Toyota freshens Lexus image to woo young

Lexus needs to use Trance music.. show club scene in Tokyo if they want to appeal to global youth.. kids like to dance.. Lexus is stuffy and old and same as Acura in minds of youth..

How about an entry-level, luxury minicar, Lexus?

They may be reliable, but they just aren't as sexy as recent Euro cars.

They are just over-priced Toyotas with a different name and badge, in the main based on regular Toyota cars. Both Toyota (Lexus) and Nissan Infinity in 1989 mimicked Honda who established Acura as their 'luxury' division back in 1986, all focusing on the North American market, after the Plaza Accord off 9185, devaluating the dollar.

They do have a marketing problem, as they are so similar to the usual bland Toyota offerings, it is hard to differentiate them. The brand just does not have a personality.

Lexus needs to develop exclusive, brand-specific models. Platform sharing is OK (and very successful for VAG), but simple rebadging (of pipe-and-slippers models in the past, for example) is a No No, as wanderlust said.

Develop a distinct DNA to avoid such disasters as Lexus' rebadged Soarer being named Top Gear's worst car ever.

Ironically, the use of low paid, contract labour, embraced by companies such as Toyota, has left a huge fraction of the population unable to afford a car.

I could afford one, but I prefer to spend my money on holidays, rather than paying good money to sit in a queue of traffic that moves slower than my bicycle.

One more example of an industry trying to sell on the memories of the good old day. Since most people here will buy these cars solely because of their MADE IN JAPAN badge, our once leading industry does NOT need to be the best in its segment to survive. I think they will keep on selling cars in the domestic market but will be more and more dependent on the ailing domestic market.

Do what Nissan does. Put up something like the GTR and youngsters would flock for the brand.

Camry and Corolla is just not sexy. These names feel like they belong in the retirement home instead of youngsters cruising to woo the ladies.

I remember my first car was a Mustang, got so much ..... with that. I couldn't imagine myself driving a Toyota. Too boring. Used to drive a IS in Japan but the constant traffic kills the purpose. And now that I'm making a good living, I got a Range Rover and a M3. Was planning on the GTR but too risky. It just attracts the wrong crowd. Japanese cars other than those nice Nissans and Infinity just don't quite have the same appeal anymore.

Its a good problem to have though, most youngster don't have any money anyways. Why focus on them?

Put up something like the GTR and youngsters would flock for the brand

Not sure what type of youngsters you are referring to, but most of the ones I know can't afford a 10 million yen car.

The best most of them can do is a used Daihatsu Move with a turbocharger, teddy bears on the dashboard, gaudy after-market LED lights and a loud muffler.

Lexus just isn't a sexy brand. It never has been, and never will be. It's a brand for affluent older people who still believe Made in Japan (and made by Toyota - I know plenty of older folk who would never touch a Mazda, Honda or Nissan) is the pinnacle of automotive engineering.

You can't defeat an idea whose time has come - sounds like young people finally see through the empty marketing promises and realize that in a well-designed city cars are unnecessary, burdensome and expensive. "Kuruma banare" all the way- it will make all of our lives better.

LFA. If you want one, work harder.

Most younger people can't afford a Lexus. Need to make a Lexus K car or hot hatch.

Lexus should discount the price of their cars for the younger drivers then ....never mind the personality-lower the price through promotions and comps!

young rich people? an oxymoron if I ever heard one in this day and age

Lexus car is superior in quality over BMW and Mercedes. I have 2 Lexus cars and never have problems so far. However, my friends who own BMW and Mercedes always need to see their dealer' Mechanic. Design is not brilliance but over all quality is better than BMW and Mercedes. Some peoples buy European made car for showing off but most of business man in Australia love Lexus because Lexus is reliable and no need to go to workshop often.

"Toyota's luxury brand Lexus"

This always reminds me of that scene from Analyze That":

Car salesman Paul Vitti ( Robert Deniro ): What are you driving these days?

Customer: A Lexus.

Paul Vitti: A Toyota, right?

Customer: It's a Lexus.

