PR: Lexus Reveals Fourth-Generation LS 460 Flagship Sedan
01-12-06, 10:43 AM
#46
Originally Posted by jtparkes
According to the Wall Street Journal January 9 article on the new LS460, the MSRP will be over $70,000. For those of you without calculators thats about a 23% increase, and takes away the LS430's big price advantage over the Mercedes and BMW.
01-12-06, 10:50 AM
#47
For some reason I think that Lexus' 'shift to aggressive performance like BMW' won't mean a loss of elegance, comfort, reliability. What the WSJ article and others seem not to get is that Lexus is not out to simply ape another brand. It's out to carve its own image now, and that includes perhaps doing what Mercedes and BMW can't--combine the best of both worlds.
01-12-06, 11:05 AM
#48
Super Moderator
Originally Posted by jtparkes
According to the Wall Street Journal January 9 article on the new LS460, the MSRP will be over $70,000. For those of you without calculators thats about a 23% increase, and takes away the LS430's big price advantage over the Mercedes and BMW.
Sporty design, increased horsepower aimed at attracting younger drivers
When Lexus — long the sedate, dutiful child of the luxury-auto family — unveiled a bold, sleek redesign of its flagship car on Sunday in Detroit, there was no mistaking the brand is heading someplace new — straight at BMW’s top-of-the-line 7-series.
Ever since the first Lexus LS was introduced in 1989, it has been solid, super-quiet and ultrareliable, but it would never be confused with the BMW.
The new Lexus LS 460 — with a sportier design and increased horsepower — demonstrates the Japanese brand’s shift of competitive focus away from DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz and toward BMW’s “ultimate driving machine” image.
Bob Carter, Lexus’ general manager, avoids mentioning BMW, but he says the new LS, coupled with a pair of less expensive models introduced last year, is an effort to go after younger buyers and compete more seriously in the performance category, long BMW’s preserve.
“Our performance was always competitive but not viewed by the public as class-leading,” Carter said. “So that’s a segment we wanted to get into.”
The new Lexus LS 460 has the world’s first eight-speed transmission and a 4.6-liter V8 engine with 360 horsepower, compared with the old LS, which has a six-speed transmission and a 4.3-liter V8 engine with 278 horsepower. The BMW 750i has a 4.8 liter V8 engine with 360 horsepower and six-speed transmission.
The new LS also will be more expensive than Toyota’s past Lexus vehicles, surpassing the $70,000 mark, as the company makes a bid to up the ante on luxury and the sticker price that goes along with it.
The current LS has a starting price of $57,220. The company will hit the $100,000 price tag for the first time with a longer, hybrid version of the LS. That vehicle will compete head on with Mercedes’ S600, which is only available in the long wheelbase, and BMW’s 760Li, neither of which are hybrids.
Like other carmakers, such as GM’s Cadillac, Lexus sees growth in the high end of the luxury market in vehicles priced more than $70,000 and into the $100,000 range.
In its relatively short, 17-year history, Lexus has been extremely successful, leading the luxury segment for the past six years. The new LS is part of Lexus’ move that began last year to create more excitement about its vehicles. The first Lexus models to take on the new, sportier attitude were the IS and GS sedans launched in 2005.
The IS competes with the BMW 3-series, while the GS goes against the 5-series. One GS slogan: “The GS is so fast you’ll spend less time in your car.”
Carter says the new vehicles have brought in buyers in their 30s. Lexus is also considering producing the LF-A, a concept vehicle unveiled last year. The vehicle has more than 500 horsepower and could go as fast as 200 miles per hour.
“We have people coming in who have never been in a Lexus dealership before,” Carter said.
When Lexus — long the sedate, dutiful child of the luxury-auto family — unveiled a bold, sleek redesign of its flagship car on Sunday in Detroit, there was no mistaking the brand is heading someplace new — straight at BMW’s top-of-the-line 7-series.
Ever since the first Lexus LS was introduced in 1989, it has been solid, super-quiet and ultrareliable, but it would never be confused with the BMW.
The new Lexus LS 460 — with a sportier design and increased horsepower — demonstrates the Japanese brand’s shift of competitive focus away from DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz and toward BMW’s “ultimate driving machine” image.
Bob Carter, Lexus’ general manager, avoids mentioning BMW, but he says the new LS, coupled with a pair of less expensive models introduced last year, is an effort to go after younger buyers and compete more seriously in the performance category, long BMW’s preserve.
“Our performance was always competitive but not viewed by the public as class-leading,” Carter said. “So that’s a segment we wanted to get into.”
