Lexus LFA- Discussion, Pictures & News (new colors gloss black, blue, yellow)
01-05-11, 06:46 PM
#3481
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excellent points mike 
and i agree lexus open the door a lot more for the general public. so it goes back to my point of what lexus' priority is, and what their intention is with this car. if they want to use this car to demonstrate what they are capable of, building the road to what's to come (new isf? gsf?), then yup, it's great. because it gets a lot of general public to have better exposures to lexus engineering. i have never had the honor to even sit in the lfa, let alone riding in it, but i know people who did, they appreciate it very much.
but don't forget we are also the people who can't afford the car, so it's not going to help sell the car, if that's lexus intention to sell the 500 (or xxx here in the US). to do that, lexus possibly want to gear into a different direction, maybe another private session for those elite vips, or private showings, etc...
so, that's exactly where lexus is determining the balance. on one hand, what are they trying to demonstrate and who to reach out to eventually. on the other hand, how they are going to get rid of all the cars.
on the contrary, exotic brands (or say the slr/sls in your example), they don't really give a damn about us. they are there to sell the cars, it's pointless to talk to people like us (sad, but true). so they focus on all the people who are into cars and have the money ready. i know there are tons of private showings and events just for exotic owners by these manufacturers, even mb with the sls.
so yes, lexus is doing something very different and that's what makes it interesting and fascinating . they jumped to the top and use it to trigger things down, instead of building up from ground like mb. so they are faced with some pretty different scenarios and choices are to be made regarding different aspects and how to attempt all the goals.
and i agree lexus open the door a lot more for the general public. so it goes back to my point of what lexus' priority is, and what their intention is with this car. if they want to use this car to demonstrate what they are capable of, building the road to what's to come (new isf? gsf?), then yup, it's great. because it gets a lot of general public to have better exposures to lexus engineering. i have never had the honor to even sit in the lfa, let alone riding in it, but i know people who did, they appreciate it very much.
but don't forget we are also the people who can't afford the car, so it's not going to help sell the car, if that's lexus intention to sell the 500 (or xxx here in the US). to do that, lexus possibly want to gear into a different direction, maybe another private session for those elite vips, or private showings, etc...
so, that's exactly where lexus is determining the balance. on one hand, what are they trying to demonstrate and who to reach out to eventually. on the other hand, how they are going to get rid of all the cars.
on the contrary, exotic brands (or say the slr/sls in your example), they don't really give a damn about us. they are there to sell the cars, it's pointless to talk to people like us (sad, but true). so they focus on all the people who are into cars and have the money ready. i know there are tons of private showings and events just for exotic owners by these manufacturers, even mb with the sls.
so yes, lexus is doing something very different and that's what makes it interesting and fascinating . they jumped to the top and use it to trigger things down, instead of building up from ground like mb. so they are faced with some pretty different scenarios and choices are to be made regarding different aspects and how to attempt all the goals.
No in regards to people that can't buy it and what does it mean to them well for many it means a lot. The LFA is the ultimate halo and Ace card. It allows people to say "yeah I own a IS but Lexus makes the LFA". Seems the IS F go help from the LFA team and look at how much better it performs. It gives Lexus leverage over competition that they have this and you do not. No different to BMW with tons of M cars and AMG for Benz.
The trump card. We both know most people that buy luxury cars are not enthusiasts and the badge and image/prestige counts maybe more than anything. The LFA allows Lexus to elevate their game and prestige. On a lesser scale its like the LS for Lexus and say how the Q45 failed and Acura never offered one. Lexus will forever be seen as greater than them b/c of the LS. To Acura's credit the NSX did this for the brand in the early 1990s but they squandered that effort and really have no understanding of the luxury market. Integra/RSX owners to this day can say "yeah but Honda made the NSX" and rev their I-4s with Vtach
If Lexus had no LS, they would be a tier 2 afterthought like the other brands.
