Lexus already developing BMW 1-Series competitor?

Monkey see, monkey do!

What's with the political inuendo?

the X6 and FX will not compete with each other when the X6 is released, and the FX wasnt desighned to be what the X6 is a compromised suv, that is more about sport, and styling, than usability. The FX has to be pratical because of its competition, the X6 doesnt, just like the CLS....not in the niche, or class....the X5 started the FX niche the performance crossover suv

these guys kill me with that monkey see monkey do crap... Didn't Mercedes and BMW jump into the crossover thing after Lexus... Oh how we forget!

The FX is all about sport. It shares the same platform as the 350Z and G37.

The Mercedes-Benz ML came out before the Lexus RX.

The thing is, the Lexus is a first, as it was the first FWD, car based luxury SUV.
ML was a new, seperate chassis 4x4 only platform.

What the monkey sees, the monkey do, when the monkey eats, the monkey craps!

Lexus = Monkey poo

Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!

When will the ToyLex fanboys ever get with the program.

Monkeys and Coconuts...

What the monkey sees, the monkey do, when the monkey eats, the monkey poos!

Gooooooo Lexus!!!

Corolla is getting a Lexus Badge LOL...

most lexus differ from a toyota in slightly different sheetmetal and softer leather only.

for example, the ES is on the camry chassis, has the entire camry powertrain and can easily be mistaken for a camry. radically different.

"and the ES is an AWESOME looking car. looks much better then any BMW"

Ok, bias is one thing, lunacy is quite another...

The Corolla is FWD - do you know anything about cars?

Sounds like somebody's (nicad) completely lost within the smoke & mirrors room....can some one please help him find his way?

OK, Lexus might use a different design studio than Toyota, but it wouldn't make financial sense to use totally different (or unrelated) vehicle platforms for the two brands.

Have you (M35MT) heard anything about the VW/Audi working relationship?

Passat is FWD. Isn't the A6/S6 RWD, with quattro AWD? Both both vehicles are share a similar platform, don't they?

Do you think Toyota developed the newest Corolla off a FWD only platform? It only looks like that because of sheetmetal and cost-saving designs to the exterior underside for FWD only exhaust systems.

It's smarter to develop a platform that can provide FWD, RWD, and AWD. It allows for so many different variations on one common platform design.

dumpsty - Audi's quattro is FWD biased.

"Passat is FWD. Isn't the A6/S6 RWD, with quattro AWD? Both both vehicles are share a similar platform, don't they?"

There are two things wrong with this:

• The A6 isn't on the Passat platform. It has its own platform.

• It comes in FWD, not RWD- but only on the 3.2 with CVT.

The only Audi that's based directly off of a VW is the A3. The A3 is a fantastic car that can't be knocked. On the other hand, the TT and Q7 may share platforms with them, but have been thoroughly re-worked.

dumpsty you know nothing about cars, please refrain from ever posting
the A6 has never beeen RWD, a mistake in my opinion

bmw and mercedes lead.
lexus follows.

Nicad you are insane. First you spew out all this BS of how "Lexus would never produce something smaller than an IS because that would cheapen their image (WHAT IMAGE!?)..." and now, now that Lexus is actually planning a 1-Series competitor it's "cool"? You're so full of it.

And there's not a single good-looking Lexus out there with the exception of the LS and GS.

nicad, you need to dial it down a notch. Your uncompromising bias is getting old. LOOK AT SOME OTHER CARS FOR ONCE. They're nice.

nicad:

you've gone off the deep-end buddy.
get help.

i believe nicad has about 12 or 13 accounts which he uses to de-boost everyone he doesn't like. funny. and sad.

sorry to disappoint nicad.
i only spend at most a few minutes a day on autospies.
no time to do more than comment.

Where is huu??

And Will?

I haven't seen Will post in quite a while actually.

How ironic...

nicad lexus volume sellers are toyotas. es350/camry; rx350/highlnder; lx450/4runner; do not know % of sales but at least 65%. lexus was created by toyota to retain owners of camrys/avalons. same concept on opposite scale with scion. quite simple

LX is a Land Cruiser Jackass.

If you're going to bash Lexus, at least get it right.

wait, you mean bmw and lexus are following audi, right?

I wonder what engine this will use? To compete with the 135i it will probably need to use the 3.5 V6 from the IS. Unless has a new engine in development.

Maybe for the top model in the US. Lexus will probably want to sell this car in Europe too to boost sales. They'll probably develop a new 4-cylinder engine or source one from Toyota. The IS220d diesel engine might be used or they'll develop a smaller engine (to compete with the BMW 118d etc.).

The only speculation about a "1-series fighter" I have read about has been this
little nugget of info from 001. Lets wait for some more proof from another reliable scource. After all, there are people who still believe that the LF-A
will not be produced.

Are you saying Autospies isn't a reliable source? :P

There is also an article about this on Motor Authority

http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/lexus/lexus-planning-euro-only-1-series-rival/

"After all, there are people who still believe that the LF-A will not be produced."

a pretty reasonable assumption since lexus still won't confirm or deny that they will produce the thing. normally, once a major car company teases the hell of journalists and enthusiasts with a car--they build it shortly thereafter. but not lexus! they've been teasing us and putting marketing plants out on this car since 2005. it's really, really old now. IS-F wasn't much better. they've been teasing that car for 18 months now and still won't share the damn stats.

"once a major car company teases the hell of journalists and enthusiasts with a car--they build it shortly thereafter."

