Lexus is currently facing the same problem that Jaguar had identified in the recent few years. It simply hasn’t been able to attract younger buyers and the 45 year olds who fell for the Lexus brand when it was first introduced 20 years ago are now 65, and guess what, soon they won’t be in the position to buy any new Lexus cars!
Their solution is new entry level models such as the new HS250h Hybrid (which is really a Toyota Avensis). It is currently relying way too heavily on the RX SUV, which is really not surprising since it is a brand quite firmly planted in the American consumer tastebud. The front wheel drive HS must do well – and Lexus is taking all steps to make sure it does. It just embarked on a comprehensive in-store training program for all of the 228 Lexus dealerships in the US.
A hatchback model under the IS will not do it any good in the US where they like sedans and coupes and not hatches, but it could do wonders for the brand in hatchback-crazy Europe. Lexus aims to improve European sales to 150,000 units annually by 2015, but currently only commands 1% of the total market there.
There has been word for a long time now for a new Lexus hatchback, very likely to be based on the Toyota Auris/Blade. Internally, this project is called the C-Premium and it will rival the likes of the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series.
Personally, what are your luxury brand preferences right now? Would you buy a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz, an Audi or a Lexus?
BMW…no doubt
Mercedes-Benz stands out, currently, for me.
well if price over performance factor, id say audi, but they have bad aftersales in malaysia and that sucks
A Mercedes-Benz, definitely.
Jaguar.
Paul said :
Personally, what are your luxury brand preferences right now? Would you buy a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz, an Audi or a Lexus?
—
BMW ftw. any time…
Lexus what? overpriced!
maybe is the colour make me dislike.. black would be nice. Anyway, ill go for Audi A3.
i'll go for audi any time
BMW > Lexus > Merc > Audi.
There was a survey done that says BMW drivers get the most sex hahaha
For me, in terms of looks and performance, BMW is still my fav..but Audi is really coming close nowadays. Fresh and stylish..
Lexus has all the comfort n gear but it just couldnt stand out among these few yet..
Mercedes for me. Lexus is just an overpriced "just pretend" luxury car. There is no difference in the Lexus and Toyota in terms of driving experience. It gives a very hollow and light feeling. Driving the GS feels like a larger version of the Camry, of course with all the gadgets included.
bmw or audi. alas, it's WAY out of my budget!
How come lexus hatch doesnt stand-up..no wow factor..just like any other hatch on the market..
on other matter..only merc, bmw, audi, lexus? vw didnt make the cut?? maybe they didnt produce nice sedan..but in term of to catch young buyer and hatch market..vw is doing quite good I would say..read gti and sirocco
i do prefer audi as my luxury car…i can see that there is a quite number of people that choose audi as their luxury brand preferences. well people,welcome to the club…
lexus? its just a an ugly toyota with plastic surgery. it is still a toyota. haha. i choose BMW anytime
I love Jaguar.
Audi is good, BMW is very good. Merc, not too appealing to me.
I love Jaguar.
Audi is good, BMW is very good. Merc, not too appealing to me.
Toyota already got Scion brand for the youngsters. No need for entry level Lexus.
I'll choose Audi.
BMW or Audi, but i still prefer an Alfa Romeo
handling – audi
performance – bmw
comfort – mercedes
trouble free – lexus
i'll choose volvo..
Maserati….
My choice:
Entry – Merc C Class/Audi A4 (Both are fresh and looks solid)
Mid Size – BMW 5Series/Audi 6 (Looks gagah esp at night)
Large – Merc S (Very CEO/sure sign of success)
Mid SUV – Audi Q7 (no one else comes close – Too gagah)
My opinion:
Lexus? RX/Harrier is just too Drug Dealer/Politician (BN-PR the same all rides Harrier)
Gay loves Audi (+ Man Utd & Real Madrid supporter) – Source UK web
Yuppies – BMW (Flashy tie, Bluetooth earpiece, Chrome coated Oakley shades with fake accent)
Ahpek/Sugardaddy/UMNO man – Merc E class mata belalang recond pre facelift with stupid chrome around the lampu (both headlamp & rear combi)
Unit trust guy/chicks -2 doors Coupe recond Merc or Bimmer (add short skirt & cleavage for the chicks)
Cool dudes – SLKancil or beaten Saga LMST kereta kebal and EX5 Class to go to work <–My ride haha
(no offence dude, just joking and fooling around)
Audi for me! then BMW, not so interested in Mercs. I'm not really so keen on the looks of the Lexus.