The new Lexus LS 460 has the world’s first eight-speed transmission and a 4.6-liter V8 engine with 360 horsepower, compared with the old LS, which has a six-speed transmission and a 4.3-liter V8 engine with 278 horsepower. The BMW 750i has a 4.8 liter V8 engine with 360 horsepower and six-speed transmission.
The new LS also will be more expensive than Toyota’s past Lexus vehicles, surpassing the $70,000 mark, as the company makes a bid to up the ante on luxury and the sticker price that goes along with it.
The current LS has a starting price of $57,220. The company will hit the $100,000 price tag for the first time with a longer, hybrid version of the LS. That vehicle will compete head on with Mercedes’ S600, which is only available in the long wheelbase, and BMW’s 760Li, neither of which are hybrids.
Like other carmakers, such as GM’s Cadillac, Lexus sees growth in the high end of the luxury market in vehicles priced more than $70,000 and into the $100,000 range.
In its relatively short, 17-year history, Lexus has been extremely successful, leading the luxury segment for the past six years. The new LS is part of Lexus’ move that began last year to create more excitement about its vehicles. The first Lexus models to take on the new, sportier attitude were the IS and GS sedans launched in 2005.
The IS competes with the BMW 3-series, while the GS goes against the 5-series. One GS slogan: “The GS is so fast you’ll spend less time in your car.”
Carter says the new vehicles have brought in buyers in their 30s. Lexus is also considering producing the LF-A, a concept vehicle unveiled last year. The vehicle has more than 500 horsepower and could go as fast as 200 miles per hour.
“We have people coming in who have never been in a Lexus dealership before,” Carter said.
Last edited by Gojirra99; 01-12-06 at 11:08 AM.
01-12-06, 12:15 PM
#51
Originally Posted by jtparkes
According to the Wall Street Journal January 9 article on the new LS460, the MSRP will be over $70,000. For those of you without calculators thats about a 23% increase, and takes away the LS430's big price advantage over the Mercedes and BMW.
Also, very was very disheartened to read this in the WSJ article:
"The new Lexus LS 460, with a sportier design and increased horsepower, demonstrates the Japanese brand's shift of competitive focus away from DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz and toward BMW AG's "ultimate driving machine" image."
Some of us liked the LS because it was quiet, comfortable and elegant - like the Mercedes it was aiming at. BMW is very sporting but well behind in these other
areas. I think if they go after agressive performance and let the comfort, quietude and elegance slip (and jack up the price $14grand) it is a big mistake, and is turning its back on the qualities that make the LS such a wonderful car.
From a practical standpoint, jacking up the price $14K is going to put it out of the range of a lot more people. You'll probably be looking at paying $50grand to get a 4-year old used one .
Also, very was very disheartened to read this in the WSJ article:
"The new Lexus LS 460, with a sportier design and increased horsepower, demonstrates the Japanese brand's shift of competitive focus away from DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz and toward BMW AG's "ultimate driving machine" image."
Some of us liked the LS because it was quiet, comfortable and elegant - like the Mercedes it was aiming at. BMW is very sporting but well behind in these other
areas. I think if they go after agressive performance and let the comfort, quietude and elegance slip (and jack up the price $14grand) it is a big mistake, and is turning its back on the qualities that make the LS such a wonderful car.From a practical standpoint, jacking up the price $14K is going to put it out of the range of a lot more people. You'll probably be looking at paying $50grand to get a 4-year old used one .
01-12-06, 07:37 PM
#52
Originally Posted by enigma354
For some reason I think that Lexus' 'shift to aggressive performance like BMW' won't mean a loss of elegance, comfort, reliability.
Originally Posted by AmethySC
The Wall Street Journal article didn't say the new LS will START with a BASE PRICE of over $70,000, just that it CAN go over $70k substantially, so I'm not sure your 23% increase will be accurate. The current one starts at $57K and top out at $70K. Sure the new one CAN be a lot more expensive with the new techno & options.
Boy, I like the look of the back seat in the long-wheelbase version. I can picture myself reclining in those seats..... Wonder if I could talk my wife into chauffering me around...
01-12-06, 09:13 PM
#53
Originally Posted by enigma354
Are we going to see something that comes in and fills that price gap? LS 460 not 460L? ES?
01-12-06, 10:01 PM
#54
Originally Posted by DallasLex
I think the GS430 and the hybrid are doing a great job of filling the price gap. I just wonder if pricing keeps going up the way it has in recent history, wouldn't that go against Lexus' philosophy of offering comparable cars to MB and BMW at "a better price"?