Not necessarily, if you knew how the car companies worked you would understand that it's not that simple

and Lexus has to build a 1series/A3 fighter, i've been saying this for months

Won't the IS be the competitor to the 1 series. HA HA

The 1-series looks awsome in the 3/4 photo. I hope it comes in a dark, flat black....I cant decide between this and the Evo X! The BMW will cost more but be Lux, while the Evo will give me AWD...

I cant imagine a Lexus with 'smaller styling' than the IS...the IS already 'looks' small. BMW will dominate this niche...the A3 doesnt really count, as it is FWD biased and only available in a hatch (for now...?)

No flat black I am afraid. On BMWs International webpage it shows only 5 colors available.

that hideous titanium grey and volcanic orange are taking over the world...

"the A3 doesnt really count, as it is FWD biased and only available in a hatch (for now...?)"

Don't discount the A3 because of its drive. The 2.0T with DSG completely makes up for it- amazing powertrain. This is coming from an A3 owner. And the four-door practicality is an advantage.

S4
I didnt knock the A3, chill out guy! It's a sweet little car, spacious, AWD, built like a tank - it's just not a DIRECT competitor to the 1-series. Driving a hot hatch myself I'd be a douche to knock the A3.

Why did I get deboosted for praising the 1-series? This thread seems to be German biased for the most part...

Why does Lexus have to follow BMW's footstep every time? This article tells me alot about Lexus.

this article tells me that Lexus is a follower

i sure as well hope your never the boss of a company whether small or big

Lexus is still a fairly young brand, they haven't had time to move into every market, and these compact cars are new for luxury brands, is BMW a copycat with the X6, and if their copying anyone with this small car it's Audi, not BMW, BMW is the one that copied Audi.

mrgunfun...

the reasonf ro the intro to a 1-series competitor is to compete in europe. that is THE reason. without a small vehicle, Lexus has no way of surving their.

it's only smart thinking to gain market share. you all look at it as copy-cats, but to toyota/lexus, its competition in a market share.

when there's money to be made, there will never be one sole proprietor...its common sense in the business world!

Well said. Competition is always welcome in the capital markets and is the only true motivator for progress. If Lexus/Infiniti/Acura didnt exist, the arguements on here would be BMW vs. MB vs. Audi, instead of Germany vs. Japan.

An example...did you know that the 2002 Q45 was the FIRST car to offer a rear camera? Nearly all luxury/near-luxury SUV's and full size luxury cars have these now...and the Q was discontinued (For Now). Copy cats? No. Applying good technology/ideas to their cars to be competitive? YES.

m35mt thanks for correction. agree i am not a lexus fan. have means to afford a merc and bmw.

You mean your Daddy does or are you just a really immature 'Dr' going thru a mid-life crisis?

your comment makes no sense, when your spending 40 grand on a car you can afford an extra 5 thousand, if you can't then you dont know how to control your financnes and are in serious debt

last i checked lexus is similarly priced to BMW or Mercedes

You cant be surprised...did you actually think that lexus would, for the first time, NOT copy BMW? That would be abandoning the very foundations of their philosophy...

Actually, it wouldnt, as per the opinions of everyone in this thread - Lexus is not good enough to be compared to BMW.

Obviously you're all wrong with who follows who. You should all just get it right. Benz had the first car in the 1800's and everyone else is just a copy cat. Monkey see monkey do!

Its just a market people, capitolism. When there is money to be made a company will try to make it, it's as simple as that.
I must admit though, lexus doesnt really push the boundries like BMW and Mercedes do. Lexus never fails at producing the same old cars they always do, but they don't gain my respect like Mercedes and BMW do for thinking outside the box and making cars like the CLS and the X6. I'd rather someone open my eyes to new possibilities rather than keeping me running on the same comfy hamster wheel I've been running on for years.

Lexus; The relentless persuit of precision crafted blandness.

nicad...news flash...ES = Camry rebadged. Not sure why people have the need to rile others up over cars. Stick to the topic and don't go off saying ES is better than all MBs just to piss people off. nicad I already know you are david989.

and that's why the average ES buyers is....60!

This is very good business practice right here that Lexus has decided to make a 1 Series competitor. You know how they said it, keep your enemy closer than your friend.

Lexus is smart for keeping the BMW and their rival in sight like this. Hate all you want but in the business world this absolutely just ingenius.

1-series is a promising car....light, powerful...should be a ton of fun to drive. and it even looks good. i'd happily drive one day-to-day!

More wisdom from huu, what a guy...

Lexus is a joke, get a life.

Those are stock Supra's I presume, come on, you mod any car to go fast, the only thing these links prove are that you're 12 years old.

Maybe I exagerated saying every car, but certainly more than just the Skyline and Supra. Here's an M5 with over 1000bhp: http://tinyurl.com/2vhx96

Thats 1000bhp from a BMW 3.8 litre inline six. Hardly "some german or british piece of crap" ;) Remember, if it wasn't for the German's building luxury cars for the past century Lexus wouldn't exist, you at least owe the German's that.

m35mt who do you think affords these cars you idiot. go back and drive your nissan m35. you probably fit nissan demographics.

Wow, what an @sshole.

We don't need another one like you...

Dr, clearly you are a child, you cant even figure out how to 'reply' to my comments. I dont drive an M35. My car is a bit quicker than that...but hey, you dont even have your license yet, do you?

President Bush #1

Cool, so Lexus figured out a way to use the Yaris platform.

m35mt yeah 'reply' to comments of lying about my profession, being in 'midlife crisis' (I am 38), and immature. you need to "settle down Francis"

I like the numbers on the BMW! Good fuel mielage and good power! I cant read German so I didn't get much from this.I like Lexus, and the question is Lexus going to be as good on gas? The BMW is diesel.