Tho hand me a Aston Martin anyday.
There's no better feeling than driving your ride down the road, aiming that star-like crosshair at the horizon…
so naturally it's the Benz that appeal most to me.
2nd would be the self-proclaimed "ultimate driving machine" BMW, which is great as a driver's car.
Audi will never be a true contender to the Bavarian and Stuttgart marquees in terms of luxury due to it forever being front-drive oriented.
Lexus to me is just an upgraded Toyota. No genuine history to speak of and will forever live in the shadow of the European luxury carmakers.
Its harder to spot a Lexus than to spot a Proton in UK. It is that bad for them. Also, if its going to share the same looks with what TC did up there, it will not sell. That looks like the last generation ford Focus.
Another problem is that when was the last time you heard/saw a Malaysian coming back from UK brinigng a Lexus. Its always Merc, BMW, or some sports car like Evo or Celica.
One good thing I did find at autotrader.uk was a VW Phaeton 2006 selling for £10k!
can't stand BMW's interior. the dash design is so dated and boring. audi for me!
and merc? don't get me started on the uncle design….haih. besides, merc's quality has been on the decline for years although they are now trying to wrestle that.
but that's just me lah. :)
l3ryan – audi has the quattro system. what do you mean by "luxury" and "front-drive oriented"? how are these two linked?
@droll It looks like one's perception of a luxury car is rear wheel drive. I feel that in large executive cars if it is not meant to be "driver oriented", front wheel drive may even be beneficial as you can have a flat rear floor that can improve rear passenger comfort.
i suggest that you guys drive the lexus first.. throw away your germany marque for a moment and fell the lexus well known silky smooth engine and comfortable rides, a lot of mercedes benz owner turn to lexus when they test drive the lexus for the first time.
support asian car….!!
Yup whether its RWD or FWD doesn matter for comfort…unless its for performance and handling
Paul said :
Personally, what are your luxury brand preferences right now? Would you buy a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz, an Audi or a Lexus?
–
BMW…..hands down…muahahahahha
audi have my vote
droll – if u did some research, Audi's Quattro Systems are also mostly front-drive bias, meaning most of the power goes to the front instead of the rear, with the exception of the newer extreme RS models where they start off with a 40:60 front/rear traction distribution.
If i were to spend a fortune on a luxury car, the thought of it sharing parts with ordinary makes such as VW, like what mostly Audi are based off, it would be a big turn-off.
about the FWD/RWR issue, one must understand only the few privileged gets to be chauffeured around by a driver, and these people will settle for nothing less than a S-Class/7 Series/RR/Bentleys/Maybachs etc, but what about those who drive themselves?
This is where the traditional RWR Mercs and BMWs have their appeal. their pedigree ensure that once u sit on the driver's seat, you can cruise all you want in total comfort; but will also have the peace of mind that once you decided to push and have some fun, the car you're driving will be able to play with you as well.
For the purchasing price of these models, people expect to get the total package, the best of everything. nobody pays a fortune expecting a product which is average in certain ways.
well at least that's what i think
benz 4 me..!
Audi for me. Their designs are modern and crisp without falling into the trap of being too 'fashionable'. And quality wise they are the best too, interior quality build, shutlines, etc. They look like they are hewn from one block of steel which exudes luxury. Look at Audi's sales in Europe and China, top in both markets.
