[hasanazhar]

I wonder why Lexus doesn't bring a V12 to the US...obviously Americans have the money and desire to buy em (MB, BMW, Jaguar) all sell them here.
Toyota offers a 5.0 V12 in it's flagship Crown in Japan...why not redesign that car to make it look sporty and perform more like a Bimmer or Benz and bring it to the US.
The product planners at Toyota need to do some market research here...obviously they're not as aggressive as Honda and Nissan - not to say that they're not making good cars.
C'mon, where's the V8 Supra?
I happen to be a long time Toyota fan, and in light of the news released so far by the leading manufacturers (MB, BMW, Honda, Nissan, Audi, Jaguar), everyone's revamping their flagships with more power and amenities. Although the new LS430 seems nice, I think it won't be able to keep up with the upcoming Q45, 7 Series, XJ8, or S55.
They all have more power, sexier styling, more features, and competitive pricing.
There's no doubt Lexus makes great cars, I happen to own an IS300, but in order to keep up with the competition, they must upgrade their cars accordingly.

How to get in touch with Toyota on this matter?? Anyone?

black/beige
17"

 

[TEG]

Toyota is very focused on the bottom line - they do not want to sell a low volume car that will not bring in the profits.

The overall market for v12 cars is pretty small compared to everything else being sold.

In the USA, the MR2-Spyder is the closest thing to an "image car" that they offer. It would seem that they sell it to attract young customers to the dealerships rather than "big money" customers.

----------
VW keeps heading upscale. Pretty soon there will be a v8 Passat Plus, and VW/Audi will have their "W12" cars. Maybe their sales gains will convince some other manufacturers to head that way as well.

 

[brad]

Hmm, LS 430 beats the XJ8, Q, 7(40), S (430) in acceleration. They all cost about the same. And, do those other cars have a refrigerator, heated/air conditioned and massaging seats? Do they have an equal sound system? I think you might want to rethink your post.

Originally posted by hasanazhar:
I wonder why Lexus doesn't bring a V12 to the US...obviously Americans have the money and desire to buy em (MB, BMW, Jaguar) all sell them here.
Toyota offers a 5.0 V12 in it's flagship Crown in Japan...why not redesign that car to make it look sporty and perform more like a Bimmer or Benz and bring it to the US.
The product planners at Toyota need to do some market research here...obviously they're not as aggressive as Honda and Nissan - not to say that they're not making good cars.
C'mon, where's the V8 Supra?
I happen to be a long time Toyota fan, and in light of the news released so far by the leading manufacturers (MB, BMW, Honda, Nissan, Audi, Jaguar), everyone's revamping their flagships with more power and amenities. Although the new LS430 seems nice, I think it won't be able to keep up with the upcoming Q45, 7 Series, XJ8, or S55.
They all have more power, sexier styling, more features, and competitive pricing.
There's no doubt Lexus makes great cars, I happen to own an IS300, but in order to keep up with the competition, they must upgrade their cars accordingly.

How to get in touch with Toyota on this matter?? Anyone?

black/beige
17"

 

[AKRY]

Brad,

Performance Figure tells nothing. Message seats are offered on both Bimmer 7-Series and S-Class. Ice Box is optional on Both German Luxury for a LONG time, just that it is never available in this side of shore. S-Class has door closing ads on S-Class since 1991, and Lexus LS430 is the FIRST Lexus to offer it(Acura Legend Coupe(1992-1995)has it, though it was mechanical, less complex).

Look at the side line of LS430, it strongly resemble the W140 S-Class(1992-1999).

Though I have to say, that Lexus sure knows what stereo system to put in...