01-05-11, 07:06 PM
#3482
Lexus Connoisseur
ryan, if you really have to go that far and say official proofs from lexus is the final say, that a lot of stuff here on this forum and threads are simply pointless. i don't think most here can deny how lexus had claimed about their overwhelming applications and all cars are sold out and later on backed out on that comment. how they said all cars would be sold by end of june and later on shown untrue. that their intention for the lfa is for real owners who will drive the car rather than people showing the car to now dealerships getting the car now.
all the above points? it doesn't even have anything to do with how many cars they have allocated to the US.
Again
if anything, that's what lexus has done "right" and at the same time "poorly".
"right" because they didn't put up official statements, they know things can backfire on them. smart people make statements after everything is said and done. but that doesn't mean they don't use other people's mouths to talk. when you see so many sources from different different directions putting up the information, and then later on having contradictions, you read between the lines about what's going on. if the same come out from lexus directly, they would have backed themselves into a corner.
"poorly" because lexus made some optimistic predictions and pushed out incorrect predictions too early. if they only talked about 500 cars available and waited before hinting about the overwhelming demands and cars sold out, they would have been in a much better position.
if anything, that's what lexus has done "right" and at the same time "poorly".
"right" because they didn't put up official statements, they know things can backfire on them. smart people make statements after everything is said and done. but that doesn't mean they don't use other people's mouths to talk. when you see so many sources from different different directions putting up the information, and then later on having contradictions, you read between the lines about what's going on. if the same come out from lexus directly, they would have backed themselves into a corner.
"poorly" because lexus made some optimistic predictions and pushed out incorrect predictions too early. if they only talked about 500 cars available and waited before hinting about the overwhelming demands and cars sold out, they would have been in a much better position.
and even more interesting? in few occasions when i saw the lfa on display, i talked to the specialists on scene. they are the ones wearing lexus outfit and standing inside the roped off area, and product specialists is what they call themselves. i hear conflicting information from them. some said car sold out, not accepting application anymore. later some told me interested parties can call to inquire. when i and then later on i got heads up from people in dealership that lexus is sending out offers to dealerships on the car. yes, all lexus people, i didn't put one word in their mouths. so either lexus was doing a lot of damage control, or they have some horrible internal communication which is very unusual of them.
in the end, again i want to make myself clear. i am not blinding knocking the car. i like the lfa, i would love to ride in it, i love the details and the engineering. in fact that's why i look so closely to everything about it, and why i find the problems and question about them
01-05-11, 08:05 PM
#3483
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Do you mean the dealership itself is acquiring the car? Or the owner of the dealership? The owner of my local dealer is on the list for one, but is purchasing it for his own personal collection. From my understanding, because he owns a dealership, his allocated car will be one of the last 50.
01-05-11, 08:11 PM
#3484
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I think Henry is talking about the claims:
1. that Lexus would only sell the LFAs to those who really drive their cars and yet we're now seeing some LFAs ending up sitting at dealerships.
2. that all LFAs were sold out at one point and yet they retracted that statement in the following day.
3. that they would only lease the LFAs but eventually had to lower their position to allow buying the car outright (though still bound to a non-resale agreement).
4. that the allocation for the US was increased from 150 to 171, creating the impression that the demands in other regions were not as strong as that in the US, but then we are now seeing point #1. (But of course we know that the demands in some other regions such as Japan, Australia and Singapore are stronger than what are allocated to them.)
All of these are creating unnecessary negative impacts on the LFA's image and could've been avoided if Lexus had not put themselves in such a high initial position IMO.
1. that Lexus would only sell the LFAs to those who really drive their cars and yet we're now seeing some LFAs ending up sitting at dealerships.
2. that all LFAs were sold out at one point and yet they retracted that statement in the following day.
3. that they would only lease the LFAs but eventually had to lower their position to allow buying the car outright (though still bound to a non-resale agreement).
4. that the allocation for the US was increased from 150 to 171, creating the impression that the demands in other regions were not as strong as that in the US, but then we are now seeing point #1. (But of course we know that the demands in some other regions such as Japan, Australia and Singapore are stronger than what are allocated to them.)
