Lexus exceeds LS600h sales target by three hundred percent

I wonder how many S600s are sold each year...

better to compare to the S550 since that gets the same acceleration as the LS600 and costs the same.

bleek:

you make such profound points. it's hard to argue with you.

you're probably right, rolls and bentley might as well shut down their factories now. who would want one of those when there's a car like the LS600 in the world.

gosh, you're so smart it's intimidating.

absolutley not.

lexus is selling tons of cars in the US. and they will continue to do so. they make big, luxurious, quiet cars. and lots of people want those. of course, those people tend to be over 60 and care most about reliability.

but back to the point....even lexus makes cars that make no sense. the LS600 is slower than the LS460, gets the same overall mileage and costs $33,000 more. so what the hell is the point?

who cares about the article? flame on ... It is just a LS600.

I entered a raffle to win a Lexus LS600.

If I win I'll let everyone know :)

Why? Are you putting it up for auction? LOL.

I would to get a REAL car!

Toyota must be laughing all the way to the bank at its customer ignorance in thinking that the LS600h really is a 'green' car when in fact, as illustrated by the press, it is the complete opposite.

it is a green car...ULEV2

that constitutes it as a green car, all while achieveing BETTER mpg than the v12 variants.

go figure!

"BETTER mpg than the v12 variants."

but this would only matter if it produced V12 performance. it doesn't. it barely matches the LS460 and the S550 V8 models.

but if you insist on your line of thinking... i have a V6 for you that performs like a V6 and gets better mileage than a V8. interested?

Those are 1,650 unsuspecting buyers...

What's that supposed to mean?

That they didn't know how unimpressive the fuel economy would be when they ordered it.

Well, if they can afford the car, they can afford the gas.

That's a lame excuse. If they can afford the car, they can afford another car that makes more sense.

Yeah, well apparently there are people out there who want it. That's what counts.

i think for one reason (probably the same reason for the 450h and 400h) which is from 0-25 the car is dead silent. apparently theres a lot of free money out there...

That and plus in the UK there are quite a few incentives for owning a Hybrid.

erm, yeah. It's dead silent when it RUNS ON BATTERIES only ---> WHICH IS NEVER except for like 5 mph

No silent upto 25mph, when the battery is full.

I'm not surprised that the LSh is more successful that thought. I've always thought it was a good car, despite the criticism it gets on AutoSpies.

That is exactly it...forget the fuel economy, as it's the same reason why a person buys a MB S65 over the regular S Class....why they buy BMW M5 over the 545..etc...just a status symbol to some, more meaningful to others...but in the long run ladies, this is just the begining for Lexus, as we all know they are a very covservative brand, they take their time in executing what they see fit at the moment. Why put all the cards at the table now? Can Lexus make a much more fuel efficient hybrid? Of coarse...but who else can compete at the moment?...And right now?... How many auto brand corps does it take to even make a 2 mode hybrid? And then say we have one too!!!...(finally)...Lexus has to wait for another 2 years before rivals can call themselves the official hybrid/diesel/hydrogen/E85/Fuel Cell competitor and so on. By then Lexus will have something just as good if not possibly better. Come on guys, I too love the euro marks...but more and more with your 2 cents response, you make the euro brand less appealing and more repetative at the same time talking about what we already know....remember Lexus is not trying to be like the Euro brands...they are just doing a good job re-inventing "The Wheel"...problem here is the nay sayers can't admit it...c'mon ladies Lexus has been in the game for only 19 years compared to others who have been doin' this for 100 years. If you think about the rate of speed both calculated risk and success made by Leuxs, it does not get any worse, just gets better....LMAO!!!

"That is exactly it...forget the fuel economy, as it's the same reason why a person buys a MB S65 over the regular S Class....why they buy BMW M5 over the 545..etc...just a status symbol to some, more meaningful to others"

The S65 has a V12 that produce 604hp, while the regular S550 produces 388hp. The M5 has a V10, 500hp, superior handling to the regular 5er. Try harder, this is not an excuse to buy a car that is overpriced, and offers less from the regular model. Its only there to satisy the treehuggers.

so what then, IS AN EXCUSE to buy an overpriced car?

it don't matter WHAT you think. or what kind of "excuse" you think is "justifiable" or not. people who have $100+k to drop on a car when a $60k car will work just as well DON'T NEED no excuses for doing WHATEVER they want to do!

"....remember Lexus is not trying to be like the Euro brands...they are just doing a good job re-inventing "The Wheel"...problem here is the nay sayers can't admit it...c'mon ladies Lexus has been in the game for only 19 years compared to others who have been doin' this for 100 years. If you think about the rate of speed both calculated risk and success made by Leuxs, it does not get any worse, just gets better....LMAO!!!"


precisely!

it is SO FUNNY how all the critics try to lambast lexus for not performing as THEY expect/think it SHOULD. but lexus seems to know their potential customers FAR BETTER than the critics. so they hit home runs, DESPITE all the supposed "faults."

face it folks! lexus is from the land that INVENTED judo/karate/aikido. all your criticisms are just hitting EMPTY AIR. meanwhile, lexus strikes accurately and perfectly at the desires of their intended CUSTOMERS. (and likely don't really give a shit about scribe critics and/or folks who think luxury cars' prime customers are all would be boyracers! LOL!)

they'll not only continue to succeed, they'll start stealing more and more sales away from the euro brands, just as they have from detroit.

remember this, when end of the year sales figures come out.

If BMW or MB or AUDI claimed to produce a Flagship Model that will be better than its regular model and provide an advantage over the regular model {Be it in Performance or Efficiency or Luxury Options} and then fails to deliver those advantages on the Launched Vehicles ALL PROPER CAR ENTHUSIASTS WOULD CRY FOUL.

Only Bias Blinded Fools would doggedly stick to the German Fanboys hate Lexus Rethoric when we have all said the LS460 is a Damm Good Vehicle but we feel the LS600h did not live up to the MANUFACTURER's CLAIMS, NOT OUR EXPECTATIONS.

It was lexus that claimed "V12 Performance with V8 Efficiency"
What was delivered was a Vehicle with "V8 Performance with V8 Efficiency" which also happens to be slightly worse than what you get form the LS460.

So you could have a Lexus V8 with V8 Performance & Mileage or you could have another Lexus V8 with V8 Performance and mileage but with >300lb more weight and Less trunk space for approx $25,000 premium.

I think i know which one ill choose.

I95!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

And actually... it's 600lbs heavier. It weighs more than a BMW X5.

Good for Lexus. I live in NYC and I've seen about 6 or 7 already; the headlights are especially cool. I wouldn't but one though but the car is definitely a triumph of marketing over engineering that proves car buyers make emotional rather than practical choices.

A few posts down, 001 listed Audi's US sales for YTD Nov 2007. The A8, which is a really great car (#1 in 2007 JD Power initial quality in a tie with MB's S-Class) only sold 3,475 YTD 11 months Jan-Nov.

I think that for automaker's to really succeed, they have to nail the car as well as the marketing. Kudo's to the Lexus MBA's who sat in their conference room and figured out how to hype both (non-fuel efficient) hybrids like the LS600 and the RX400 and get customers to pony up a premium for cars that don't handle as well (the LS460 brakes are lousy compared to others in the class and the handling is Cadillac-like) as the competition.

the suspension was made specifically to feel "cadillac-like" ..its not a sports car..its a luxury car

People buy into hype all the time. I'm sure many of these buyers bought the car for status. They want people to see them as wealthy or as "environmentally conscious"...

What a joke!

Next time I build and market a car to sell I'll claim my expectations to be 10 cars sold per year, so when I actually sell 50 cars I can claim a 400% increase over my initial expectations!!!!! WOW

It takes a real moron to be impressed by these numbers and someone stupid to fall for the marketing gimmick to underestimate and then overhype the actual results when you already expected them to be higher.

Longilanbimmer compares this to the number of A8s sold. Nice try. The A8, thoguh a great car, does not sell well and everyone knows that. It's pretty sad that you find it necessary to make a point about this particular car and not an S-Class for example. The fact is 6000 cars WORLDWIDE is hardly something to be proud of.