Andy Kuo

 

[EricK]

AKRY,
Brad has a point.... Compare the value of the S430 benz to the LS430. Xenon headlamps and Cd changers amonst everything else is optional on the S430. Acceleration is an important concern as well. The LS430 will be able to accelerate with the likes of the S500 Mercedes ($85K+) and faster than a BMW 750iL ($95K) at a price much less than that of a Mercedes S430. As far as sound systems are concerned the LS430 will have a MARK Levinson soundsytem which will be the new benchmark in which all factory sound systems are compared. The LS430 is destined to be a hit and a bargin in the company it's in.
As far as the V12 is concerned, Lexus contemplated bringing a ceramic V12 (in a flagship sedan) back in 1992 but abandoned the idea because of environmental reasons.
Eric....

 

[JW]

The flagship is the Century, not Crown...and it's a very ugly car used to transport execs around, so the suspension is like a wet noodle.

And I beg to differ about the "sexier styling" of the new Q45...that thing is just plain ugly.

A V12 is just excess for people more money than common sense...unless you want to tow stuff.

[This message has been edited by JW (edited August 25, 2000).]

 

[hasanazhar]

Thank you all for your replies. Don't get me wrong...I'm a big Toyota fan, and I commend them for being such a successful car company. Obviously they've proven that they can make high quality and largely popular cars. All I'm saying is that they need to have a few image cars too. Something to keep the inspiration high. Honda has the NSX, Nissan's bringing back the Z and a much improved, albeit ugly as hell, and powerful Q45, BMW and MB don't make anything but prestigious cars...perhaps Toyota should just buy out BMW. That'll only further strengthen their product line.
I agree that they focus on mass produced cars rather than limited-production niche market cars, but a few will only better their image.
I'm sure that the new 430s (LS and SC) would help them quite a bit, but if only they could up the power on that V8 engine, then no Infiniti or BMW driver could tell me that his cars got more ponies. I know that overall the car will be a good performer, but to get better reviews, and sales numbers, they have to make sure that their numbers are on top too.

So no one know's how to contact Toyota regarding such matter?? I pulled up their address from Yahoo Finance and wrote letters to all the top execs...got a letter back from their legal department stating that they can't accept suggestions due to some legal technicality. How else to get the message to them?

 

[AKRY]

Eric,

There are more than just comparing which car has what equipments. Sure Xenon CD-Changers are optional on S430, but All S has GPS standard, which is optional on LS430, as well as door close ad, which again, is optional on LS430. MB has always be conservative about performance figure as my 1992 actually accelerates from 0-100km/h 1 - 1.2 sec faster then factory spec. S-Class has Air Suspension, ESP, 4-piston cross drilled Brembo Brakes, which are all lacking from LS430(maybe except stability control).

As I say before, cars are now well designed, and it's more of a personal preference then actual competition. I have to agree that Lexus makes good cars, yet they are mostly soul-less(except GS400 and IS300, which I found quit amusing to drive).

Just my thoughts...
Andy Kuo

 

[mrclam]

well, about buying out bmw, its not gonna happen..ford tried to buy it this year and the quandt family basically told them to fuq themselves

 

[hasanazhar]

Actually, the LS430 does have an air suspension all around...the LS400 had it too (as an option). But cross drilled brakes are not being offered on the LS just yet. I don't even think they're neccessary. I think for the money (if they can keep it under $65K fully equipped) the LS430 would be the best car.
Although I didn't notice any headlight washers like the ones offered on all German marques, and the rims seem overly conservative. If they want this car to kill the competition, they definitely have to offer more stuff - standard. Perhaps munchier tires, more chrome outside, and definitely more power. It seems like the competition is still edging ahead.
BMW, Audi, Infiniti, and Jaguar are all working on their new flagships. True that the Lexus will be ahead of the competition when it's released, but I didn't notice anything so extraordinary and exclusive that will keep it that way. If they want this car to be #1, they should listen to the people who drive it. No one wants a Japanese Cadillac, the ultimate car is usually an MB or BMW.
Be inspired Lexus, and expedite your pursuit to perfection before you lose too much market share.

 

[mrclam]

i think te best thing lexus has giong for it is the amount of stuff you get for the price...i mean the ls400 comes fuly equipped for less than 70 i'm sure and maybe even less than 65, but mercedes and bmw both want like 100+k for their flagships...