All of these are creating unnecessary negative impacts on the LFA's image and could've been avoided if Lexus had not put themselves in such a high initial position IMO.
01-05-11, 08:34 PM
#3485
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so they rather have the car sit in a dealership (zero road appearance, most people visiting dealerships won't be able to afford it) than to an exotic owner in a secondary market (at least some driving to enthusiast meets, meeting people who can afford the car)? i am just curious
sure, as usual, i am always ready to be proven wrong. in fact, i'd love to be, so i can get more details and be able to ask questions and understand more about exactly what's going on. but so far i believe a few cars are going to dealerships already
sure, as usual, i am always ready to be proven wrong. in fact, i'd love to be, so i can get more details and be able to ask questions and understand more about exactly what's going on. but so far i believe a few cars are going to dealerships already
01-05-11, 08:42 PM
#3486
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I originally sought out this forum because I as a Lexus owner wanted to know what the truth was about the LFA's claims which they did make that all cars were spoken for more than a year ago and that they were going through the long list of prospective buyers to select the right ones for the car, given that they had way more buyers than cars. This claim caught my attention as something so unusual, I had to dig deeper. I started to ask around and couldn't find anyone in exotic car circles who I knew was qualified who was buying one. That's about the time I came here. I got flamed when I had my doubts. My doubts were based on my own experience as an exotic owner spending similar sums of money on cars.
I don't think some here understand how small the degrees of separation are in the exotic car world. First, the volumes are very low and so in each community you tend to know the other exotic owners. But that's not the only connection. As you move up the socio-economic ladder, the group gets smaller and smaller and they begin to have more and more common ground. It may be the same private school, accountant, or attorney, etc., move up the ladder a little further and they may use the same jet charter service, participate in the same charity, private clubs, etc. The point is, when you're spending $400k on a car, the degrees of separation from others equally capable of spending $400k on a car are a lot less than some here think. So, where there is little chatter within that group, it does mean something more than if I made the same observation about a much larger group.
I pointed this out about a year ago and got flamed, remember? There were lots of theories about how it was an entirely new group of buyers and that I shouldn't doubt the original claims of all cars "spoken for" and that Lexus got to select the actual buyers. Here we are a year later, and Lexus has 'modified' their marketing strategy so many times and ALL hints thus far are in the direction of slower than expected sales.
The only reason I brought up the video wasn't to talk Lexus into being in the video as that was never the point. I just wanted to say that none of us were out to snub Lexus when it wasn't used, and that it was merely a case of a car not on the radar in the first place, and that we're not exactly a market to ignore. That's it. That was my only point.
It's already had 950,000 hits in about a month so that little insignificant video is doing just fine on its own.
Forget about the car itself for a moment. Go back a year and begin to read the posts all over again and look at how much has changed from what Lexus was claiming. Even them running ads for the cars, on dates well past the date they said they would notify all lucky buyers that they were in line for a car.
It may be a fine car, but I do believe that Lexus has made huge mistakes in marketing it thus far, applying a flawed strategy in the process, with what appears to be lower than expected results.
We'd love to see it in Seattle and we'd definitely get buyers to come out and spend time with it. I was merely pointing out that we're not as small or as "secondary" as they may think.
I don't think some here understand how small the degrees of separation are in the exotic car world. First, the volumes are very low and so in each community you tend to know the other exotic owners. But that's not the only connection. As you move up the socio-economic ladder, the group gets smaller and smaller and they begin to have more and more common ground. It may be the same private school, accountant, or attorney, etc., move up the ladder a little further and they may use the same jet charter service, participate in the same charity, private clubs, etc. The point is, when you're spending $400k on a car, the degrees of separation from others equally capable of spending $400k on a car are a lot less than some here think. So, where there is little chatter within that group, it does mean something more than if I made the same observation about a much larger group.
