Nov 8: Lexus = boring?

Ever since Lexus first came on the scene back in the late '80's, they have made a great name for themselves for making cars with terrific quality at a price lower than their luxury competition. That has never changed and neither has the fact that a Lexus is dead boring. Even the head of Lexus has recently stated that their cars have had no soul. Nothing special to look, nothing special in their handling, nothing in a lasting impression.

This is the ES350, basically a Camry in a tuxedo and we all know how engaging the Camry is(n't). But the market is changing, most customers are looking for a memorable driving experience. I love the look and feel of my Acura TL with the SH-AWD  -  sounds great under acceleration and handles unbelievably. I'd never ever look at a Lexus, the equivalent of an automotive sleeping pill.

Well things change and finally Lexus will change along them. Last year they introduced the incredible LFA, which was a game changer in the way people looked at a Lexus, but hey, they only made 500 of them and they were about $350k. Hard to make a lasting impression with that few of anything, but have you ever seen a wilder car.........

That's not the only car that Lexus will introduce in order to get our heart rate racing. From now on, they promise to make the brand drivers' cars and their first mainstream effort is the new yet to be released 2012 GS350.......

Check out that front end.......now that will get your attention. Lexus has decided to focus on more emotional designs and much better handling. This has worked for BMW, Benz and Audi, so why not Lexus? Look how Hyundai has changed the public's perception (and it only took 15 years).

I find it really interesting to see how companies reposition a brand with hard work and time, lots of time. Lexus has done many other things well, so should we expect them to also be able to do this?

Until next time........