BMW makes great cars but the perception for me is just too 'yuppie'. For the kinds of entry level BMW that most people can afford like the 320i are not really all that worth it. The 4 cyclinder engines are weak compared to the 2litre TFSI from Audi.
Mercedes for the last decade kind of slid down the ladder with their quality issues but they seem to have been sorted out now with the new batch of cars. A traditional luxury brand that is making it's back up to the top.
Jaguar is really making it's presence felt with the XF and new XJ. They give Audi a run for their money on their interiors.
Lexus, make great quality cars and they are luxurious, but it's the little touches that put me off like the gear selector indicators that seem taken from a Toyota Corolla.
for me is lexus ! coz, japanese car (lexus) is better than europ cars !
i use to own a mercedes benz S 350 L no doubt that mercedes has it own class. well one day i went to our local Lexus dealer and checkout their flagship LS 460 L arrange test drive and guest what …? i fall in love with Lexus right away. to me once you drove the car then you will know the meaning of " PURSUIT OF PERFECTION ", the car really taken my heart away from Benz with it silky smooth and comfortable ride.
It is true that Audi shares platforms with VW, but much less nowadays than before. The A4 platform is unique to Audi, so is their A6 and A8 cars. The A3 and TT shares the same platform as the VW Golf and in these cases, the components that go around that platform are quite differentiated. VW is not just any other 'ordinary' car maker. They have an immense engineering depth that no other car company can match. As an example, VW was the first to come out with a really good mass production dual clutch gearbox and Audi got it at about the same time with the TT. BMW only came out with this amazing transmission much later. Hence I disagree that it is a turn off for customers to know that Audi shares some parts with VW. Sales figures in the luxury car heartland of Europe, Germany, speaks for itself. Audi beats both BMW and Mercedes and in many reader surveys, Audi also comes tops.
for me….for compact executive its either lexus IS or audi A4
executive is jag xf
luxury is either quattropote or xj
merc bmw audi and lexus are all great cars…bmw has best performance..merc has best comfort..audi has best cabin quality..lexus has also the best comfort [ lowest nvh ]…
however
lexus is number 1 in europe..jd power survey 2009..lexus won first,12 times in the last 20 years..'the relentless pursuit of perfection'
i take the Audi anytime.
this is why.
1) rarer than BMW or Mercs, so i get more people looking at me, better "dick" factor.
2)looks younger and cooler than the others.
3)the audi comfort and build quality is superb.
but…..brand here is relatively weak, customer service is worse than Jeremy Clarkson thrashing the Kenari and the price is just…….too much.
Audi A4 (Special Edition the red one) for me…..
May I ask a simple question to those who say this brand is better than that one: Are you actually buying one or in a position to buy one?
Merc, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Jaguar, each one have its own strong points. it is just a matter of perference. What is 30k difference if you are buying a 400k car?
I intended to buy the new C Class and looking forward to having one until I test drive the Lexus IS. I was hooked by its look and comfort. Paid the deposit imediately afterward and now a very satisfied owner of one.
Personally, I'm not into the luxury thing. But if those were the choices, I'd go for Audi. Image. It's young and vibrant, A8 W10 for me in black and I'll shave my head and wear black suit and tie the whole day driving it. Yeah that's right, I'll be in the driver's seat thrashing it around. Why would I want to pay somebody else to drive it?
The rest are just poseur cars.
Yeah its an image thing with me.
i'd go for volkswagen scirocco.. lexus has no heritage like the european cars.. their styling is very japanese and quite bland… german rules
l3ryan – i don't dispute your facts. but i disagree that luxury = rwd or fwd or awd.
based on the logic above, an X5 is not a luxury if it is running a 4wd system? and a Honda NSX is a luxury car because it's rwd?
so is the audi RS versions are then considered luxury?
i fail to see the link between drive bias and luxury….i agree about cruising and pushing the car but each has its merits. RWD and FWD cars behave differently and it's up to you to know how to extract the best out of each. case in point – the FD2R is FWD but it'll outlap many RWD cars around a track of similar power to weight ratio. besides, i think most regular road users won't really push a car to its limits (those that did, probably ended up dead!).
just my 2sen lah. not trying to start a flame war here.
