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As some of you know I have a current LC coupe and have 2 orders deposits down for a 24' since last May 2023 (a bespoke and a regular build) and there's been no movement since I put the orders in. I think my lack of success is a combination of
1) Lexus just building whatever they want rather than what customers want
2) My dealer probably doesn't get many LC allocations (that's on me for picking the wrong dealer) and
3) My spec (while nothing crazy) are all the options that are rarest (ultrasonic blue, coupe, dark shadow trim, multispoke wheels, toasted caramel, etc)
I'm looking at Autotrader and I see there's 307 new 2024 LCs for sale and I wouldn't buy any of them. I fear that Lexus is having a hard time selling LCs not because the LC isn't a great car but simply because they're building the wrong specs. Here's a few things I would change (no offense to any of you who would disagree):
1. Build more coupes: 86% of the 300+ LCs for sale are convertibles. If the convertible top was a hardtop, then that would be a no-brainer but the majority of people do not prefer softtops and therefore that makes the convertible a dealbreaker for many. If you ask the average person on the street, they'll say a softtop looks cheap regardless of the car.
2. Build more colored LCs: 67% of the LCs for sale are white, black, grey or silver and even the Inspiration Series color this year is white. These are great colors for your everyday Toyota car, but personally, a flagship car should be colorful. I recognize many prefer neutral colors but there's a reason why Porsche makes TONs of money for charging for unique colors (paint-to-sample). People are willing to pay more for colors. My current LC is infrared and I find it stunning every time I look at it.
3. Lose the flower petal wheels: There's no easy way to say this but the new flower petal design looks really tacky and doesn't fit the car at all ( (basically a reverse of the MY18-23 wheel design). The other wheel designs are fine --- any of them as the default option would be better.
I fear the Lexus current LC strategy will lead to the LC being shelved soon and blamed on a lack of buyers / "the market". IMO, there's plenty of buyers including me --- just build the specs that people actually want?
Other threads/posts have noted the challenges for customers receiving their bespoke orders. I agree that is problematic. A dealer with a bespoke allocation should be able to configure the bespoke build as the customer requests, the car is built to spec, and delivered.
I do know my Canadian dealer has been very transparent in letting me know when I could factory order a car in the spec I wanted. The factory delivered my spec ahead of the originally anticipated arrival time.
I hope you find a dealer who has an allocation and can build the car you want.
I fear that Lexus is having a hard time selling LCs not because the LC isn't a great car but simply because they're building the wrong specs.
IMO the LC doesn't sell well for many reasons:
1) The Lexus brand itself vs the so-called prestige of other brands in the same price range. People love to impress others and names like Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Maserati, Aston etc. scream look at me, I have money unlike the name Lexus.
2) The LC is obviously slower off the line compared to others in its price range. People are obsessed with 0-60 times.
3) Interior color options are lacking (I was obsessed with buying an LC for about a year and almost jumped ship because I didn't like any of the standard interior colors/trim)
4) Tech and interior ambient lighting aren't on par with other in its class.
The LC is a hard sell to the masses for the reasons I stated above. Obviously, some in here will disagree but the sales numbers don't lie. I tend to buy things that are unique and feel special to me. When most are going right, I take a left. I have a feeling most LC owners are like that.
I was in the market for an LC last year. I absolutely agree with there being so many in specs that in my opinion are not so desirable. I personally wanted one of the more unique colors and ended up shipping a 19 Flare Yellow from across the country because I couldn't find one close to me. I also hate that they don't sell more of the two tone interiors, they are so much nicer than the all black or all tan.
As some of you know I have a current LC coupe and have 2 orders deposits down for a 24' since last May 2023 (a bespoke and a regular build) and there's been no movement since I put the orders in. I think my lack of success is a combination of
1) Lexus just building whatever they want rather than what customers want
2) My dealer probably doesn't get many LC allocations (that's on me for picking the wrong dealer) and
3) My spec (while nothing crazy) are all the options that are rarest (ultrasonic blue, coupe, dark shadow trim, multispoke wheels, toasted caramel, etc)
I'm looking at Autotrader and I see there's 307 new 2024 LCs for sale and I wouldn't buy any of them. I fear that Lexus is having a hard time selling LCs not because the LC isn't a great car but simply because they're building the wrong specs. Here's a few things I would change (no offense to any of you who would disagree):
1. Build more coupes: 86% of the 300+ LCs for sale are convertibles. If the convertible top was a hardtop, then that would be a no-brainer but the majority of people do not prefer softtops and therefore that makes the convertible a dealbreaker for many. If you ask the average person on the street, they'll say a softtop looks cheap regardless of the car.
2. Build more colored LCs: 67% of the LCs for sale are white, black, grey or silver and even the Inspiration Series color this year is white. These are great colors for your everyday Toyota car, but personally, a flagship car should be colorful. I recognize many prefer neutral colors but there's a reason why Porsche makes TONs of money for charging for unique colors (paint-to-sample). People are willing to pay more for colors. My current LC is infrared and I find it stunning every time I look at it.
3. Lose the flower petal wheels: There's no easy way to say this but the new flower petal design looks really tacky and doesn't fit the car at all ( (basically a reverse of the MY18-23 wheel design). The other wheel designs are fine --- any of them as the default option would be better. I know it's relatively easy to swap wheels but I would still have to get over the mental hurdle of buying a car I don't love bc of the wheels and then having to swap the wheels. I may try to swap my current wheels with the wheels that come with a new car if it's spec'd the way I want it (minus the wheels).