I pointed this out about a year ago and got flamed, remember? There were lots of theories about how it was an entirely new group of buyers and that I shouldn't doubt the original claims of all cars "spoken for" and that Lexus got to select the actual buyers. Here we are a year later, and Lexus has 'modified' their marketing strategy so many times and ALL hints thus far are in the direction of slower than expected sales.
The only reason I brought up the video wasn't to talk Lexus into being in the video as that was never the point. I just wanted to say that none of us were out to snub Lexus when it wasn't used, and that it was merely a case of a car not on the radar in the first place, and that we're not exactly a market to ignore. That's it. That was my only point.
It's already had 950,000 hits in about a month so that little insignificant video is doing just fine on its own.
Forget about the car itself for a moment. Go back a year and begin to read the posts all over again and look at how much has changed from what Lexus was claiming. Even them running ads for the cars, on dates well past the date they said they would notify all lucky buyers that they were in line for a car.
It may be a fine car, but I do believe that Lexus has made huge mistakes in marketing it thus far, applying a flawed strategy in the process, with what appears to be lower than expected results.
We'd love to see it in Seattle and we'd definitely get buyers to come out and spend time with it. I was merely pointing out that we're not as small or as "secondary" as they may think.
01-05-11, 08:42 PM
#3487
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Lets hope someone begins to compile a list soon.
01-05-11, 08:49 PM
#3488
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I believe most LFA buyers value their privacy, and also most LFA buyers I believe are new to the exotic world, so the whole "small exotic group" argument doesn't apply here IMHO.
I'm positive that worldwide there are thousands and thousands of people that could easily afford exotics but choose not to buy them for a variety of reasons. I think Lexus has tapped into a small group of these people with the LFA. People who can afford exotics but never bought them before due to various reasons.
I'm positive that worldwide there are thousands and thousands of people that could easily afford exotics but choose not to buy them for a variety of reasons. I think Lexus has tapped into a small group of these people with the LFA. People who can afford exotics but never bought them before due to various reasons.
01-05-11, 09:00 PM
#3489
Lexus Test Driver
It is confirmed that Lexus under-allocated Canada with LFAs on purpose (much like Japan). No one knows why, but they did.
Canada was allocated 10 LFAs and they all were sold-out before May 2010 at about $400K apiece and sales process was closed. Australia was allocated 5 LFAs where they were sold for over $800K. Seeing all 5 LFAs sold-out before August in Australia, Lexus decided to increase 3 more LFA in Australia bringing it up to 8 and sold all of them.
Yet, Lexus did not increase the allocations in Canada when they could have easily sold another 10 - 15 LFAs for a total of 20 - 25 with about 45% more millionaires and billionaires, it should have been easy.
The only explanation could be Canadian winters where LFAs would be parked in the garage from November - March while Lexus probably wants LFA to be driven all the year round, but still Vancouver BC is getting 6 LFAs where it does not snow at all and Lexus could have sold more there.
Canada was allocated 10 LFAs and they all were sold-out before May 2010 at about $400K apiece and sales process was closed. Australia was allocated 5 LFAs where they were sold for over $800K. Seeing all 5 LFAs sold-out before August in Australia, Lexus decided to increase 3 more LFA in Australia bringing it up to 8 and sold all of them.
Yet, Lexus did not increase the allocations in Canada when they could have easily sold another 10 - 15 LFAs for a total of 20 - 25 with about 45% more millionaires and billionaires, it should have been easy.
The only explanation could be Canadian winters where LFAs would be parked in the garage from November - March while Lexus probably wants LFA to be driven all the year round, but still Vancouver BC is getting 6 LFAs where it does not snow at all and Lexus could have sold more there.
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 01-05-11 at 09:14 PM.
01-05-11, 10:15 PM
#3490
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I originally sought out this forum because I as a Lexus owner wanted to know what the truth was about the LFA's claims which they did make that all cars were spoken for more than a year ago and that they were going through the long list of prospective buyers to select the right ones for the car, given that they had way more buyers than cars. This claim caught my attention as something so unusual, I had to dig deeper. I started to ask around and couldn't find anyone in exotic car circles who I knew was qualified who was buying one. That's about the time I came here. I got flamed when I had my doubts. My doubts were based on my own experience as an exotic owner spending similar sums of money on cars.
