Norihiko Shirouzu, Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Denny Clements, head of the Lexus brand in the U.S. Here are his comments on the IS:
In the entry-level luxury segment -- which has been growing as vigorously as the segment for $70,000 or above luxury cars -- Mr. Clements said Lexus is looking to offer more body styles and other variants for the redesigned IS car in an effort to dislodge BMW's near monopoly on sporty, entry-level luxury-car buyers. Lexus hasn't said exactly when the redesign IS would arrive in dealer showrooms, but one Toyota official said it should come within the next two to three years.
Mr. Clements noted BMW sells about 10,000 3-Series cars a month, which he said are offered in several body styles, including convertible, and with powertrain and other options. "A half of those sales are coupes, and I don't even have an IS coupe in my lineup," he said.
Currently, Lexus offers two IS models -- a sedan and a hatchback. "We need for sure a coupe, a convertible and a sedan with multiple powertrain offerings," said Mr. Clements. He went on to say, "It's important for us to be competitive in the entry-level luxury segment" to capture those 30-something consumers who are buying BMWs. "Those are young professionals that are going to be luxury-car buyers for the rest of their lives."
Here's a link to the entire article:
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/040115/1420001220_3.html
which also discusses Lexus' need to move in the other direction: models positioned above the current LS and SC.
In the entry-level luxury segment -- which has been growing as vigorously as the segment for $70,000 or above luxury cars -- Mr. Clements said Lexus is looking to offer more body styles and other variants for the redesigned IS car in an effort to dislodge BMW's near monopoly on sporty, entry-level luxury-car buyers. Lexus hasn't said exactly when the redesign IS would arrive in dealer showrooms, but one Toyota official said it should come within the next two to three years.
Mr. Clements noted BMW sells about 10,000 3-Series cars a month, which he said are offered in several body styles, including convertible, and with powertrain and other options. "A half of those sales are coupes, and I don't even have an IS coupe in my lineup," he said.
Currently, Lexus offers two IS models -- a sedan and a hatchback. "We need for sure a coupe, a convertible and a sedan with multiple powertrain offerings," said Mr. Clements. He went on to say, "It's important for us to be competitive in the entry-level luxury segment" to capture those 30-something consumers who are buying BMWs. "Those are young professionals that are going to be luxury-car buyers for the rest of their lives."
Here's a link to the entire article:
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/040115/1420001220_3.html
which also discusses Lexus' need to move in the other direction: models positioned above the current LS and SC.
issed:
