If you research the upcoming Lexus IS-F to any degree the first thing you notice is lots of hype but hopelessly few details.
There are plenty of videos of smoking tires and power drifts. Impressive yes, but any 16 in a 66 Dodge Dart could do the same. If you press a little deeper you may find more videos of staged dyno runs where you hear the rumbling exhaust but no hardcore figures to chew on.
The Nissan GT-R by contrast debuts roughly at the same time but here we actually can see the fruits of our efforts and we are rewarded with not only videos, but horsepower stats and even Nuringburgring lap times. By contrast Lexus has probably logged a similar amount laps on the ring but we have no information at all to indicate where the car will stand next to its peers. Frustrating to say the least for any enthusiast especially a true fan
To give as an example, I actually stumbled on to a forum conversation on Club Lexus where the vacuum of information and its negative impact was discussed. In the thread at least one person discussed actually withdrawing his deposit on an IS-F simply because he did not know what he was going to get. His fear was the hype was just that, hype and he would be better served buying something else. A very real problem in public perception.
Is the IS-F going to be limited in production or not? The first figure rumored is a limited run of 5000 copies. Now due to the information vacuum some dealers are reportedly quoting a limit of 2500 units and are now pricing accordingly with additional premiums. A call to my local Lexus dealer again echoed a 2500 unit limit was expected for the 2008 model run.
What is the point of this exercise you might ask? Well, when dealing with the Germans you get a lot of information in advance, sometimes 2 years in advance, and more details enter the pipeline as the debut gets closer. The enthusiast not only has an idea of what is to come, but he can make rational decisions and judgments on just where his favorite model will stand next to its peers. The American’s are not quite as forth coming with the information up front but it tends to trickle out more often and eventually you get the same end result before the debut.
For some reason Lexus has decided this time to rely on intangible forms of information, such as tire smoking videos Do they raise awareness? Yes. But the also give nothing in the form of cold hard facts. Is this a disservice to the potential buyer, or part of a larger issue?
I’ll give two scenarios to discuss in closing:
Scenario 1: The IS-F will debut with class leading performance levels and the secrecy was merely to keep to competition in the dark and blindside them in a brilliant PR move. There will be a new “King of the Hill” and the “F” moniker will be on par with the legendary “M” from BMW. Pure brilliance!
Scenario 2: The IS-F will not place near the top in side by side comparisons and Lexus knows it. The secrecy was maintained to allow PR cover their tracks and possibly announce more powerful version in the distant future. In this scenario Lexus will use tried and the proven philosophy of “We may not get you there first, But we will get you there every time!” Perhaps relying on brand image and reputation to smooth over the potential performance failings. History has proven that the Lexus typical buyer is forgiving in this area and is willing to accept 80% of the performance for 70% of the price.
Will the IS-F be a marketing success? Yes! They will sell every one the can make and there will probably be a healthy gray market until supply meets the demand. But will it be a performance success? As long a Lexus remains tight lipped we won’t know until for at least another few months.
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