I'm only affort to buy satria neo. proton okey maaa. neo 2000 also very-very expensive maaa
All these cars are rubbish, sub-zero cool people drive a SAAB
toyota is still a toyota. no doubt about it.
I have another testimony here on Lexus vs Merc. Lexus LS 460 is indeed better than Merc S350 in terms of comfort, driving experience, power. Looks are subjective though.
I would choose LS460 over S350 anytime.
Do test the vehicles before you say anything. No sweeping statements. pls. :)
Chun – VW is in the same category as Ford, Renault, Nissan, Toyota, and they are considered as "Fleet cars" where the majority of the cars found on the road are these. Protons are the fleet cars in our nation, while theirs are these VWs, Fords, Toyotas etc. Hence it is viable to say that they are indeed 'common' carmakers producing for the masses.
People who buys luxury cars will not be happy to be associated with anything 'common', hence the fact that Audi which is highly related to VW being one of the biggest component of the VW Group, will be a deterrent to many purist.
droll – I think you misinterpreted my point, I'm not implying that luxury HAS to be RWD. I'm only referring to Audi, which has lost its identity as German's prominent luxury car maker after going through a hard patch in the 1980s, where they based their cars on VW Passats and Polos, which was due to cost savings and hence they are forced to adapt FWD. Prior to this period, all Audis are mainly RWD.
Since early stages of automobile industry, the first cars rolling out of their production plants, they are all RWD. The 1st Benz, the 1st RR, the 1st Alfa, 1st Audi, automobile basically began with RWD.
FWD was later created to meet the demand of extensive mass production and lower production cost. Not needing the extra drive shaft to the rear wheels, not needing all those extra parts to support the rear axle, reduced weight with reduced parts and reduced materials, FWD was invented to promote low-cost.
Therefore, FWD can be considered as the antithesis of luxury.
However strongly you defend FWD that it is SOMETIMES equal or even superior to RWD or 4WD, please ask yourself this: which model from which brand from the upper echelon of the car industry is actually utilizing FWD? which Rolls Royces/Bentley/Ferrari/Lamborghini/Merc/Maserati is using FWD?
These are the ultimate luxury examples, and all of them uses RWD or RWD-converted 4WD. Therefore I see alot of link between drive bias and luxury, don't you?
just my dua cents too
paul tan should do more test drive report.
anyway http://www.petitiononline.com/malaysia/
BMW>AUDI>MERC>PROTON
ya la..u guys should do test drive before give any comment.
toyota is toyota?hahaha wat a funny comment..
you know nothing about lexus..that's a fact.
LS460 is better than S350?? In everywhere?? Or just the silentness??
A japanese should never stand at the same price as the German cause they got no history… Lexus sells big in US because it is relatively cheap than German, while Lexus don't sell in Europe because it is simply too japanese…
Lexus had a bad year in 2008(shud be in 2009 also) while Audi achieve 1mil last year… They rely too much on US and now they lose BMW as well in US..
By the way, give me an Audi…
@droll
not really like that actually. luxury cars in first hand must be expensive itself, and usually, it comes with a huge engine displacement, and more pistons. not just mere 1.8 or 2.4 cc inline 4. it is just common sense right? if u purchase a maybach, would u want it to have 2.0 inline 4 ?
when it comes to a big displacement, and more pistons, the only way to put it in engine bay without any hassle is using FR layout, which is rear wheel drive or all wheel drive for sure.
it is impossible to fit in the FF layout( FWD) if u have 5.0 liter V8 engine. the car will have an extremely weird size. terlalu lebar.
that's why, usually luxury cars come with rwd
Wa, so many Lexus salesman. Good, TMC will give you better bonus this year haha, just work out with UMWT Sales division, ask them to get the nenkei numbers correct.
