If You Were In Charge Of Lexus, What Would You Change To Get Back On Top In 2012?

That only address the supply problem. Sales were in decline long before the disasters unfolded.

I would do just what their doing now. New models with more agressive cool styling. Bettter driving dynamics and stay #1 in service and reliability.

Lexus needs to "change" and update styling on entire cars rather than just slapping-on a new front facia as they have done with the "new" GS. All the commercials and press can't fool smart buyers.

The GS is all new. Don't be an Idiot.....

More executive level, stately exterior and interior design. No desperate sports car styles like the new GS or hybrid engines. Better quality with lower prices.

I would lobby the Japanese government for even more protectionism.

What is the point of your question? Are you expecting me to find a specific passage of Japan's foreign trade policy written in favor of Lexus with effective dates? I won't find it, but, does this mean you think that they are not the beneficiaries of Japanese protectionism or that it doesn't exist? (And note that I'm not saying any other countries don't have theirs, either.)

Agent009
what you said doesn't make any sense
1. Lexus was the most sold luxury car in the states for the from 2000 to 2010, yes?
2. if you saying "Sales were in decline long before the disasters unfolded" please do show your data. also, show BMW and MB data for the similar time frame.

pour mountains of money into neglected R&D to...develop models that are lexus-only and NOT rebadged toyotas, update long-dated engines, pour money into hiring lexus-only designers to develop a coherent design language (a grille alone is NOT a design language).

you are incorrect. the N55 has been sustantially upgraded from the N54. it has also gone from twin turbos to a twin scroll single turbocharer, added valvetronic, a new intake manifold and increased fuel economy while maintaining peak power at 300 (NOT 306) and improving peak torque to 300lb ft at 1200rpm rather than 1600. for comparison, less has done little to the V6 in the 2013 GS350 that in introduced on the 2006 IS350. oh...and the 330i had a normally aspirated incline 6 back then, so the 3-series has had 3 substantially different engines in the time that the IS has had ONE. you might want to learn your facts.

oops....toyota is crawling to BMW to buy their diesel engines because toyota is still unable to make a decent diesel engine after decades of trying. schooled again boys.

and since you all are so fond of asking for facts (even though you provide none), here are the engines bmw has produced in just the past few years:

Straight-4

2006 — 2.0L N45
2006– — N14 1.6 L Prince (JV with PSA), 90 kW (122 PS), 160 Nm (118 ft·lb)
2006– — N43 2.0 L petrol and diesel engines
2007– — N43 2.0 L petrol and diesel engines
2011– — N20 2.0 L single turbocharger petrol engine with TwinPower Turbo, Valvetronic, and High Precision Injection
2011– — N13 1.6 L single turbocharger petrol engine with TwinPower Turbo, Valvetronic, and High Precision Injection

Straight-6

2006 - 3.0 L N54 aluminium DOHC 24v twin turbocharged (Five International Engine of the Year awards)
2007 - 2.5-3.0 L N53 magnesium/aluminium DOHC 24v with Double-VANOS and High Precision Injection (Gasoline Direct Injection)
2009 - 3.0 L N55 single turbocharger, features these technologies (TwinPower Turbo, Valvetronic, and High Precision Injection)[1]

V8

2008 - 4.0 L S65 for E90/92/93 M3 (Two International Engine of the Year awards)
2008 - 4.4 L BMW N63 twin turbocharged
2009 - 4.4 L BMW S63 twin turbocharged with TwinPower Turbo and Cylinder bank Comprehensive Manifold

V10

2005 - 5.0 L S85 for E60 M5 and E63 M6 (Four International Engine of the Year awards)

V12
2003 - 6.0 L N73
2009 - 6.0 L N74 twin turbocharged, features these technologies (TwinPower Turbo, Valvetronic, Double VANOS, and High Precision Injection)[4]

badge: LOL. show me some award winning engines toylex has built of late. and why build a heavy, slow hybrid when you can build a power diesel of turbo 4 that provides great performance and high mileage? no need to compromise with 10 second 0-60 times.

THREE ZERO ZERO

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/vehicles/2011/3/335ixdrivesedan/default.aspx

9 New or updated models. 3 F-Sport models. You can't ask more than that.

well, if the 9 updated models were updates to great models, maybe. but they're mild updates to tired models. next....

The gloves are off....this year and next will tell if it works........

Toyota has somewhat seperated the "Lexus" brand. They appointed executives for it and the like. They now have a "design team". But they are Toyota employees. And "Lexus" sales have been in decline for years. Each year the decline was smaller than you would notice but those buyers did not come back. Toyota started the December to Remember event in, wait for it, November and still didn't help.

And the BMW N54 and now the N55 inline-6 engines in the 3 Series & 5 Series are stated at 306-hp but put out more than that as understating horsepower is common for BMW AG in it's history.

Toyota would rather not develop a diesel engine for Europe so they went to BMW. BMW AG gets access to hybrid tech, personally I would not buy a BMW with Toyota hybrid tech in it. Just wrong.

1.) 1.8 Hybrid with turbo charger and smaller Li-ion HV battery
1.8 petrol Atkinson power from 99 HP -> 130 HP
Battery weight down by 66 lbs
2.) 3.5 Hybrid with twin turbo
3.8 petrol from 249 HP -> 340 HP
3.) Optional 4WD for all Lexus models
4.) Smaller hybrid SUV than RX with 2.5 petrol hybrid
5.) 2.5 hybrid with 5 cylinder petrol engine
6.) Longer oil change intervall, because the petrol engine operation is less than the normal one.
7.) Front suspension change to double wishbone for the vehicles currently built with McPherson
8.) Better brake sysetms with larger brake discs.
9.) LED headlights replace the xenons.
10.) Back to the touch screen, forget the PC mouse. (RX & CT system is terrible)
11.) Easier online operation of navi.
12.) Less hard plastic.
13.) More independent options.
14.) More interesting colours and interior trims.
...

LOL. you're right. they have achieved perfection in everything they do. lexus isn't about the pursuit of perfection anymore. they are perfection. that's why they are to command premium prices over their competitors. ooops...right, they're not.

don't you all agree they desperately need new models?

2012 is the 7th model year for the IS, and the 6th model year for the ES and LS. and none had a significant refresh and all still have the same engines they launched with...talk about lack of product development.

They need a better design team. The IS and LS looked awesome, and then the GS and ES looks like poop. Now the new GS looks like even more crap, and this new design direction with the hideous grill is ominous for the brand. The original design for the LFA was awesome, and then the final production version missed the mark.

They really need to decide on a good design direction, and stick to it. They had it with the IS and LS, and then forgot about the L-finesse idea, and shat out the ES and GS.