This article only proves what a failure the LS600h is given its broadly accepted knowledge that even a "lowly" A8 4.2 TDI performs better and runs circles around the Lexus AND is better equipped.

why do you want to run circles around lexus? (not that you are able to) something up your ass?

bingo vulcan.

they set a sales goal, produce 300% the number of cars and then sell them. voila! they meet 300% of their goal.

did anyone else here stop to think that they couldn't "exceed their sales goal" unless they had already BUILT THE CARS?

bleek:

"lexus numero uno"

huh?

if you mean amongst retirees in florida, then absolutely!

"This article only proves what a failure the LS600h is given its broadly accepted knowledge that even a "lowly" A8 4.2 TDI performs better and runs circles around the Lexus AND is better equipped."


this statement only proves meanvulcan is incapable of reading with comprehension. how does the article "prove" the ls600 is a failure, when it points out the sales are over 300% of initial expectations?

who really CARES what a lowly ugly and stinky audi diesel does? certainly NOT the 6000+ folks who bought the ls600!

"who really CARES what a lowly ugly and stinky audi diesel does? certainly NOT the 6000+ folks who bought the ls600!"

Wow, you are such an idiot.

'best of both worlds'

which worlds would those be?

huu, right on the money. People forget about emissions, and the fact that it nearly doubles the fuel economy of the 'competition'.

Wake up. 99% of the people who buy these cars BUY THE BADGE. They dont care what the car does, they care about what they can BRAG ABOUT!

Huu76

I know you are not that retarded

You should be comparing the LS600h to the S550 not the S600
LS600h 388bhp //0-60 6.1 s as tested// 20mpg city & 22mpg highway
S550 382bhp //0-60 6.1 s as tested// 16mpg city & 24mpg highway

I think this is a more sensible comparison,

You should always search for actuall Review Figures as opposed to Manufacturer Claims as this will let you know which manufacturers tend to be a bit Decorative with the truth about their vehicle stats.

Heres some food for thought:

Audi A8 TDi
272hp
479ft/lb

29.4 MPG

"it's still cleaner and greener than most anything the Germans can come up with"

The diesel A8 has been around for years...

"LS600hL 20mpg, S600 13mpg."

LS600hL 0-60 in 6 seconds, S600 0-60 in 4 seconds.

LS600hL standard with NOTHING (you have to buy a $7,000 package to get rear climate control), S600 standard with EVERYTHING.

LS460 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, standard with only a bit less than LS600hL, DRIVES BETTER, gets BETTER MILEAGE on the highway.

Great Job Lexus!

nice PR and marketing job lexus!
there's a sucker born every minute.

hahaha MeanVulcan, that was the lamest comment on the board. wow!!
cant you see it sold 6000 units from july to october. nice car by the way.

BMW fans are always talking about the emotional involvement that their have. They quote the feel and the thrill of driving the machine.
Lexus is just doing what is natural. One of the most important trends all over the world is environmental awareness. Toyota, and by extension, Lexus, has been much more intelligent that most carmakers recognizing this not just for the las Frankfurt autoshow. Yes, the LS600H may be an emotional purchase. The emotion that it evokes is just what the customers were awaiting from the indulgence of having a large luxury car.

BMW fans are always talking about the emotional involvement that their have. They quote the feel and the thrill of driving the machine.
Lexus is just doing what is natural. One of the most important trends all over the world is environmental awareness. Toyota, and by extension, Lexus, has been much more intelligent that most carmakers recognizing this not just for the las Frankfurt autoshow. Yes, the LS600H may be an emotional purchase. The emotion that it evokes is just what the customers were awaiting from the indulgence of having a large luxury car.

the buyers are fools who are kidding themselves that driving a 5,000+ pound car that's gets 14.9mpg is doing an ounce of good for the world.

this will come back to bite them in the ass.

it does NOT drive like a V12 in any way.

the V8 S550 even beats it in passing power--not just zero to sixty.

i mean seriously...

you don't strap a small electric motor to a V8 and suddenly say it's as good as V12. the claim seemed ridiculous. and it has been proven so in car & driver, motor trend, the new york times, and many other independent reviews.

If im not mistaken , a tahoe hybrid achieves better mileage!

Wow, bloggers who hate the LS600H are now trying to dust over the achivement of this big sale for the car by just saying things like "who cares, it is still a LS600H". Well the thing is the same folks have said it numerous times in all other autospies article about LS600, that they expect it to be a sale disaster because it has below average MPG and all. But i would like to remind them the LS600 is a niche car, and it was supposed to sell only 2000 worldwide, but now look at the response. There is no better way to shove those comments down their throat than by showing this result.

Lexus haters may be showing apathy to this result, but their senses must be struck joltly but this unexpected outcome. Kudos to Lexus, for a brilliant idea and the boldness to put it into production in the form of LS600H, even though they knew that a Merc V12 or BMW V10 would trounce LS600 in performance, the idea of making a greener high performance car made with many recycleable components would atleast show the way for future luxury cars. And guess Merc and BMW criticize the LS600h for lacking in power, but even they are almost on the brink of making greener cars that are way less powerful but more expensive then the regular models in the line up (for example BMW 7 Hydrogen, and Merc S 400 Hybrid, both are way less powerful than the regular performance 7 series and S class models, but will probably end up with much higher price because of the new hybrid and hydrogen engine technology), so why do they blame LS600H to be not high performance enough for it's price, when they are trying to do the same thing, BMW and MErc now look a bit like hypocrites. And by the way, the greenness of a car depends not on MPG but also on what is the carbon dioxide emission of the car, because use of efficient engines lowers the carbondioxide emission, which is the gas responsible for environmental pollution. And guess what LS600 H is a super ultra low emission vehicle (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) is a conventionally powered or gas-electric hybrid vehicle designed to produce minimal air pollution at their point of use, typically less than 10% of that of an equivalent ordinary vehicle - wikipedia). So absolutely it is way greener than LS 460 and any stock 7 series or S class, and that is the point of this car. Get it!

"But i would like to remind them the LS600 is a niche car, and it was supposed to sell only 2000 worldwide"

you are mistaken. lexus has always said that 2000 was their sales goal for the US.

"Wow, bloggers who hate the LS600H are now trying to dust over the achivement of this big sale for the car by just saying things like "who cares, it is still a LS600H". Well the thing is the same folks have said it numerous times in all other autospies article about LS600, that they expect it to be a sale disaster because it has below average MPG and all."

You have to realize that EVERY LS600hL SOLD in the numbers above was pre-ordered before the car's specs were released. Either that, or the people who bought them didn't check to compare their new "green" Lexus to its more efficient, less expensive gas-powered cousin next to it in the showroom.

Sales be damned... the LS600hL is not a justifiable purchase, emotionally or rationally. On the other hand, with the Germans you can have rational (diesels) or emotional (twelve- and eight-cylinder models).

I was in this car and drove it during about 2 hours way between St.Gallen and Stuttgart(suisse-germany) and generaly i don't drive smoothly and love the speed. It's not the first car that i drive. My conclusion? What is writen in Auto magazines is far to be true. And i was wonder why all of those negative things! Because when i've driven my self the LS600h it was a real pleasure to drive. No wonder that the sold more than excpected. They will sell even much more.

Now go drive the LS460 for the same distance & time and then try to justify the price difference over the LS 460

I will do that for sure. And i'll do this also with MB S550 and 600.

And you will find that the LS460 is better than the LS600hL.

And that the S600 is better than the S550.

I'll say my word after trying myself the 2MB and also the LS460. Have you already treid all 4 cars?

Boring looking car, interior feels very Toyota...

300% more idiots trying to be 'green'

Good to know that AUDI, BMW and MB are trying to have their hybrid for latest 2010. And Porsche will have it for 2009 as they say here in europe. So who is idiot?

Oh yeah, having a hybrid makes Lexus 'green.' Too bad it gets less than half the mpg of the Prius. Some other stellar 'green' performers from Lexus:

Lexus GX470: 15mpg
Lexus RX350: 19mpg
Lexus LX470: 13mpg(!)
Lexus SC430: 19mpg

and it goes on. Just wait until diesels are approved in the US as they have been in Europe for years. Then you will see a real reason to call a car 'green.'

