What car is quietly hurting the 5-series, E-class and A6?

The key is sales, in May BMW 5-series and MB E-Class sales were down while the Lexus GS and Infiniti M35/M45 sales were impressive.

However 5-series and E-Class monthly sales are still way ahead of the Lexus or the Infiniti. The real news will if/when in one or both of the Japanese overtakes the 5-series or E-Class in US monthly sales - I think this could happen sometime in 2005. The MB E-Class is losing sales to its sister - the new CLS-Class, despite being discounted about 10%. Yet the BMW 5-series is very expensive when loaded, and I think it will ultimately be the bigger loser.

Meanwhile the Acura RL is languishing, and revised Audi A6 is hardly receiving a raptuous reception.

On balance agree the Lexus GS is outperforming most expectations. However, for the record, I predicted strong success for the GS based on the public's reception I observed at the Miami autoshow late in 2004. I did not expect the Infiniti M35/M45 to do as well as it has - but the more competition the better!

im glad the competition is forcing BMW and MB to wake up, but i still dont like the GS from the outside. from the inside, it might be another story.

and the fact that their service experience is way better than the others, i think also has alot to do with it. they will cover you under warranty for everything unlike honda/acura and other unnamed companies.

Lexus 450h, upcoming Lexus 600h or RX400h and possibly even upcoming IS460h also have no competition either!..gravy train ride from here!

Lexus 450h, upcoming Lexus 600h or RX400h and possibly even upcoming IS460h also have no competition either!..gravy train ride from here!

This 001buster, is confused between reality and state of dreamlike state crated by figment of his imagination.

Boy, I'll educate you on what Prestige is. Car is just a piece of metal and rubber. Nothing more son. Their ain't a damn thing prestige crap on a car if you ask me.

This boy is acting like its end of the world because Japanese are about to pummel his favorite cars. Well, let me tell you sonny..Competition is a good thing. It wakes up other manufacturers to build things better. All I gotta say to this idiot.

This 001buster, is confused between reality and state of dreamlike state crated by figment of his imagination.

Boy, I'll educate you on what Prestige is. Car is just a piece of metal and rubber. Nothing more son. Their ain't a damn thing prestige crap on a car if you ask me.

This boy is acting like its end of the world because Japanese are about to pummel his favorite cars. Well, let me tell you sonny..Competition is a good thing. It wakes up other manufacturers to build things better. All I gotta say to this idiot.

Lexus's inception year was 1989.

There in lyes your answer.

Lexus's inception year was 1989.

There in lyes your answer.

LEXUS NAMED BEST MANUFACTURER IN 2005 DRIVER POWER SURVEY

Lexus’ reputation of having the most satisfied customers in the UK has again been acknowledged with the luxury car brand topping the 2005 Driver Power report released in this week’s Auto Express magazine.

For the fourth consecutive year Lexus was named Best Manufacturer in the car reliability and satisfaction survey that seeks drivers’ opinions of their own cars.

Over 50,000 people took part in the 2005 Driver Power survey and rated their cars in 10 key areas including performance, reliability and quality.

The excellent levels of customer service from the Lexus network of centres across the UK were also recognised with the brand topping the Best Dealers list.

The Lexus IS200 was also named the car with the Best Build Quality, another acknowledgement of Lexus’ exceptional quality reputation.

Steve Settle, Lexus Director, said: "Lexus has always aimed to deliver a premium automotive experience to our customers by providing high quality products and superior levels of customer service. This year’s Driver Power report is a strong indication that our customers are very satisfied and also reflects the outstanding work being done by our centre network.

"As Lexus launches an exciting range of new models over the coming year, we will strive to deliver even higher levels of quality and customer service to ensure Lexus owners are more satisfied than ever."

LEXUS NAMED BEST MANUFACTURER IN 2005 DRIVER POWER SURVEY

Lexus’ reputation of having the most satisfied customers in the UK has again been acknowledged with the luxury car brand topping the 2005 Driver Power report released in this week’s Auto Express magazine.

For the fourth consecutive year Lexus was named Best Manufacturer in the car reliability and satisfaction survey that seeks drivers’ opinions of their own cars.

