks I can get the better. LOL. Maybe I'm just doing it to **** them off. Now I will really **** them off if I ever buy an LC500 with the virtually non-existent back seats (although my son won't be too happy with that).

The future is Electric, but let all the droolers for Tesla be the guinea pigs. There is a reason why Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, etc, are taking their time going full electric. I will buy an electric car from the established vehicle makers, the ones who only make cars - day in/day out, for the last 100 years.

The best Tesla video is the one where the Finish guy blows up his Model 3 after they quoted him $20K to replace the battery, and in particular, when they helicopter in Elon Musk to witness it. LOLOLOLL.

macmaster

Couldnt resist googling this story.

wthrman2

^^ best application of an electric car!! Love it!! I am sure that one felt warm inside for a few seconds lol