Witness the GS and IS, which are competitively priced but not by much (really close to their competitors from Germany, and when packaged right, match/beat). They are priced above some other value-priced, mostly Japanese competitors.
They don't need to compete on price as much now, anymore---apparently.
But I do believe that although the margin of 'luxury bargain' difference will be shaved or halved, there will still be a lower cost than MB/BMW at certain minimal trim levels--for the real bargain hunters.
Yet Lexus wanting to offer 'something higher end' than before, to the point of the $100,000 mark, seems to be evident in their plans for the LS 600h, etc.
They probably will differentiate that model a lot, so as to justify the price premium vs. a $64,000 LS 460.
Even the current generation LS 430 is a far cry, but still less expensive (and more valuable IMO!) than its German competition at $55,000 vs. 70,000; but before it was $35,000 vs. 58,000.
01-13-06, 07:24 AM
#55
If this is true, it's a sad day for most of Lexus fans who are going to have to move to Acuras and Infinitis to get luxury and reliability at a reasonable price. I for one belive that reliability goes only so far as to sway me to a brand that's switched to pure profit taking and over pricing their product.
The glass half full theory would be that this is not the case and there will still be an OK priced "base" model for us "bargain hunters".
We'll see this spring.
The glass half full theory would be that this is not the case and there will still be an OK priced "base" model for us "bargain hunters".
We'll see this spring.
01-13-06, 12:50 PM
#56
I think that the prestige cachet cannot be rushed, it takes a lot of time, and so for the foreseeable future a price difference will be used to bridge the 'prestige gap.'
01-14-06, 08:42 PM
#58
Originally Posted by AmethySC
The Wall Street Journal article didn't say the new LS will START with a BASE PRICE of over $70,000, just that it CAN go over $70k substantially, so I'm not sure your 23% increase will be accurate. The current one starts at $57K and top out at $70K. Sure the new one CAN be a lot more expensive with the new techno & options. They are offering LWB & AWD which costs more, but those are options that has made them LOSE potential customers in the past with the LS430, which they are addressing with the new car. Here's the WSJ article :
I've also read an article a while ago that Lexus ' own research has shown they actually LOSE some of it's customers, specifically those that want to move UP to something more expensive, because Lexus has nothing to offer in the even higher priced range, so they are forced to go to another brand like MB & BMW. That's one of the reason Lexus is going further upscale .
I've also read an article a while ago that Lexus ' own research has shown they actually LOSE some of it's customers, specifically those that want to move UP to something more expensive, because Lexus has nothing to offer in the even higher priced range, so they are forced to go to another brand like MB & BMW. That's one of the reason Lexus is going further upscale .
Lexus should just unveil the LF-A at $150k and call it done. They'd own the entire luxury market at all price points.
01-15-06, 09:11 AM
#59
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Originally Posted by DallasLex
If this is true, it's a sad day for most of Lexus fans who are going to have to move to Acuras and Infinitis to get luxury and reliability at a reasonable price. I for one belive that reliability goes only so far as to sway me to a brand that's switched to pure profit taking and over pricing their product.
The glass half full theory would be that this is not the case and there will still be an OK priced "base" model for us "bargain hunters".
We'll see this spring.
The glass half full theory would be that this is not the case and there will still be an OK priced "base" model for us "bargain hunters".
We'll see this spring.
Why do you have a brush guard on your lexus? Do you take it off-road? Do you have it on for any practicle purpose other than for asthetics? Does it make it look rough and tough? It seems that SUV owners during the early 2000's all bought those things either in Black or Chrome. I've always wanted to ask.
I think it's the "Spinners" of that trendy time. Just my opinion.
BTW, I hope Dallas gets a better offense next year and NO T.O.
01-17-06, 04:54 AM
#60
The new MB S-class W221 does not even list the LS as a serious competitor in their newest brochure. They only mention BMW and Jaguar. Wake up MB!!! German arrogance and stupidity at its finest!!!!!
Lexus has never been cheap or an economy model. And with rising prestige associated with the brand, and the always great enginerring, reliability, and dealership service experience, they no longer have to play second fiddle to the germans, and can charge an appropriate price.
Pricing will still be below the S500, but above the S450. You still get a lot of car for the money if you compare it to the S500. Pricin aside, you simply get a much superior car.
Lexus has never been cheap or an economy model. And with rising prestige associated with the brand, and the always great enginerring, reliability, and dealership service experience, they no longer have to play second fiddle to the germans, and can charge an appropriate price.
Pricing will still be below the S500, but above the S450. You still get a lot of car for the money if you compare it to the S500. Pricin aside, you simply get a much superior car.