Over 50,000 people took part in the 2005 Driver Power survey and rated their cars in 10 key areas including performance, reliability and quality.

The excellent levels of customer service from the Lexus network of centres across the UK were also recognised with the brand topping the Best Dealers list.

The Lexus IS200 was also named the car with the Best Build Quality, another acknowledgement of Lexus’ exceptional quality reputation.

Steve Settle, Lexus Director, said: "Lexus has always aimed to deliver a premium automotive experience to our customers by providing high quality products and superior levels of customer service. This year’s Driver Power report is a strong indication that our customers are very satisfied and also reflects the outstanding work being done by our centre network.

"As Lexus launches an exciting range of new models over the coming year, we will strive to deliver even higher levels of quality and customer service to ensure Lexus owners are more satisfied than ever."

Stop your damn whining and enjoy the world of Auto you fool! Its getting to you ain't it? You should really take a break from this, Son! You are clearly not making sense anymore and losing it LOL. You make me stronger every day, 001buster and I thank you for that though:) And getting me more interested in Lexus morethan ever!

Stop your whining!

Stop your damn whining and enjoy the world of Auto you fool! Its getting to you ain't it? You should really take a break from this, Son! You are clearly not making sense anymore and losing it LOL. You make me stronger every day, 001buster and I thank you for that though:) And getting me more interested in Lexus morethan ever!

Stop your whining!

Lexus has become synonymous with luxury since its introduction in 1989. By offering some of the finest quality luxury vehicles and providing benchmark customer service, Lexus has become the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States for five years in a row. Lexus and its 210 dealers have repeatedly achieved high honors for both the products they sell and the customer service they provide as rated by the independent research firm of J.D. Power and Associates.

Lexus has become synonymous with luxury since its introduction in 1989. By offering some of the finest quality luxury vehicles and providing benchmark customer service, Lexus has become the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States for five years in a row. Lexus and its 210 dealers have repeatedly achieved high honors for both the products they sell and the customer service they provide as rated by the independent research firm of J.D. Power and Associates.

NEW LEXUS GS STARS IN EuroNCAP CRASH TEST

Lexus GS is the safest executive class car for adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection

The new Lexus GS has been awarded a best-in-class five star rating in the latest EuroNCAP crash test for adult occupant protection with 35 points. The new GS has received the maximum score for side impact, and a top-in-class result for the frontal impact test with 15 out of 16 points.

The new GS has also achieved a best-in-class result for pedestrian protection with a total of 18 points (two stars) and a rating of 41 points (four stars) for child protection.

These remarkable results make the new GS the safest car of the executive class for adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection.



OVERALL POINTS
STAR RATING

Adult occupant protection
35 - Best in class
*****

Overall frontal impact
15 (93%)


Overall Side impact
18 (100%)


Seat belt reminder
2


Pedestrian protection
18 – Best-in-class
**

Child protection
41
****





The new Lexus GS is equipped with the most technologically advanced active and passive safety systems available.

These include a new Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system that automatically prepares front seatbelt and emergency braking to help reduce collision damage and injury. PCS works in conjunction with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which automatically controls the GS’s speed in relation to that of the vehicle ahead.

The GS430 adopts the latest generation of Lexus’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). This integrates ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) active safety systems with the Electric Power Steering (EPS) and Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) to give better performance, traction control and stability.

The GS is equipped with up to 12 airbags. Rear seatbelt pretensioners are fitted as standard, as is Adaptive Front-lighting (AFS), which improves visibility through bends. The car’s front bumper, cowl and bonnet have been designed to offer better protection against pedestrian injuries in a collision.

The comprehensive use of thickened cross members allied to extensive bracing within the floor platform offers enhanced torsional rigidity to significantly improve both driving dynamics and impact safety for the new GS. The high durability of the crash box and front side member, together with the enlargement of bumper reinforcements, further enhance energy absorbing efficiency.

"The Lexus GS has been created with the express aim of achieving maximum safety," says Karl Schlicht, Vice-President of Lexus Europe. "Our target was not only to protect the cabin occupant when an accident occurs but also to develop innovative accident avoidance systems like Pre-Crash Safety and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management.