Paul Vitti: Yeah, Toyota, Lexus, same thing eh. Japanese, right? Let's not forget Pearl Harbor.

Har!

Most people commenting on here just do not understand the automotive industry.

Lexus have an entry-level car - the CT250h. Starts at around ¥3.5m - ¥4m. The IS250 also starts at around ¥4m - ¥4.5m. There's only so low you can set the entry-level bar before jeopardising a brand. On the other end of the scale, Lexus built the LFA to reinvigorate the brand - watching the documentary on this car will change your perception entirely of Japanese cars.

Without wandering too far off-topic, they built a special factory within the grounds of the Toyota site solely for developing and manufacturing this car. All parts were fabricated in this top secret plant, and all carbon paneling was done by hand. The workers were referred to as "takumi", not simply "plant worker" and were given unlimited overtime in order to complete each of the 500 examples (which have since all sold) to absolute perfection. They even spent 4 years developing the LFA - only to restart the project after the project leader decided he wanted to switch to a full-carbon monocoque frame!

I've seen a number of these in person and my god the sound is like no other car on the road.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is - Lexus is definitely heading in the right direction. Their new cars are by and large entirely different in look and feel than any Toyota (mind you, I was disappointed by the faux woodgrain the LS460h I sat in).

Toyota has struck gold with the AE-86. Where I'm from in Australia, there's a 2-year waiting list for one. They give you a bog standard sports car for a reasonable price and let you have at it (under the Scion moniker in the US, I believe). What more can you ask for? (well, possibly a next gen Supra!)

Lexus car is superior in quality over BMW and Mercedes. I have 2 Lexus cars and never have problems so far. However, my friends who own BMW and Mercedes always need to see their dealer' Mechanic.

I used to think that way which is why I bought a Honda Accord. Good quality and low cost of ownership. But so far I've put in a rack and pinion system, I have warped rotors, a shake in the car over 70 mph that the dealership hasn't been able to pinpoint, and the fit and finish just isn't what it should be with little things like visor clips falling off. Now not only do I have an incredibly boring car, I've put it in the shop more than my friends with American cars. With that in mind I'm going to go with something more exciting next which takes Lexus off the list. I'd much rather have German.

Compared to German cars, Lexus has more of a styling problem. Lexus IS350 exterior design isn't bad, but the IS' new face seems a bit too visually busy, with lots of elements competing for attention, but not really working well together. From the front wheel wells and back, the rest of the IS' sculpting is actually quite good. I particularly like the rear quarter and the way the wraparound taillights integrate elements of and flow into the profile. Those wanting performance to match the aggressive looks will probably lean toward the 306hp IS350. The IS surprisingly quiet and well balanced for a performance with high levels of comfort and build quality. Probably alot better buy then a same price 4 cylinder BMW328, Audi A4 or MB C250.

Lexus have an entry-level car - the CT250h. Starts at around ¥3.5m - ¥4m.

Actually it's the CT200h.

Both the Merc A Class and BMW 1 Series start at 3 million yen. The CT200h is overpriced by 50man.

Most young people here go for kei cars anyway, those with cash (or rich parents) buy a lot of European Cars and there are other Japanese brands with sporty cars, Mazda, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan.

I have driven a lexus, a mercedez and currently owns a BMW and a Range Rover I can say for a fact that driving control and quality wise, Mercedez and BMW wins out. Particularly the Mercedez. The controls, steering, turns, torques, the details for the driver and passenger is just FAR superior to BMW (other than steering) and Lexus. Lexus's electronics and navigation however is far superior than the Germans. But the quality of the car and driving, Germans hands down. There is no comparison really.

And BMW has a 4yr 50k miles factory warranty. Lexus doesn't have any of that. Toyota has a 2 year warranty. So is Japanese car as trouble free as German cars currently? I don't think so. And driving a Mercedez or BMW on the street is much cooler than any Japanese cars. That's just a fact in US and its definitely a fact in Japan. M3 is a head turner. GS350 or IS250/350 aren't.