Have The Germans Finally Been Handed The Keys To The Luxury Segment?

Perhaps that doesn't seem fair, true, but M-B's seem to get a more thorough mid-cycle refresh, and get a few tweaks every year so that a Benz in the 6th year of the model cycle doesn't seem terribly dated. The new Lexus IS, for example, is almost identical to the one introduced in 2006, save a few strips of LEDs and new wheels. The 2012 S-Class, however, has had its exterior tweaked, got a few new options added each year, a new powertrain or three since its introduction in 2007, and so, at least to me, even a year before it gets completely redone, it still looks fresh and attractive. Most Lexus, however, start to look dowdy two or three years after their introduction, and then 3 years after that, with little to nothing done to keep them exciting, they seem downright old.

lolz.
tell that to Porsche, or Audi.

manufactures cannot do much about mid cycle refresh. if you list number of mid year updates you will find BMW/MB is just as lame.

and yes, BMW/MB USED to have a bit more mid year updates, and that was because they were doing 8 years or 12 year cycle (W124 from 1984 -1996, W126 1979-1991, W140 1991-1999).

if anything, you have to thank Japanese auto makers to speed up the process.

Seems like a fairly biased article in terms of the glass being half-empty. Lexus is still very nice car and the overall experience is really excellent compared to other brands. Built comfort not speed.

sports:

your mother is a 65 year old woman. she should drive a lexus.

by the way, BMWs have a supple suspension that absorbs harsh road elements but also allows you to FEEL the road.

go drive your corolla off a bridge.

No, because the Germans already had the keys to the luxury segment -- Audi, Mercedes, and BMW each outsell Lexus anywhere from 3-1 to 5-1 worldwide, and the gap gets bigger every year.

absolutely agree JRob... The "Germans" has always had the keys... Lexus never had them, unless you are narrow-minded and believe the US auto market is the only market in the world....

"This article refers to the US market, which the Germans have always coveted"

Over 70% of Lexus sales in America are from the Toyota-based RX and ES. No wonder they have the sales crown. Wow!

@sportsbike

Pathetic how you only have one model to keep falling back on...

They never lost the keys. Especially worldwide. Why is it that when Americans talk about certain products they act as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist? Only dumb Americans buy Lexuses in mass. The rest of the world isn’t that stupid.


And besides MB was building luxury cars way before lexus hit the scene in 1989. I’d take an S-Class (or a 7 series) over a LS-460 any day of the week. But I’m not the typical American.

Which mark do I "Badgewhore" over another?

What specifically is my bias?

I guess the rest of the world (Global Sales) doesn't matter to you? That makes you the typical American for not acknowledging that the rest of the world matters. Funny

***I have to stress again that German autobahns are basically public race tracks***

What? If the cops catch you racing against another car on the Autobahns you can kiss your drivers license good bye for eternity (unless you're a diplomat or something and have diplomatic immunity).

I like driving fast on the Autobahns, but "racing"? Never. If you want to race there are a ton of public race tracks in Germany that you can use.

Wimmer

You might be correct with regards to the Law in Germany but i have to tell you, I have been in numerous races on the Autobahn and have yet to be stopped by the police for it.

Now i do not mean Reckless Races, just Really Fast Driving.
This is only possible for these reasons:
*The Germans have very good road manners and always drive on the slow lane unless they are overtaking.
*They only change lanes after they have looked in the mirror and if they see a vehicle fast approaching they wait until that vehicle is past before they commence lane change maneuver.

Few times i witnessed bad driving on Autobahn the vehicle registration was Belgian or French {The opposite of the things i listed above } I shudder to think how many accidents those arseholes cause because of their carelessness.

Toyota started selling "Lexus" in Japan in 2005 after it's launch in the US in 1989. Toyota projected annual sales of "Lexus" in the JDM of 50,000 units and Toyota barely sells around 19,000 units annually in Japan. And blazinboy you are correct about the brand status as they are not a manufacturer as "Lexus" has never built anything!

Honestly, all these arguments about the luxury sales crown in the US are getting old.

Lexus was designed first and foremost for the North American market. That's the reason their cars sell so well in that market - but not globally. In Europe the "biggest" markets for Lexus are the UK (partly because of their Americanized tastes) and Russia. But their sales are still a joke when compared to their competitors in that market. Lexus simply doesn't appeal to us Europeans. The lack of brand pedigree and history is also a major turn-off. Here a luxury brand has to stand for something and Lexus is seen as a pretentious wannabe luxury brand because they have no heritage and history compared to their rivals. Sounds snobbish? Well, it is. When someone here sheds out a lot of money for a luxury brand it better be a luxury brand, not a poseur brand. That's literally the only way I can explain this.

The European cars are designed with more markets in mind. That's the reason European brands offer a variety of different engines, trim levels, option packages etc. This kind of stuff works in different markets and buyers expect this as well. The idea that one can customize their car with the features one wants is very appealing to many people.

Thank You.

I have tried many times to explain this to the americans on this site with little success.

+1 for Wimmer...

Agreed. I do not understand people trying to defend Lexus... If it is the company's strategy to remain primarily in the US Market and only start to explore other markets in the world, then its the company's strategy, do not try to make excuses. The company knows they will not sell well outside the US, so they only focus on the US Market.

probably not. germans still can't get reliability right.

korea will overtake germany in the lux market soon enough.

good one...