"We are delighted to see our efforts recognised by these outstanding EuroNCAP crash test results."

The new Lexus GS300 and GS430 go on sale in the UK from 15 April.

NEW LEXUS GS STARS IN EuroNCAP CRASH TEST

Lexus GS is the safest executive class car for adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection

The new Lexus GS has been awarded a best-in-class five star rating in the latest EuroNCAP crash test for adult occupant protection with 35 points. The new GS has received the maximum score for side impact, and a top-in-class result for the frontal impact test with 15 out of 16 points.

The new GS has also achieved a best-in-class result for pedestrian protection with a total of 18 points (two stars) and a rating of 41 points (four stars) for child protection.

These remarkable results make the new GS the safest car of the executive class for adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection.



OVERALL POINTS
STAR RATING

Adult occupant protection
35 - Best in class
*****

Overall frontal impact
15 (93%)


Overall Side impact
18 (100%)


Seat belt reminder
2


Pedestrian protection
18 – Best-in-class
**

Child protection
41
****





The new Lexus GS is equipped with the most technologically advanced active and passive safety systems available.

These include a new Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system that automatically prepares front seatbelt and emergency braking to help reduce collision damage and injury. PCS works in conjunction with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which automatically controls the GS’s speed in relation to that of the vehicle ahead.

The GS430 adopts the latest generation of Lexus’s Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). This integrates ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) active safety systems with the Electric Power Steering (EPS) and Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) to give better performance, traction control and stability.

The GS is equipped with up to 12 airbags. Rear seatbelt pretensioners are fitted as standard, as is Adaptive Front-lighting (AFS), which improves visibility through bends. The car’s front bumper, cowl and bonnet have been designed to offer better protection against pedestrian injuries in a collision.

The comprehensive use of thickened cross members allied to extensive bracing within the floor platform offers enhanced torsional rigidity to significantly improve both driving dynamics and impact safety for the new GS. The high durability of the crash box and front side member, together with the enlargement of bumper reinforcements, further enhance energy absorbing efficiency.

"The Lexus GS has been created with the express aim of achieving maximum safety," says Karl Schlicht, Vice-President of Lexus Europe. "Our target was not only to protect the cabin occupant when an accident occurs but also to develop innovative accident avoidance systems like Pre-Crash Safety and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management.

"We are delighted to see our efforts recognised by these outstanding EuroNCAP crash test results."

The new Lexus GS300 and GS430 go on sale in the UK from 15 April.

LOS ANGELES -- Bob Carter realizes that free espresso ain't what it used to be.

The new Lexus Division general manager knows that his dealerships' once-special touches now have plenty of imitators. For Lexus to hang on to the customer-satisfaction crown, it must find new ways to surprise and delight its owners.

"A free espresso, an explanatory meeting in the service drive and a detailed car afterward was 'wow' back in 1994. But not today," Carter says.

This will be even harder as U.S. Lexus sales peak.

Lexus has sold the most vehicles of any luxury brand in the United States for five years running, reaching 287,927 unit sales last year. Lexus could sell 350,000 units annually by the end of the decade. As Lexus approaches 2.5 million vehicles in operation, and just 210 U.S. dealerships to handle them, it will be difficult to make the customer feel special, Carter admits.

"When you buy a car, it's not relevant to you whether we sold 300,000 others or 40,000 others," he says. "What is relevant is the one that you bought."

As a result, Carter, 45, is looking less at Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar for ideas and more toward Four Seasons Hotels, Tiffany & Co. and Nordstrom.

"When you purchase a Lexus, the ownership experience will be better than anywhere in luxury retail," predicts Carter, who took his post in April. "Not just automotive -- more like the Four Seasons."

This is Carter's fourth stint at Lexus in his 24-year Toyota Motor Corp. career. He was part of the launch team and worked in dealer development and Lexus' field offices. His most recent job was as vice president of sales for Toyota Division.

Near the top

Lexus has perennially been at or near the top of the J.D. Power and Associates' customer service and sales satisfaction surveys. But the brand wants to elevate its emphasis on what it calls "customer engagement."

The idea is not mere advocacy. The goal is to make the consumer feel he cannot live without his Lexus dealer.

