Apocalypse Now: What Would Happen If The Germans Bought Acura Or Lexus?

Call it hypothetical Thursday around here.  It is pretty obvious that the Japanese luxury makes have a different definition of what a luxury car should be compared to the Germans.  It can be said the Germans single handedly created the premium market decades ago while the Japanese may have taken a less sophisticated yet equally opulent approach to the same concept.

To the bean counters out there it would seem like the Japanese have may have taken the better approach in this mixed up economy.  After all, less complexity equals less cost and overhead and therefore more profit.  But a quick look at the bottom line of the automakers is showing quickly the tables have been turned.  Recent events and market dynamics have made the German wildly profitable while the Japanese are scrambling. I guess you could say it is the perfect setting for a hypothetical takeover.

Now for the record let’s set the logistics aside and concentrate on the philosophy of the issue.  What would happen if one the Germans were to buy Acura, or heaven forbid even Lexus? 

Would they try to slot them in as equals, or as a sub brand to an existing category?  Would they retain the straight forward and simpler architecture or begin infusing the well known German complexity to the mix?  After all we all know a German cup holder can’t be considered proper unless it unfolds and expands in six different directions but only holds a can of soda but no big gulp. 

Would they move the factories from Japan to cheaper labor markets to escape the high Yen? (Imagine a Lexus proudly built in Croatia) Would the buyer benefit more or less from the driving experience, customer service, or reliability perspectives? There is a lot of ground to cover here, so air it out and tell us how this apocalyptic scenario would pan out.  Have fun!



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truckman - 9/20/2011 4:35:40 AM

+1 Boost

I must disagree with the car looking the same, look at BMW, ok they do look similar,lol, but way better than any Japanese vehicle, and the quality of the German vehicles would be way better than what Japan uses, I am not talking about Acura just Toyota, they have been guilty of using poor quality metal blends so they rust prematurely, and yes the reliability on the Acura/Lexus would go down, but look much better, and you are right they would cost more, but I doubt it would be $25,000. more.

PLAY - 9/15/2011 1:11:42 PM

+14 Boost

They would put a cheaper interior into the car, build a less reliable car, and of course stick a badge onto the front of it, thus allowing them to raise the price by $20,000.

JRobUSC - 9/15/2011 6:24:11 PM

+5 Boost

"stick a badge onto the front of it, thus allowing them to raise the price by $20,000"

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (and I'm sure I'll be deboosted to negative infinity for telling the truth), but that's exactly what Toyota did for the U.S. market when they created Lexus. Did you know that until a few years ago every vehicle that was sold here as a "Lexus" was sold everywhere else in the world as a "Toyota"? Only recently did they start doing for the rest of the world what they've been doing here and rebadge those vehicles everywhere else as "Lexus" models, along with a nice price increase to go with the new badge. And you know what happened when they did? The rest of the world said "wait, what? Why are you suddenly asking us to pay more for the same car that you were selling last year as a Toyota?" And sales have been terrible, as you'd expect. The only market this trick worked in was the good old U.S.A. That's why Lexus has been the #1 selling luxury brand in the U.S. every year and an astronomically distant fourth globally, because the rest of the world didn't buy the marketing.

motor1 - 9/16/2011 11:34:49 AM

+2 Boost

No, no he's not. In Australia, even after our enormous government taxes and import costs (consider this, putting them all into USD we pay more for a 4-cylinder C-Class than you do for a V8 E-Class), we pay $45000USD for a Toyota Prado and you pay $55000USD for the identical Lexus GX. Badge Mark-up much?

g2ok - 9/15/2011 1:17:48 PM

+10 Boost

Wait the last time Germany and Japan collaborated they were trying to take over the world so please don't do it again.

JustaCar - 9/15/2011 2:13:51 PM

-4 Boost

Acura and Lexus are not companies. They are just name-brands. Why would a German automaker want to buy them? Certainly not for their heritage!

7msynthetic - 9/15/2011 7:25:41 PM

+5 Boost

Typical DUMB Autospies thread. Posting here is like giving attention to the fat obnoxious kid in the back of the class.

Willis - 9/16/2011 10:08:58 AM

-1 Boost

Not funny. You're annoying.

wins555 - 9/15/2011 11:56:57 PM

+7 Boost

Stupid thread!

Agent009 - 9/16/2011 10:58:09 AM

-1 Boost

That is until Honda has to unload Acura.....

motor1 - 9/16/2011 11:36:33 AM

+1 Boost

I can see when Renault Nissan get cosier with Merc, Infiniti becoming mini-Benz. They're already planning to share platforms.