I fear the Lexus current LC strategy will lead to the LC being shelved soon and blamed on a lack of buyers / "the market". IMO, there's plenty of buyers including me --- just build the specs that people actually want?
What do y'all think?
100% agree with you on #1! However, the real puzzle is why there's a lower production of coupes. Could it be due to low demand or maybe some other factor? It's quite perplexing to me. My hunch is that perhaps there's a greater demand for convertibles, which might explain why coupes aren't as prevalent in the market.
But then again, I could be overlooking something crucial. Any thoughts?"
1) The Lexus brand itself vs the so-called prestige of other brands in the same price range. People love to impress others and names like Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Maserati, Aston etc. scream look at me, I have money unlike the name Lexus.
2) The LC is obviously slower off the line compared to others in its price range. People are obsessed with 0-60 times.
The LC is a hard sell to the masses for the reasons I stated above. Obviously, some in here will disagree but the sales numbers don't lie. I tend to buy things that are unique and feel special to me. When most are going right, I take a left. I have a feeling most LC owners are like that.
I think this nails it pretty well. In my neck of the woods (greater Toronto area), not so sure that Lexus isn't viewed in the same light as the competitors you mentioned. People do associate Lexus with high quality, reliable luxury, but I'd say less so with performance, or perhaps performance as compared to the competitors in the same price range. The LC's here sit in showrooms for months on end. They start at $Cdn 140,000. With taxes all in you're at $160,000. I've talked to many about the LC and many argue that at that price why wouldn't I just a get Porsche? Heard that so often. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on car, then I'll buy something that exudes status, affluence, look-at-me appeal that is a publicly known trait for a car at that price. Even heard a few women say that the 0-60 time "seems slow compared to the Germans, right?" despite knowing next to nothing about cars. As you say, people are obsessed with the 0-60 metric. And you're right about convertibles. Seems 80% available are convertibles. Well, OK. Here in Canada, to buy a convertible LC500, it's going to have to be my summer only toy even though it's pegged as an easy, daily driver, grand touring car. Well, if I'm only permitted to have a high-performance machine as a summer toy, then I might as well get a Vette, Porsche, used Viper, etc. to fit that purpose. Despite the greater Toronto area being N. America's 4th largest city behind Mexico City, NY and LA, you'll be hard pressed to see any LC500's on the streets. Your best chance to see one is in a showroom. Maybe if the LC had a twin-turbo V8 making north of 600 hp, then it could ring in a few more enthusiasts who want something a bit off-the cuff. It's too bad because I think the LC500 is a masterpiece.
100% agree with you on #1! However, the real puzzle is why there's a lower production of coupes. Could it be due to low demand or maybe some other factor? It's quite perplexing to me. My hunch is that perhaps there's a greater demand for convertibles, which might explain why coupes aren't as prevalent in the market.
But then again, I could be overlooking something crucial. Any thoughts?"
I suspect it's purely that the convertibles sell at a higher margin thus they build more of them
3. Lose the flower petal wheels: There's no easy way to say this but the new flower petal design looks really tacky and doesn't fit the car at all ( (basically a reverse of the MY18-23 wheel design). The other wheel designs are fine --- any of them as the default option would be better. I know it's relatively easy to swap wheels but I would still have to get over the mental hurdle of buying a car I don't love bc of the wheels and then having to swap the wheels. I may try to swap my current wheels with the wheels that come with a new car if it's spec'd the way I want it (minus the wheels).
I recently placed an order for a 2024 NG/black and agree with several of your points, especially #3. I know some buyers of the 2024 are fine with the flower petal wheels and I generally don't bash anyone for their made/model, color, options choices, etc., but I do have to wonder what focus group(s) Lexus pulled in to determine that these wheels would be an overall hit. Someone on the LC FB page did mention the black flower petal wheels were a new trend and that other makes were adopting them...I may have seen something similar on a BMW. Regardless, I plunked down the extra $40 for the 10-spoke wheel and will wait to see how it looks when the car gets here. I am prepared to swap out the wheels for the 18-23 design if the 10-spoke do not pop with the NG color. In a perfect world, the "saddle" interior combination from 2020 would have remained an option for this color.
Not sure how many LCs there are on Oahu...am guessing in the 8-12 range, perhaps a few more. In a sea of 911s, M4s, AMGs...and now even c8s, I do like the fact that it could be weeks before I see another LC here on the road. And the NG will likely be the only one on the Island in that color.
A little off topic, but this will be my first Lexus. Is the whole "red bow on top of a new Lexus" just a holiday purchase thing...or is it year-round?
[QUOTE=Reefbreak;11675501
A little off topic, but this will be my first Lexus. Is the whole "red bow on top of a new Lexus" just a holiday purchase thing...or is it year-round?[/QUOTE]
A little off topic, but this will be my first Lexus. Is the whole "red bow on top of a new Lexus" just a holiday purchase thing...or is it year-round?[/QUOTE]
Your bow will probably be white (got mine in Nov).
02-24-24 | 04:55 PM
If I were in charge of Lexus strategy...