LMAO!!!...I'm lovin' this love hate relationship of Leuxs. And I'm sure Lexus japan is lovin' the responses said all around the world. Bottom line is, that you say hybrid is useless, but the rivals do it too. You german fanboys say that MB has created a more efficient hybrid for the S-Class with better power output and much better milage(a flagship model with a V6 not a V8 as you can clearly see that is how far they can truly go in engineering by mating a hybrid to a diesel motor...a diesel motor I think is just over shadowing the lack of hybrid engineering by claiming power and efficiency. And this is with a mutliple company merger on hybrid tech?!?!?...wow that's all they can come with?) And by the way it won't be release for at least another 2 years...let alone they have to prove relaiblity in the real world. As for Lexus all the cards are not on the table as of yet, while they fiddle their thumbs and wait for the rival's debut, Lexus is determined they will send them back to the drawing board. BTW, I am currently at Mercedes dealership getting my 2007 S-Class diagnosed/repaired due to some computer glitch issues for the 3rd time...should have taken my LS460 to work let alone could have taken my 93 LS400 instead...I love my MBs' too german fan-ladies, but let's be realistic here they are not the only luxury wheels in the world we can all enjoy...LMAO!!!

Hmm.

I wonder which outcome would make the German-only geeks here truly happy. The LS hybrid being a sales success, or a sales failure.

It is quite hard to tell sometimes because good review/bad review, positive story/negative story, every Lexus topic posted here gets the same "Lexus sucks" treatment from all of the usual suspects.

The A.W.E.E.M.

Autospies WannaBe European Enthusiast Majority

As I have so appropriately named them.

Lexus doesn't sucks, just the LS600h

motor trend summed it up well...

"In the end, the Lexus strikes us as ideal for CEOs who've made their fortunes plundering the earth's resources and want to appear to be making amends. It said little to us beyond "Forgive me; I'm not quite the guzzler I appear to be." Its smugness irked us almost as much as its undeserved 600 badge. We'd all sooner drive the tire-smoking LS 460L for $33K less, so it finishes fourth."

this car is about nothing more than PERCEPTION. and sadly, substance doesn't matter all that much in today's world.

another well written explanation of this car...

"The LS600hL’s real payoff is, of course, psychological. For one thing, car-haters won’t have to listen to the faint purring of a vulgar internal combustion engine– or at least not as often. For another, owners can say they drive a hybrid. But none of this will stop the globe from warming.

In the final analysis, the only point of the LS600hL is to assuage the guilt of shallow, label-conscious snobs. That’s an expensive cure for a senseless affliction. In that sense, the ‘h’ in the model’s name might as well stand for hypocrite."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/reviews/lexus-ls400hl-review/

It's not really a "snob" issue. Honestly, if I had that level of income, I'd really be interested in buying the LS600hL. I appreciate the luxury and the ability to save some money on gas through these various technologies. I like gadgets and all the little electronics cars have in them these days.

Believe it or not, wealthy (and the rich) do like to save money when they can. Look at some gracious celebrities...they love to receive free products from businesses trying to advertise to the celeb and to the fans of that celebrity. But the point is: it's free, they can keep their money and have new products.

OK, the LS600hL is fast and powerful, but not every owner cares about 0-60 track times. Most won't even drive the car faster than 80mph on the highway and won't ever be in a rush to get anywhere. The car will be relegated to rush hour stop-and-go traffic (where the hybrid works best) and mall parking lots with valet. They'll have their their gas tank filled every 2-3 weeks like those who drive $25k Camrys and Accords and enjoy the luxury of driving a Lexus.

"I appreciate the luxury and the ability to save some money on gas through these various technologies."

It would take almost 4,000 years to recoup the price difference between the LS600hL and LS460 due to its fuel economy "advantage."

Thumbs up!!! Kudos Lexus.

Lexus is clearly focused on recognizing what their intended customers want.

It does not matter to Lexus execs that the guy who can only afford a $30k (or even a $50k) vehicle doesn't like the $100k LS600hL. He can't buy it.

When the customers that can afford a $50k hybrid luxury car or SUV want one, Toyota/Lexus will have one available. Toyota put the money into the research for a system that works and is the easiest to execute in a number of their products. Their Hybrid Synergy Drive is paid for (unlike the 2-Mode Trans.) from plenty of Prius, Camry, RX-hybrid sales. GM and Chrys should really consider 2-mode hybrids for their small and mid-sized vehicles now...at least to keep up with Toyota. How many people appreciate the Escape/Mariner hybrids?

Actually the Prius is a loss maker, it is subsidised by other hybrid sales.

