Lexus & Infiniti Not Planning On Competing With BMW's 5GT - SMART or SCARED?

Lexus had a similar kind of concept some years back, I think it was called the HPX or something, but it never made it to production which in a way meant that it just was not feasible at the time!

The HPX, which later changed its name to the LF-X, did want to become a vehicle similar to the 5-series Gran Turismo. Lexus hoped that it could accommodate a V8 and everything, but the LF-Xh's design immediately aged, and Lexus was pushed into the hybrid territory while Lexus hoped to keep pace with aggressive designs. The RX obviously isn't really out there, but it serves the purpose of being a great vehicle for moms, dads, and many others. Many people who see it in person would notice how cute it is, how strong it is from other angles, how sharp it is from a low point-of-view, how handsome the vehicle can be, and how nice the packaging is.

Lexus succeeded with the RX by not staying true to its ambitious envisions, while BMW will probably have less luck with its more focused 5GT, but I respect BMW for making this vehicle what some people want it to be (rather than to make it what people need it to be).

This car is a Gran Turismo for sure, and it deserves it BMW badges. With the two monitors behind the front seats and the four seat configuration, this car seems really perfect for the businessmen.

This car could've been BMW's bread-and-butter, but unfortunately, it seems destined to sales failure. Scary how that's the way it is. Could it be because of the fact that the rear trunk opening mechanisms take up so much of the cargo entry room (or at least feels like it)? I would buy this car if I had money to throw around; I really want to support the existence of this vehicle as much as I want to support the existence of the CTS-V wagon.

I heard AMC is coming back to compete with it...Lexus & Infiniti know they don't stand a chance...

scared

"American buyers famously don't favor hatchbacks, even in the lower market segments, so the introduction of the big-money 550i GT and the ZDX -- and to a lesser extent, Honda's new Accord Crosstour and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Venza -- has generated a lot of what-were-they-thinking criticism."


lexus and infiniti are SMART. they're NOT going to throw money down a rathole with vehicles of so far LIMITED to NO appeal like this.

IF the honda Crosstour catches on, there may further, sportier Acura ZDX versions. the Venza seems to have found more traction so far. if a Lexus version seems viable, they MAY offer one later. for now, they'll just wait to see if BMW has LAID AN EGG. or not.

SMAERT!

uh, smart? duh?

Answer: Smart.
But Infiniti on the other hand made an even uglier car, the New Infiniti QX56. If new FX is a bionic cheetah what is QX56? Bionic Hippopotamus.

JUGNU

Wow how old are you? You would love driving around a FX or QX if you could afford one. By that comment your probably a 16 year old kid who drives around a POS 1998 honda accord and hates Infiniti because your mom drives a BMW.

nice try adidas, you must be new, cuz that is not JUGNU. He is very respectable towards all brands, especially Infiniti.

Let acura compete with the ZDX. They do share 1 thing... Looks.

Smart. These designs are answers to questions no one is asking. Heavy, poor visibility, etc. If a woman wants the higher ride hight, she'll go for a small-medium SUV most of the time and avoid this remarkably compromized vehicles.

They are smart. Why waste money to make a car for a niche market, especially one that is not very attractive. The ZDX can can compete with this thing for the few customers there are.

infiniti doesn't produce niche cars. lexus rarely produces anything that's not mass marketed. it's not how those brands work. they are about volume at a value price. niche cars break that model.

Get it right! Toyota & Nissan.

SMART

I dont think Lexus will even think of a niche bodyshape. They have committed to making Ecological branding the cornerstone of Lexus. Hybrids are their Mojo. They along with parent Toyota have invested billion s and billions to get Hybrids where they are and they have a lead of one technology generation on the rest. Rest assured the coming years will see an explosion of Hybrids. The myth of an affordable pure EV died with the 40k Nissan Leaf. the fact that the Chevy will need to be heavily subsidized is also going to make it a small manufacturing run.
The mass conversion of Europes automakers to this new religion after screaming for diesels is also forecast as they all agree that they cannot let Toyota walk away with the future of this technology.
Why ? because the 2 largest markets ( China and the US) are walking towards it . China's own nascent automakers are gearing up for a massive push with EV's as their USP.
So yeah, while local auto mags foam about the Mustang GT, the Hybrids are raking in the moolah, infrastructure and future relevance for Toyota. The coming onslaught of Hybrid cars from Toyota and higher gas prices this summer will underline this fact.

Probably SMART. But that does not mean that BMW is not. Even though I don't care for the look, the 5 GT will enhance sales of the 5 series altogether. Even in the US, where it "replaces" the slow selling wagon.

I say smart because the Gran Toursimo looks to be another vehicle of questionable usefullness. It's not a sedan but has 4 doors, it's not a crossover but has a hatch. It walks the line between the two but seems the answer to a question nobody ever asked.

Living here in Germany, I do see a few driving by from time to time, but I don't think this cars styling will ever grow on me.

Great Move. Now if Infiniti and Lexus build an attractive wagon and offer it with a V6, turbo 6, V8 and AWD variants (one or some of those combos) they can win more marketshare. With Volvo potentially out of the wagon market it seems time for someone to play against the upcoming beaked out Accord Tourer.