I don't think some here understand how small the degrees of separation are in the exotic car world. First, the volumes are very low and so in each community you tend to know the other exotic owners. But that's not the only connection. As you move up the socio-economic ladder, the group gets smaller and smaller and they begin to have more and more common ground. It may be the same private school, accountant, or attorney, etc., move up the ladder a little further and they may use the same jet charter service, participate in the same charity, private clubs, etc. The point is, when you're spending $400k on a car, the degrees of separation from others equally capable of spending $400k on a car are a lot less than some here think. So, where there is little chatter within that group, it does mean something more than if I made the same observation about a much larger group.
I pointed this out about a year ago and got flamed, remember? There were lots of theories about how it was an entirely new group of buyers and that I shouldn't doubt the original claims of all cars "spoken for" and that Lexus got to select the actual buyers. Here we are a year later, and Lexus has 'modified' their marketing strategy so many times and ALL hints thus far are in the direction of slower than expected sales.
The only reason I brought up the video wasn't to talk Lexus into being in the video as that was never the point. I just wanted to say that none of us were out to snub Lexus when it wasn't used, and that it was merely a case of a car not on the radar in the first place, and that we're not exactly a market to ignore. That's it. That was my only point.
It's already had 950,000 hits in about a month so that little insignificant video is doing just fine on its own.
Forget about the car itself for a moment. Go back a year and begin to read the posts all over again and look at how much has changed from what Lexus was claiming. Even them running ads for the cars, on dates well past the date they said they would notify all lucky buyers that they were in line for a car.
It may be a fine car, but I do believe that Lexus has made huge mistakes in marketing it thus far, applying a flawed strategy in the process, with what appears to be lower than expected results.
We'd love to see it in Seattle and we'd definitely get buyers to come out and spend time with it. I was merely pointing out that we're not as small or as "secondary" as they may think.
I don't think some here understand how small the degrees of separation are in the exotic car world. First, the volumes are very low and so in each community you tend to know the other exotic owners. But that's not the only connection. As you move up the socio-economic ladder, the group gets smaller and smaller and they begin to have more and more common ground. It may be the same private school, accountant, or attorney, etc., move up the ladder a little further and they may use the same jet charter service, participate in the same charity, private clubs, etc. The point is, when you're spending $400k on a car, the degrees of separation from others equally capable of spending $400k on a car are a lot less than some here think. So, where there is little chatter within that group, it does mean something more than if I made the same observation about a much larger group.
I pointed this out about a year ago and got flamed, remember? There were lots of theories about how it was an entirely new group of buyers and that I shouldn't doubt the original claims of all cars "spoken for" and that Lexus got to select the actual buyers. Here we are a year later, and Lexus has 'modified' their marketing strategy so many times and ALL hints thus far are in the direction of slower than expected sales.
The only reason I brought up the video wasn't to talk Lexus into being in the video as that was never the point. I just wanted to say that none of us were out to snub Lexus when it wasn't used, and that it was merely a case of a car not on the radar in the first place, and that we're not exactly a market to ignore. That's it. That was my only point.
It's already had 950,000 hits in about a month so that little insignificant video is doing just fine on its own.
Forget about the car itself for a moment. Go back a year and begin to read the posts all over again and look at how much has changed from what Lexus was claiming. Even them running ads for the cars, on dates well past the date they said they would notify all lucky buyers that they were in line for a car.
It may be a fine car, but I do believe that Lexus has made huge mistakes in marketing it thus far, applying a flawed strategy in the process, with what appears to be lower than expected results.
We'd love to see it in Seattle and we'd definitely get buyers to come out and spend time with it. I was merely pointing out that we're not as small or as "secondary" as they may think.
