These past weeks have been loaded with articles regarding Lexus's exciting new IS-F. The first few were positive, and some people submitted articles that supposedly gave the Lexus a negative review. We all know certain magazines are biased towards some brands(like Car And Driver towards BMW) while others are biased toward other brands. Then you read all these user comments of how Lexus is supposedly taking over the Germans, then the anti-Lexus people come out and say the Lexus can't ever compare with the Germans....etc...
These arguments are all missing the point. The point here is that this is the first time in history the Japanese have ever decided to build a car to compete in the super sport sedan segment. I recall a blockbuster article in the May 2003 issue of Car And Driver where they tested the BMW M3, Audi RS4, MB C55 AMG, BMW M5, Audi RS6, MB E55 AMG against their respective counterparts. After it was over, a reader wrote to them saying how exciting the article was, but he had one question: "Why are the Japanese letting the Germans go unchallenged in the super sport sedan segment? The Japanese certainly have the R & D to do it. The NSX proved that a decade ago." I myself wondered why as well.
Well, now in 2007, Lexus took the initiative and became the first Japanese company to enter the super sport sedan segment. Just as Nissan's new GT-R is totally new and not based on any previous Nissan Skyline, the new Lexus IS-F is not just an aftermarket performance 'add on' like the previous L-Tuned series(or a pumped up IS350) but was designed from the very begining to be a true Japanese super sport sedan. Lexus and us fans all knew Lexus had the finances and know how to produce such a car and a group of rogue Lexus engineers were finally given the green light. So, for now, with the Lexus IS-F in it's very first generation, it's not so much a matter of how bad it will be or how it could overtake the Germans. We should be excited that Lexus has put serious effort into entering the super sport sedan segement to compete with the Germans(what's Acura and Infiniti waiting for?). No one knows for sure just how the Lexus IS-F will sell. But if Lexus's debut in 1989 and current sales are any indication, no comments good or bad should affect it at all.
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