To help dealerships meet the challenge, Lexus sponsored a series of three-day summits in April.

Dealers were given reams of data regarding luxury customers compiled by the Gallup Organization. They also were sent to the training center for Four Seasons Hotels employees to learn the expectations of luxury customers.

"This goes beyond a customer checking the survey box of whether their car was washed after an oil change," says Deborah Meyer, vice president of marketing at Lexus. "It's about the way the dealer treats you that makes you want to go back."

Lexus dealerships have to pass those lessons along to their employees, too. After all, a dealer principal may live in a Four Seasons world. But his porters, service techs and receptionists do not.

Putting on the Ritz

One unidentified dealer was shocked, Lexus says, when his employees told him that the pinnacle of customer service was the T.G.I. Friday's restaurant chain.

In response, the dealer is making every employee stay a weekend at the nearby Ritz-Carlton hotel -- on the dealer's dime. After this pampering, the employee shares his or her impressions with the dealer.

Another dealer was impressed by the Genius Bar at the Apple Store chain, where employees answer Apple Computer-related questions.

Lexus is giving no additional financial incentive for dealerships that improve their customer service scores.

Says Meyer: "The reward is in the basis of the business model, when sales and profits go up

LOS ANGELES -- Bob Carter realizes that free espresso ain't what it used to be.

The new Lexus Division general manager knows that his dealerships' once-special touches now have plenty of imitators. For Lexus to hang on to the customer-satisfaction crown, it must find new ways to surprise and delight its owners.

"A free espresso, an explanatory meeting in the service drive and a detailed car afterward was 'wow' back in 1994. But not today," Carter says.

This will be even harder as U.S. Lexus sales peak.

Lexus has sold the most vehicles of any luxury brand in the United States for five years running, reaching 287,927 unit sales last year. Lexus could sell 350,000 units annually by the end of the decade. As Lexus approaches 2.5 million vehicles in operation, and just 210 U.S. dealerships to handle them, it will be difficult to make the customer feel special, Carter admits.

"When you buy a car, it's not relevant to you whether we sold 300,000 others or 40,000 others," he says. "What is relevant is the one that you bought."

As a result, Carter, 45, is looking less at Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar for ideas and more toward Four Seasons Hotels, Tiffany & Co. and Nordstrom.

"When you purchase a Lexus, the ownership experience will be better than anywhere in luxury retail," predicts Carter, who took his post in April. "Not just automotive -- more like the Four Seasons."

This is Carter's fourth stint at Lexus in his 24-year Toyota Motor Corp. career. He was part of the launch team and worked in dealer development and Lexus' field offices. His most recent job was as vice president of sales for Toyota Division.

Near the top

Lexus has perennially been at or near the top of the J.D. Power and Associates' customer service and sales satisfaction surveys. But the brand wants to elevate its emphasis on what it calls "customer engagement."

The idea is not mere advocacy. The goal is to make the consumer feel he cannot live without his Lexus dealer.

To help dealerships meet the challenge, Lexus sponsored a series of three-day summits in April.

Dealers were given reams of data regarding luxury customers compiled by the Gallup Organization. They also were sent to the training center for Four Seasons Hotels employees to learn the expectations of luxury customers.

"This goes beyond a customer checking the survey box of whether their car was washed after an oil change," says Deborah Meyer, vice president of marketing at Lexus. "It's about the way the dealer treats you that makes you want to go back."

Lexus dealerships have to pass those lessons along to their employees, too. After all, a dealer principal may live in a Four Seasons world. But his porters, service techs and receptionists do not.

Putting on the Ritz

One unidentified dealer was shocked, Lexus says, when his employees told him that the pinnacle of customer service was the T.G.I. Friday's restaurant chain.

In response, the dealer is making every employee stay a weekend at the nearby Ritz-Carlton hotel -- on the dealer's dime. After this pampering, the employee shares his or her impressions with the dealer.

Another dealer was impressed by the Genius Bar at the Apple Store chain, where employees answer Apple Computer-related questions.

Lexus is giving no additional financial incentive for dealerships that improve their customer service scores.

Says Meyer: "The reward is in the basis of the business model, when sales and profits go up