The car is in production so we will see very soon all the colors and owners and where they all pop up.As the economy improves for many of those in this income bracket it should open doors to the LFA if indeed there are not as many buyers as stated. It seems to me that there is 500 people worldwide and they will simply sell the car where it is and maybe America loses some units (though as we know it has gained 20 units).
01-05-11, 11:52 PM
#3492
Again, you are making assumptions on what was reported by the press. Lexus never made any claims about how many cars they want to sell at a certain period of time. But they do have hopes to have buyers for their allocated units. Mind you even if Lexus doesn't meet their goals now, it's not like the latest buyer will get their car in 90 days. They still have to wait their turn in line during the 2 year production run. Of course their intention is to have LFA owners drive their cars rather than become collector items and garage queens. Exotic or classic most of these owners will try to keep their mileage at a minimum. Of course Lexus wants their cars to be driven, all manufacturers do. The LFA is making rounds all over the United States. Don't assume they're just dealerships by the pictures you see and stories you read on other sites. Lexus never made any statements other than what the other sites have reported. Simple as that.
All of the talk and assumptions being made are from articles that were written by other sources. None of them were officiated statements from Lexus. Instead they took the facts they got from Lexus and created a story to cause a buzz.
Our opinions are gonna differ of course. I see your point, but it that's from one side of the spectrum. Again, you're saying Lexus made some optimistic predictions but pushed out incorrect predictions. Are you sure it was Lexus, or was it the media that reported this? Fact, they did announce globally that 500 were to be made in a 2 year production run. False, they made claims or announced how many units were coming to each market in the world.
Unfortunately the information that the product specialists you spoke with were misinformed. Even at the dealership level, salespeople are misinformed with the facts. Again, you're assumption is being based off what you read on the internet, or hearsay from someone that knows someone that knows someone.
We all love the car, thats why we are talking about it. I think some of us are getting too obsessed with the details that really don't matter to us in the first place. Who cares if Lexus isn't doing what we think they should be doing. It's not up to us to decide what happens with LFA nor will it make a difference if we critique it. Its a learning process for them and i'm sure they knew what they were getting into when this project first started. It's a gamble with perils and consequences. Be happy that Lexus has this available for us as this will only mean good things for the future.
All of the talk and assumptions being made are from articles that were written by other sources. None of them were officiated statements from Lexus. Instead they took the facts they got from Lexus and created a story to cause a buzz.
Our opinions are gonna differ of course. I see your point, but it that's from one side of the spectrum. Again, you're saying Lexus made some optimistic predictions but pushed out incorrect predictions. Are you sure it was Lexus, or was it the media that reported this? Fact, they did announce globally that 500 were to be made in a 2 year production run. False, they made claims or announced how many units were coming to each market in the world.
Unfortunately the information that the product specialists you spoke with were misinformed. Even at the dealership level, salespeople are misinformed with the facts. Again, you're assumption is being based off what you read on the internet, or hearsay from someone that knows someone that knows someone.
We all love the car, thats why we are talking about it. I think some of us are getting too obsessed with the details that really don't matter to us in the first place. Who cares if Lexus isn't doing what we think they should be doing. It's not up to us to decide what happens with LFA nor will it make a difference if we critique it. Its a learning process for them and i'm sure they knew what they were getting into when this project first started. It's a gamble with perils and consequences. Be happy that Lexus has this available for us as this will only mean good things for the future.
i can say that's definitely not the right way to look at problems, any problems. analytical thinking doesn't always mean you are trying to make a difference or change something. if i am an executive on lexus board, then yes my thinking better mean something. but as general public, understanding and critical thinking is useful too. to me it's nothing different than reading news. there are people who don't read it. then there are people who read it and take it as is. and then there are people who read it, think about it, maybe from various sources, read between lines, and draw their own conclusions.