WRONG! the prius started as a loss leader, but has been profitable for quite awhile now.

Congrats Lexus ! Let's see how this evolves after the fad has disappeared. Does anyone know retail sales slice ?

Like many other bloggers, I was disappointed that the Lexus LS600hL did not perform up to either expectations or Lexus's own standards. (The LS460 or LS460L would be wiser choices.) I also think that high-tech turbodiesel engines cost less, and offer better fuel economy and performance than gasoline-electric hybrid powerplants.

That said, I can see why the sales success of the big Lexus came as such a surprise to so many of us. The underlying reason for the surprise is that Lexus and auto enthusiasts like us have different conceptions of what a "luxury sport sedan" should be.

To most gearheads (including me) such a vehicle should be a good-looking, roomy, comfortable, luxurious sedan that can accelerate, handle and brake as well as a sports car - a sort of 4-door Ferrari. Audi, BMW, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz are the major luxury car manufacturers striving toward the "4-door Ferrari" ideal.

There have been a number of cars that have come fairly close to this "4-door Ferrari" ideal - the Audi S6 and S8, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the BMW M5 and Alpina B7, the Maserati Quattroporte, and the AMG versions of the Mercedes E-and-S-classes come to mind - but so far so cigar.

Audi and BMW are planning to introduce new versions of their A8 and 7-series within the next 2-3 years. Perhaps these new models will handle better than their predecessors and finally achieve the "4-door Ferrari ideal". Perhaps not.

The Lexus folks define a "luxury sport sedan" as a good-looking, roomy, comfortable, luxurious car that offers acceleration, handling and braking capabilities modestly better than a typical family sedan - in other words, a Lincoln Town Car with a little more pizzazz and performance.

I remember speaking to a veteran Mercedes-Benz sales manager about the Lexus LS400 when it was introduced in 1989. He told me that Toyota was not aiming to take over the market segment then dominated by BMW and Mercedes - too small and too difficult to conquer. He said that what Toyota REALLY wanted was the market segment then held by Cadillac and Lincoln - much larger and easier to conquer.

As it turns out, that salesman friend was right. Lexus has been consistently eating Cadillac's and Lincoln's lunches ever since 1989. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and have also increased their market share at Detroit's expense, but they have not been as successful as Lexus.

The competition in the luxury segment is intense. Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz are as robust as ever. Recently Cadillac and Infiniti have become much more competitive. Even Lincoln has (very recently) shown signs of recovery.

The LS600hL's initial sales success is testament to the soundness of Lexus's marketing strategy. But the other major players mentioned above are not giving up without a fight. The battle should be fun to watch, and the consumer will benefit greatly from this intense competition.

Very Sound Analysis

well said. a number of good points--particularly the observation that cadillac and lincoln were the brands really hurt by lexus.

"Audi, BMW, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz are the major luxury car manufacturers striving toward the "4-door Ferrari" ideal."

You can't forget the Quattroporte, which really is the world's only "4-door Ferrari," IMO. I mean, it has a Ferrari V8.

Otherwise, great analysis.

Thanks for the praise, S4. And thanks for pointing out that a major chunk of the LS600hL sales so far were to customers that had ordered the car before it was available and before the automotive press could test-drive it.

You are right about the Maserati Quattroporte. Not only does it have a Ferrari engine, but the early design work was done during the period when Ferrari ran Maserati directly. (Now Fiat runs Maserati directly. But as Fiat also owns Ferrari, I don't know if the management change makes any real difference.)

Please note that in the next paragraph I mentioned the Quattroporte as one of the handful of sedans that have come fairly close to the "4-door Ferrari" ideal. The reason I didn't mention Maserati in the sentence you quoted is because I didn't think Maserati sales were big enough to qualify as a "major" manufacturer.

Come to think of it, maybe I should have mentioned Jaguar as well in that sentence. But again I wasn't sure if their sales were large enough to qualify as a "major" luxury sedan manufacturer. If a decent firm buys it from Ford, and if the new XK-F sedan proves popular, Jaguar might very well reverse its recent bad fortunes.

Yes, that's pretty much what I assumed. You were only including mass-market luxury makes in there.

I can't get over the Quattroporte, though. It is the most beautiful sedan on Earth, unquestionably. The 2008 Audi S8 is close, though...