What about 2nd hand value of Lexus? Image? Services is OTT good and such, but Merc value is never less than 70% for a 3year old car. RX (& a recond Harrier) just cost 185K and that's about it. LS? Good for company car (and buyer are mostly Jap) but I doubt any tauke really wants to buy that. Look at Merc customer user profile, ranging from Judge to Fish wholeseller, why? Audi falls flat on resell value as well. BMW nowadays is faring better but not that close to Merc, thanks to Auto Bavaria & the yuppies who will buy anything with the propllr badge.
Definitely, Merc.-Benz :D
Lexus is a good car but it always carry image of toyota design. unlike bmw & merz where their design is ubique! for the same price, i will go for the german's .
For those of you who bagged Lexus for having the same driving dynamics as Toyotas, it just shows your ignorance. For a start, all Lexus are rear-drives (except the ES, which is sold mainly in the US). In fact, the dynamics of the IS is very close to the 3-series. You will find a Lexus has far fewer parts from the Toyota part bins then an Audi from a VW part bins.
In terms of build quality and reliability, it is consistently at the top. Grow up you brand snobs!
to all typical german product buyer… i agreed to kelvin do test drive before making statement..just follow this link and you will know what are you talking about… .http://www.thechauffeur.com/advertise.php...
well i personally have S 350 L and i'm a proud owner of LS 460 L. well actually this "jap" brand is indeed so close to topple out those german marque.
well i say… you do have to test drive any car before commencing.. study about from both rides and technically before comment.:)
Japanese cannot match German engineering.
Benz and Audi for me..
@bobdbilder,
sounds like "the transporter" movies have gotten into you. i don't blame ya, i'd go for audi / bmw, myself :)
audi/bmw = more "ballsy"/youthful for those who going for excitement and thrills.
merc/lexus = i'd consider them for retirement age, like an old man's car and for those who have done everything in their life and just wanna bask in their hard work.
@some lexus owners,
seriously folks, it's just a simple question by Paul that deserves a simple answer: what's your preferred luxury car?
so, there's no need for us to test drive whatever car.
and there's no need to question us whether we are considering of buying or in the position to buy one.
some of your comments have bordered between the lines of "show-off" and "don't-talk-if-you-can't-afford-or-you-don't-know"
how pathetic.
i want a lexus IS hatch, it would be awsome if it was offered in a hybrid form too.
i want this lexus IS hatch, it would be awsome if it was offered in a hybrid form too.
tonton: oooooh, if you put it that way then yes, i'd agree with you.
but as you can see moving forward also, a lot of the luxury marques (beemers, mercs, audi, etc) are slowly downsizing their engine and moving to forced induction to comply with stricter emission regulations. case in point: bmw never, ever went with turbo until recently.
When I referred to Audi sharing platforms with VW, I meant to say that Audi shares platforms within the VW group, not strictly with the VW car brand. So you can say that Audi also shares parts and platforms with Lamborghini, and that isn't such a bad thing is it? I still disagree with the argument that people won't but an Audi because it is associated with VW. Then by that fact alone Lexus won't be selling many cars because everyone knows it's a Toyota! Again, you only need to look at European sales figures for the luxury brands. Audi has overtaken both BMW and Mercedes so that is plain proof that people who buy luxury cars do prefer that brand over the other two in what is probably the most discerning market in the world. That is a different story here where the general public is still stuck with the old perception.
As for the RWD thing, it's over rated. Yes, if you want to do power slides all day long then a RWD BMW is great but for the rest of the time it's not the one all and be all factor. I frankly find it much more fun to drive the VW GTI than the BMW 125i.
So many years driving a 'front wheel' car already….my first Proton…my second Proton….my third Proton…..my first City….my first Camry…
Oh..if I have a budget of >RM250k now, sure go for 'back wheel' car, something different, mentally also feel good, no need to look and admire others with a 'back wheel' car. Give me BMW, Lexus or Merc anytime but no Audi please.