we can go on and on about "official statement" from lexus. of course, unless it's from lexus pressroom and signed off by toyoda, it's not official. and yup, that's the beauty of it. like i said, a lot of stuff are from leuxs internal people, not random valet at dealerships, they are product specialists and such, and you are telling me they are misinformed? sure, that's possible. but then that again shows a flaw in their system and i am not sure if that's acceptable (especially when you tell potential customers that the car is sold out already while it's not). and remember people on lexus europe said car sold out on twitter shortly after application started? yes, people wondered if they meant the euro allocation, but i thought allocation was still moving around. another miss-communication within lexus.
keep in mind too, you were one of those who told me the car was sold out a while back. at the car and coffee, when talking to other exotic owners, i heard in person those lexus people saying the car was sold out already. those are the people you talk to as well. it's possible that we are all misinformed, you and i included.
i am sure we agree to disagree here, because official statement is obviously a very strong clause. but here's the thing. when lexus were all positive with the applications and a lot of people applauding all lfa gone, i was one of the few under fire here questioning that. fast forward more than 6 months, it indicates that indeed not all cars sold. there's no official statement about it either way, but i read all sources, talk to different people, and draw my conclusions. to me, that's where the fun is
and fwiw, that's why i also think it's fun with all the discussions here. disagreement a lot of times create a lot of interesting topics and ideas
Last edited by rominl; 01-06-11 at 12:26 AM.
01-06-11, 12:14 AM
#3493
It is confirmed that Lexus under-allocated Canada with LFAs on purpose (much like Japan). No one knows why, but they did.
Canada was allocated 10 LFAs and they all were sold-out before May 2010 at about $400K apiece and sales process was closed. Australia was allocated 5 LFAs where they were sold for over $800K. Seeing all 5 LFAs sold-out before August in Australia, Lexus decided to increase 3 more LFA in Australia bringing it up to 8 and sold all of them.
Yet, Lexus did not increase the allocations in Canada when they could have easily sold another 10 - 15 LFAs for a total of 20 - 25 with about 45% more millionaires and billionaires, it should have been easy.
The only explanation could be Canadian winters where LFAs would be parked in the garage from November - March while Lexus probably wants LFA to be driven all the year round, but still Vancouver BC is getting 6 LFAs where it does not snow at all and Lexus could have sold more there.
Canada was allocated 10 LFAs and they all were sold-out before May 2010 at about $400K apiece and sales process was closed. Australia was allocated 5 LFAs where they were sold for over $800K. Seeing all 5 LFAs sold-out before August in Australia, Lexus decided to increase 3 more LFA in Australia bringing it up to 8 and sold all of them.
Yet, Lexus did not increase the allocations in Canada when they could have easily sold another 10 - 15 LFAs for a total of 20 - 25 with about 45% more millionaires and billionaires, it should have been easy.
The only explanation could be Canadian winters where LFAs would be parked in the garage from November - March while Lexus probably wants LFA to be driven all the year round, but still Vancouver BC is getting 6 LFAs where it does not snow at all and Lexus could have sold more there.
and that's what i have always been trying to understand. some other regions are clearly sold out in seconds and they easily have the capacity to absorb more, but seems like lexus is reluctant in sending more cars to those areas. very interesting phenomenon
01-06-11, 12:21 AM
#3494
I believe most LFA buyers value their privacy, and also most LFA buyers I believe are new to the exotic world, so the whole "small exotic group" argument doesn't apply here IMHO.
I'm positive that worldwide there are thousands and thousands of people that could easily afford exotics but choose not to buy them for a variety of reasons. I think Lexus has tapped into a small group of these people with the LFA. People who can afford exotics but never bought them before due to various reasons.