"Que bella!" What more can you say about the Quattroporte? Other than it's fast, agile and comfortable, I mean.

If only Maserati could improve its reliability and durability, I might save up for a Quattroporte myself.

There is a TV car program in France called TURBO. Three weeks ago, they've tested the LS600h. No negative point they told about this car. And they confirmed factory datas.

The LS600h isn't popular in Europe at all. What are you talking about, Bleek?

Europeans, unlike the average American consumer, are not easily swayed by marketing hype, especially the BS claimed by Lexus. I have many European friends with whom I keep in contact with and I always travel to France and Germany during my summer vacations. Fact is, Lexus markets their hybrids as "fuel efficient" alternatives in Europe, which is a blatant lie. The average European consumer is smart enough to see that an overweight car that is only powered by an electric engine in the city will not achieve stellar fuel economy values. Here in America, I get the feeling that the word "hybrid" means "fuel efficient", which isn't really the case. Buyers fall for the marketing hype without much thought. Europeans seem to be more critical and open minded.

I don't know where you got that idea from that the LS600h is popular "outside of America". It isn't.

Bleek

Do you live in Europe ?

If not, Shut UP.

"the LS600hL is extremely popular outside of america"

what a silly statement.

so one of the world's largest carmakers sells less than 2,000 cars on a continent of 750 million people. and that makes it extremely popular?

you really have drunk the lexus kool-aid.

bleek:

"bill, you're a total moron."

look in the mirror.

Which country are you from ?

I am from the UK and i do not see a great popularity for it over here.
I see a lot more RX400h and GS450h but not much LS600h.

They're not talking about the LS600 over here, I've only seen one LS460. I doubt I'll be seeing many LS600h's. Cars with engines that large just don't sell in high volumes over here.

i saw 6 of them in the north pole when i was feeding santas reindeers, who cares

this info is nothing new, good job lexus, btw have anyone seen this car @ night, the lights really makes this car looks stunnin.

"face it folks! lexus is from the land that INVENTED judo/karate/aikido. ALL your criticisms are just hitting EMPTY AIR.

"meanwhile, lexus strikes accurately and perfectly at the desires of their intended CUSTOMERS. (and they likely don't really give a shit about scribe critics and/or folks who think luxury cars' prime customers are all would be boyracers! LOL!)"


not to repeat myself, but as the stream of criticisms on MINOR to totally POINTLESS "issues" still continues, it bears repeating.

all you huffy fools can CONTINUE just wasting your breath. it doesn't make a gnat's fart worth of difference in the real world.

bleek:

what 'fact' are we struggling to accept?

the FACT that mercedes and bmw each sell over 1.2MM cars a year and lexus sells 400,000?

Weather Bleek boy is from europe or not...and hybrids are popular elsewhere outside of North America, even if it's 1 sold or tens of thousands. Bottom line it's being accepted regardless, and I mean the concept of "hybrid" you yahoos tend to forget it's an evolution that will continue to evolve weather you like it or not. And it can and will evolve to cars running on pure electricty, let alone being able to mate to a fuel cell, hydrogen, diesel, E85 ethanol, and of coarse petrol and so on. Toyota/Lexus will be relentless on this level of egineering simply b/c they have the patience, persistence, brains, and of coarse the funding to execute their point everyday. So to the people who love it, praise it. For those who hate, just turn a blind eye and wear those ear plugs, cause hybrids they are here to stay.

The word you meant to use is "whether", not "weather". Two words with completely different meanings.

"bleek" if Lexus is building some of the best cars in the world right now, why aren't any of their models considered leaders of their segment.

BMW & Mercedes tend to be the real segment leaders, I love Audi but let's face it, they’re not really building any segment leaders either.

However Audi has still had more segment leaders than Lexus, with the A8 being the segment leader there until the release of the S550, the RS4 until the M3, & the S6 is currently it's own segment leader. I can really only say Lexus has had the LS & the soccer mom’s dream RX as a segment leader, but the latest LS certainly is not.

How many times does that make it that Toyota/Lexus has made EVERYONE look like fools, when told they couldn't do something?
The clock is ticking on the BMW/Mercedes Hybrids arrival.
Back of the line. Back to the drawing boards!
DrFill