Lexus plans to take over the world with hybrids

In 1983, Toyota Chairman Eiji Toyoda called a secret meeting of company executives asking them a question that would change the luxury segment as we know it today. “Can we create a luxury vehicle to challenge the world’s best?”

“Back when it started, there were a lot of questions whether Lexus would work or not,” Dave Illingworth, a senior vice president at Toyota who was in charge of Lexus in its first stages, told The Detroit News.

Now, within 11 years, Lexus’ has become the best-selling luxury nameplate in the United States. Toyota now hopes to continue that success around the world and transform the premium brand conceived for the U.S. market into a global luxury nameplate to rival Mercedes and BMW. Currently BMW’s and Mercedes-Benz’s sales are twice that of Lexus'...
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Airliner - 9/11/2007 12:39:15 AM

+1 Boost

Truth is... we shouldn't want it to work. These large batteries once used up will be worse for the environment than all the fuel it ever saved it’s users.

EnnNorak - 9/11/2007 8:32:42 AM

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Lexus is all about marketing hype and overpricing the product; if you have to buy a Toyota product, buy an Avalon as that is where the best value lies.

Czelinski - 9/10/2007 4:39:49 PM

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Mercedes have already created more impressive hybrids than Lexus, it better designed vehicles. How do they plan to do this? It's no longer a monopoly for them.

Alec - 9/10/2007 4:46:33 PM

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Taking over the world with Hybrids? Probably not going to happen, as diesels do better. Only reason hybrids do well is cause of the USA and its high gas prices. Europe got more diessels than hybrids and so does japan. Maybe diesel hybrids will take over the world, but not hybrid of gas and electric.

ceric - 9/10/2007 4:55:58 PM

0 Boost

The future belongs of vehicles of various energy sources (fuel cell, full electric, pure-diesel, diesel-hybrid, gas-hybrid, pure-gas, and bio-fuel, etc.) Not a single energy source is gonna take over the world. Personally, I believe Honda's diversified strategy is a better bet than Toyota, which is putting all eggs on hybrids. Other than Prius, non-other models are really selling well in long runs.
(P.S. 1st year release does not count. Remember RX450 also had a long waiting list? How is the sales figure now? Very bad.)

david999 - 9/10/2007 5:29:25 PM

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Exactly 06GS300. The articles are basically the same thing. They are telling us what a growing luxury car maker's strategy is for the future, and we have
people on this site hoping that it fails because that would somehow raise the image of their favourite Euro (German) marque. Why are they so scared?
When Lexus makes great vehicles it pushes other car companies to improve their products. We all benefit as consumers that way.

Atenza28 - 9/10/2007 7:12:56 PM

+3 Boost

Lexus isn't winning anything yet, but as you said just after that they are putting up a great fight. They shall continue to do well for some time as long as they crank out very good cars. They have some possible stunner vehicles ready to drop. We shall see. It will be very interesting to watch!!

Bill - 9/10/2007 7:22:30 PM

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What a dumb title - designed to get the crazy Lexus fanboys all excited and the German fanboys all angry. It's working...

Bill - 9/10/2007 7:37:58 PM

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I need to stress this again.

Hybrids = OVERHYPED

If the average person on the street tells me that hybrids "deliver good fuel economy and emissions in ALL SITUATIONS", then you know you have a problem. These people don't do research, they allow false marketing to convince them. This is what has happened in America. We're a nation of overweight and lazy bastards who'll buy anything if we're told it's good - without thinking that we're being fooled.

Will_ - 9/10/2007 10:53:49 PM

+6 Boost

"ALL SITUATIONS?"

Who is saying that? There will always be misinformed people out there but there is no need for your constant negative generalizations of Toyota/Lexus drivers. Just as there are some people who believe that, there are just as many out there that wholeheartedly believe that Mercedes-Benz makes the best cars in all categories. In both situations, the informed know that it's just not true...

Star - 9/10/2007 7:47:41 PM

+1 Boost

YAWN....

BimmerFan - 9/10/2007 9:01:46 PM

-2 Boost

double yawn...

germeezy2 - 9/10/2007 8:56:03 PM

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Lexus is proof that Americans can be idiots, Europeans don't put up with crap products just because of marketing.

Will_ - 9/10/2007 10:55:37 PM

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Europeans value intangible history and prestige over real reliability and quality. At least that's what most German fans argue here.

enthusiastx11 - 9/11/2007 12:00:40 AM

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americans aren't idiots and europeans consumers don't differ in principle from american consumers.

what does differ is consumer tastes. a number of americans like larger, comfortable, quiet cars and really couldn't care less about performance or handling. hence, lexus-which was designed for them. europeans prefer smaller, tighter handling cars than emphasize performance over luxury.

so please stop calling people names.

Kinger - 9/11/2007 4:53:45 AM

-1 Boost

"intangible history and prestige over real reliability and quality"

Its not intangible, its called character, and Japanese cars don't have any of it. How many Japanese cars become classics? Where as old Mercs and BMW's become classics because they have character, there's something that draws you to the car, you become attached to it, that doesn't happen with Japanese cars, they have a mass produced feel, rather than a feeling that the car was actually made for you.

Kinger - 9/11/2007 4:57:58 AM

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Why don't I let Clarkson explain it for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Ffpx6PSBY

david989 - 9/11/2007 6:26:24 AM

-2 Boost

All European cars are crap. They can't touch the benchmark, Toyota and Lexus.