I'm positive that worldwide there are thousands and thousands of people that could easily afford exotics but choose not to buy them for a variety of reasons. I think Lexus has tapped into a small group of these people with the LFA. People who can afford exotics but never bought them before due to various reasons.
so the current exotic community (majority i guess), they are more outgoing, they drive their cars and they show their cars, they let people see them and the cars, no problem.
on the other hand, seems like lexus isn't targeting these people. so that means they are targeting people who prefer to be in lower profile, don't want to reveal their identity, maintain their privacy, etc... but people who enjoy driving and be able to bring the lfa to different places. gengar is a great example. from his posts, he loves driving, he can very well afford other exotics, and he keeps a very low profile
but given how rare the lfa is going to be, wherever the car is, it's going to draw crowds and random people taking pictures or checking the cars out. and when there is a crowd, it's going to attract more people.
so what a contradiction? if i were such a person and drive the car out, it better have limo tint all around and all i do it go out and drive and come back without stopping anywhere
just imagine what it's like when you park and get out of the car. and what's worse, when you go pick up the car and see the big crowd around it
01-06-11, 01:43 AM
#3495
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i was actually just thinking about this today.
so the current exotic community (majority i guess), they are more outgoing, they drive their cars and they show their cars, they let people see them and the cars, no problem.
on the other hand, seems like lexus isn't targeting these people. so that means they are targeting people who prefer to be in lower profile, don't want to reveal their identity, maintain their privacy, etc... but people who enjoy driving and be able to bring the lfa to different places. gengar is a great example. from his posts, he loves driving, he can very well afford other exotics, and he keeps a very low profile
but given how rare the lfa is going to be, wherever the car is, it's going to draw crowds and random people taking pictures or checking the cars out. and when there is a crowd, it's going to attract more people.
so what a contradiction? if i were such a person and drive the car out, it better have limo tint all around and all i do it go out and drive and come back without stopping anywhere just imagine what it's like when you park and get out of the car. and what's worse, when you go pick up the car and see the big crowd around it
so the current exotic community (majority i guess), they are more outgoing, they drive their cars and they show their cars, they let people see them and the cars, no problem.
on the other hand, seems like lexus isn't targeting these people. so that means they are targeting people who prefer to be in lower profile, don't want to reveal their identity, maintain their privacy, etc... but people who enjoy driving and be able to bring the lfa to different places. gengar is a great example. from his posts, he loves driving, he can very well afford other exotics, and he keeps a very low profile
but given how rare the lfa is going to be, wherever the car is, it's going to draw crowds and random people taking pictures or checking the cars out. and when there is a crowd, it's going to attract more people.
so what a contradiction? if i were such a person and drive the car out, it better have limo tint all around and all i do it go out and drive and come back without stopping anywhere
just imagine what it's like when you park and get out of the car. and what's worse, when you go pick up the car and see the big crowd around it Lexus has denied selling the LFA to certain celebrities in the US we have heard for their own reasons.
I think Lexus is simply selling the LFA to "true" car enthusiasts, and of course loyal Lexus buyers at the same time. If you've never owned a Lexus I don't think you get much of a chance at getting an LFA if you want one.
This is just a guess, but I think Lexus is possibly trying to avoid the "regular" exotic market and all the problems that come with it. Maybe Lexus wants to avoid the buyers who just buy for badge/image, or showoffs who will drive the car, but not necessarily appreciate it.
Again, I don't know the exact details of the LFA buyer selection process, but these are my guesses based on what little information we do have, and based on some of the information we have from the few LFA buyers who are on CL.
For example, I have friends and acquaintances, some of which have VERY tuned and VERY high-powered cars. I'm not trying to boast, just pointing it out. All of these friends and acquaintances are not big showoffs, and don't like to boast, brag, or make a big scene with their cars everywhere they go. All of them are enthusiasts who appreciate cars, some are loyal to certain brands, but one thing they have in common is they don't like the showoff type of car owners because they are not like that themselves. In many ways they are "low key" but they drive a lot, and use and enjoy the capabilities of their cars. Sometimes they draw a crowd with their cars, but they don't do it on purpose. None of my friends can afford an LFA though, but many of them would love to own one if they had a chance, and many of them are not even Toyota/Lexus fans. So in conclusion, IMHO Lexus is aiming for these kinds of buyers. Low key in the sense that they don't show off for the sake of showing off, but true car enthusiasts who might sometimes draw a crowd because they are using the capabilities of their vehicle.