@droll
yep, slowly downsizing like 1.4 twincharger
but is this engine will be putted in audi a8?
bear in mind, polo is not a luxury line, it is just a simple, compact hatch. car for masses
only some people in malaysia considers it as luxury, because all of those stupid tax by G
bmw went to turbo recently for their engines and slowly reducing cubic cylinder,
http://paultan.org/archives/2009/05/27/new-bmw-n5…
if u carefully see those pictures, it is still a FR layout, not FF. simply to put through, it is still RWD or AWD nevertheless the CC is shrinking or not.
just for your information, a FWD using transverse engine, which is called FF layout. look under any proton hood, and u can see the engine is mounted on east to west direction. this is FF.
barca,
"seriously folks, it’s just a simple question by Paul that deserves a simple answer: what’s your preferred luxury car?
so, there’s no need for us to test drive whatever car.
and there’s no need to question us whether we are considering of buying or in the position to buy one.
some of your comments have bordered between the lines of “show-off” and “don’t-talk-if-you-can’t-afford-or-you-don’t-know”
how pathetic."
Well, u're the pathetic one.
Toyota is still Toyota. period!.
and I saw there's so many Toyota/Lexus salesman here too..
most of them claimed they are the owner. hahaha..
Toyota trouble free? joke of the year!. Only salesman gonna say that.
anyway, instead of BMW..
I prefer Roll Royce.
that's! luxury is. :D
kelvin,
i don't see how am i being the pathetic one by just stating the obvious. the question, again, for your sake i suppose: what's your preferred luxury car?
wow…seeing how you go about defending the car (or depicting yourself) without really understanding what i'm getting at, i'm impressed.
READ IT AGAIN, BOY.
guess i hit that "pursuit of perfection" nerve at the very core, huh? :)
people, this has been a short demonstration of what a lexus MAY do to your well-being!
BMW, Merc, Audi or Lexus?
simple, if i want something nice to fetch my gf and fast enough to give ah beng some chase, i will get either a TT or M6 cabrio…
if i need a sedan for daily use, A4 (or maybe the sweet C230) is the car…
if i want to be the star of my small town, it gotta be a CLS or S-Class…..
and if i'm bored and too much $$$ to spend, i will get a Lexus IS to show to my neighbours, just to prove that their Volvo is lame….
Definately:
1. BMW, 2. MB, 3. Audi, 4. jag 5. alfa……………….99. lexus
what for waste money buying a toyota with wood?.
hate lexus apek design only suitable for 60+ old men.
if i got a lot of money, and dunno what to do with it,
this is my wishlist
1. jag xf
2. BMW M5
3. rolls phantom
4. brabus bullit
Exterior
1.BMW 3series
2.MB Cclass
3.AUDI A4
Interior
1.AUDI A4
2.MB Cclass
3.BMW 3series
I see some people have agree with Julian Lee, BMW the best!!!
I will buy one if this is Proton badge Savvy 2, c'mon Lexus, you want makes a car for kids?
price wishlist
1. proton – cheaper
2. kia/hyundai – 2nd cheaper
3. honda/toyota – expensive
4. lexus/ more expensive
5. bmw/merc/audi/ jag – too expensive
Hyundai needs to hurry up with the Premium Small cars in the US to prevent Lexus from obtaining a younger base of buyers. Lexus will be a Japanese BMW now. The Young wont be going into those cars anymore. Hyundai and VW both have to maintain their focus and be innovative in being the new Affordable Premium Ultra Fuel Efficient Alternative for the Young.
Unlike Hyundai, VW has a problem. It doesnt have a Cheaper than VW Brand like Hyundai has KIA. VW should Bring SEAT to the US, as that would be a good competitor to our KIA. Everything Else Except for Ford and Mazda is easy (Almost Trivial) competition for the New UpTempo KIA. Well at least in the US Market.