WHY Has Lexus Not Entered The Four Door Coupe Fray? Is It A Mistake They Haven't?

Mercedes started it with the CLS and it seems almost every premium company now has a competitor or has a four-door coupe coming.

EXCEPT Lexus.

In fact, we haven't even seen a concept at any of the the recent auto shows that even hints that one is in the works.

On the outside it seems like they are not only missing a good sales opportunity but the ability to have something on the showroom floor that is both practical AND resonates sexiness to potential customers.

Do YOU think they've made a mistake not adding one to their lineup or was this the right move on their part?

Spies, discuss...

WorldofLuxury - 3/24/2012 7:52:01 PM

+3 Boost

The ES and the GS don't count? The previous generation GS actually had a fastback roof! The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation ES have frameless windows!

Agent001 - 3/24/2012 8:04:35 PM

+3 Boost

Quite a S-T-R-E-T-C-H you're making my friend on those claims...

001

FromThePassengerSeat - 3/25/2012 12:34:18 PM

0 Boost

Jaguar has the XJ, but you're right.

ZondaF09 - 3/25/2012 6:12:14 PM

-2 Boost

Audi has a four door coupe, its called the A7. And im guessing he asked why Lexus doesn't have one because there the only viable competitor to the Germans. After all they were the sales leader in the US for 11 years.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 2:02:09 PM

+1 Boost

How the hell can you consider the XJ a Coupe ?

Please explain what characteristics a vehicle must have in order to qualify as a coupe because if an Xj is a coupe, then the Mulsanne is too.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 2:03:24 PM

+1 Boost

They have 2 different 4 door coupes.

The A5 Sportback and the A7

FromThePassengerSeat - 4/1/2012 1:17:39 AM

+1 Boost

It's not a coupe. It's a "four-door coupe", as bogus as the term is. Basically, what that means it it has a low roof that slopes like an actual coupe's.

Designer1 - 3/25/2012 3:25:14 AM

+1 Boost

I don't like the idea of a 4 door coupe, or couple SUV like the X6. But, for Lexus to enter the 4 door coupe, they better first make a good sport sedan. Toyota has always lacked the real competitive sport car, even the Supra as great as it was but it wasn't a GTR. So a 4 door coupe should be a sporty car by default and Lexus needs to inject real sportiness into its product line, then they can have a 4 door or 2 door sport cars.

MercBasher - 3/27/2012 10:39:10 PM

+1 Boost

Agreed, they need to the basics of their automotive offerings right before they bloat out the product range.

Rectifier - 3/25/2012 6:06:42 PM

+4 Boost

How about the first luxury SUV (LX) and the first luxury crossover (RX)? Who did they follow with these?

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 2:11:52 PM

0 Boost

Rectifier:

Have you ever heard of the RANGE ROVER

Sweet Jesus you people are really Stupid.

Some basic history:

Range Rover Launched 1970
Lexus LX Launched 1996

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 2:17:14 PM

0 Boost

And the RX started being sold in 1998 while the Mercedes ML started in 1997 as a 98MY vehicle so i do not think the RX quite qualifies as the "first".

And to think you got boosts for a fantastically ignorant comment.

Rectifier - 3/26/2012 4:34:07 PM

+2 Boost

LOL, did you know the hard plastic dashboard on the Range Rover was designed to be washed down with a hose? What kind of luxury is THAT?
And the first ML was not even a crossover. It was body-on-frame until the second generation appeared.
Its amazing what kind of "facts" you can find on the internet these days.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 6:23:57 PM

0 Boost

Is this some kind of a joke ?

You a comparing the design brief of a vehicle designed/launched in 1970 to that of one designed/launched in 1996 ?

Why don't you do a simple search on the 2nd generation Range Rover {Production 1994-2002} and compare it to the Lexus LX {Production 1996-1998, 1998-2002} ?

There is nothing more tiresome than arguing with naive people.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 6:25:31 PM

0 Boost

Agents

Don't you think it is time to implement an IP Filter to stop people using multiple profiles to boost their own comments and deboost others ?

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 6:33:00 PM

0 Boost

FYI

The Land Rover Freelander was also launched in 1997

Just because you decide the "Toyota Harrier" was Luxurious did not make it so.

And the ML was a Road Focused SUV, How many Ads did you see extolling the Off Road abilities of the ML ?

It was designed with Road Use in mind and marketed as such, it competed with the RX in terms of market segment, so the argument about body on frame is irrelevant.

Rectifier - 3/25/2012 6:11:56 PM

+6 Boost

There is no such thing as four-door coupe, just like there is no such thing as a wooden stone. But there are sleek-looking-coupe-like-four-door sedans since the GS was inroduced as Toyota Aristo in 1991.

ZondaF09 - 3/25/2012 6:10:01 PM

+1 Boost

They probably haven't added one to there line-up because the GS hasn't been a success. If the new GS is a hit and sales volumes are comparable to the E-Class, 5 Series or A6, then maybe a concept will be introduced. Till then I think they should update there current line-up not just by giving them a spindle grill but improving technology and driving dynamics.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 3/26/2012 2:29:38 PM

+1 Boost

For the record i do not subscribe to the 4-Door Coupe nonsense that has been increasingly thrown at us.

In my opinion a coupe is supposed to be a vehicle with 2 Doors, Low Roofline with Sharply Raked Windscreen and Frameless Doors .

The CLS, A7 and others might have Coupe-Like profiles, but they are not coupes and Jaguars attempts to call the XF a coupe is just an insult to the intelligence of the people it is targeting. Or maybe they think the target audience are not intelligent .

FromThePassengerSeat - 4/2/2012 1:52:46 PM

+1 Boost

Agreed: the term `four-door coupe` is rubbish. But the XJ is one due to its coupe-like silhouette.

Willis - 3/28/2012 8:06:31 AM

+1 Boost

As many Lexus fanboys like to claim, the Lexus ES is a "four door coupe".

Yeah. Right.