All Entries Tagged With: "LEXUS"
Audi versus… A4 Advert Showcases Rivals
By Gunnar Heinrich :: YouTube
GOT to hand it to ‘em, Audi has some cheek.
Aside from Hyundai and GM which only use vague verbal or written references to their competition, Audi actually let us a visualize its marketplace rivals by showcasing their models stacked against the other guys.
In this particular advert, the Audi A4 squares off against the Lexus IS, Mercedes C-Class, and BMW 3-Series. Apparently, the A4 claims to be bigger and more fuel efficient than any of its contemporaries.
It doesn’t hurt that we can differentiate the two by noticing the Audi in diamond black and the rest trimmed in a grey-ish beige.
This spot reminds us of another rivalry that was recently exploited for one side’s publicity efforts…
Lexus SC430: Elegant Design Defended
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Lexus USA
NEVER having so much as ridden in, let alone driven, the Lexus SC convertible, you may (if you’re foolhardy) discount this article from the writer’s lack of direct experience with this specific Lexus model.
Return, if you must, to your dry search. Edmunds should have those stats you’re looking for.
How, after all, could I reasonably defend what other writers have experienced and subsequently waxed on with coverage varying from mild disdain to faint praise?
For all the SC’s technical competencies – one of the first (contemporary) power hardtop convertibles, no cowl shudder, vital V8 power, magic carpet ride, and smooth autobox – more (disdainful) words were directed to how ambivalent Japan’s consummate boulevardier appeared.
That’s where I come in.
Debuting in 2002, Lexus’ US sales material for the SC430 set the tone. In the first page, we’re introduced to not so much a car but a concept:
“A life lived like a work of art. In which beauty and pleasure assume the importance of food and shelter. To do what you want. Where you want. When you want. Lived as if every moment is fleeting, and irreplacable. And meant, above all, to be enjoyed. Can you imagine a vita that has too much dolce?”
Boilerplate luxury car brochure prose, certainly.
But in 2002, Lexus drivers weren’t so involved with their cars. A Lexus was a comfortable, practical, dependable environ in which to commute to and from a US or Canadian metropolitan district. You leased a Lexus. It was a smart, above-the-cut appliance . Nothing more. And like all smart appliances, was easy to replace.
The SC aimed to change that for Lexus. True to all things sensual, the car’s modus operandi and aesthetic both offered excitement sans aggression.
Said Motor Trend in 2003: “We’re less enamored with the SC’s exterior, one of those nontoxic, “organic” shapes that looks neither unattractive nor memorable.”
True, time seems to have forgotten the SC and its curves. It’s been eight years since the hardtop/droptop’s launch and they are a rare sighting indeed in most of the Eastern states. Having said that, I’m sure I’ll happen upon three at the local Starbucks tomorrow.
But back to the point of order.
Those organic lines have aged rather nicely.
Like a wine that critics wrote off as “bland” in its younger years and then with time matured into a mellow smoothness, the SC represents a velvet touch.
There’s good reason the ‘02 brochure featured picks of the SC set on the Amalfi Coast. This convertible was Lexus’ first foray into the world of topless touring – and Europe’s Mediterranean coastline, it was said, was the design team’s muse.
There’s such a clean beauty to the SC. That simple grille with uncluttered lower air dam. Those sleek headlamps. That high, soft shoulder with small, beautifully arced roof.
Yes, it’s clearly techy-Japanese. And yes, the boot appears both too high and too stretched and in spite of these proportions is lacking in cargo capacity.
But the SC’s speaks to Nippon’s best virtues: civility and technological luxury that’s delicately and thoughtfully packaged. No Mercedes SL has ever treated its occupants with as much respect – buttery soft hides set against optional bird’s eye trim, with electronics that hideaway beneath glossy wood veneers?
It’s not so much luxurious as it is creamy to the point of being edible!
To wit: Lexus set the standard for quality in the 00’s with the SC.
The convertible stood as welcome contrast to the rest of the automotive world in a decade frought with the violent clash of flame surfacing, incongruent lines, and jagged edges. While automotive terror reigned, the SC’s soft appetures represented a fluid calm; a conservative alternative course setting that saw a timeless horizon.
Indeed, now that we’ve entered the SC’s eighth production year, and the decidedly cheaper and Nike’d IS droptop has displaced our attentions, it’s right that the SC should quietly shoulder on in the background. The car is as soft to the eye as when new.
Few convertibles from the last decade have carried their design asperations forward as elegantly.
What Makes a Jaguar, “A Jag-u-ar”?
- The essential elements of Jaguar design
- Ian Callum’s team should avoid Germanification
- Keep the sex please, Jaguar’s British
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Jaguar Cars
NO, seriously.
What makes a Jaguar a “Jag-wharr” “Jag-u-ar” or a “Shagwharr, baby, yeah!” ?
Coming down from the summer’s high of witnessing the troubled Brit car maker launch something – anything – that could be considered exciting, fresh, and new, yours is compelled to pick up a fresh blogger’s grenade, pull the pin and…
Can’t throw it. Won’t.
The world needs Jaguar now more than ever. We need a car company that promises to deliver what we’ll call the “everyday exotic”.
“Everyday” meaning a car that’s produced in some volume with a wide range of engine and trim options that inevitably includes a low-spec variant that has a euro-zone friendly diesel engine and an interior trimmed in velour.
By “exotic”, I refer to an automobile that makes your hand stand on end or at least prompts a second, lasting glance.
Neither BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus are in the business of building everday head-turners.
The latest generation 5er, E-Class, and GS and their higher and lower stablemates are quite doomed to automotive anonymity thanks in large part to their ubiquity and that they share the same design elements from like-minded studios.
Jaguar’s team, led by the talented Ian Callum, is badly tempted to follow this terribly efficient Teutonic trend. They’re prepared to sacrifice the marque’s quintessentially British heritage by playing ze Germans’ game; borrowing heavily from Audi’s middle-of-the-road German aesthetic while pitching an emphasis on technology.
Technology isn’t sexy. Sleek, lean, power and grace is. Which brings us nicely back to our nugget: what makes a Jaguar, a Jaguar?
It’s sex appeal, ladies and gentlemen.
Time’s up. Throw the grenade!
Lexus HS250h: What Price Green Luxury?
Awfully similar to the cheaper Prius.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Lexus USA
SHOE horned between the IS and the ES, two very different near-luxury models that Lexus leases and sells to customers who value their cars as much as, say, they do their toaster or freezer (not quite fair for the IS, but still) fits the new HS.
The HS 250h is meant to cater to those moneyed but Green minded, “fair trade” types who were having to rough it all these years in their second generation Priuses for the sake of Mother Nature and, well, their politically correct images. So anticipated was this new model, Lexus received 1,500 pre-orders in Japan alone.
Despite our better instincts, Lexus says that the HS is distinct from the Prius. The suspension and engine are Lexus’ own 187 hp VVTi four banger, not the small, 98 hp unit that powers the Toyota eco hatch.
And yet, with a no-options price of $34K, Lexus demands a $12K premium over the $22K Prius. Where’s the added value?
Judging from the HS’ similar architecture (HS has a trunk), the base rate materials used (plastic wood’s cut-rate), shared Prius gear, a higher cd – 0.27 v. 0.25 (more windnoise), combined fuel economy that averages 35 mpg against the Prius’ 50 mpg, you might think that if there’s a premium to be paid, the benefits of shelling out more for the Lexus are well hidden.
Pitch Perfect: Lexus Passionate Pursuit Commercial
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Passionate Pursuit by Lexus
MARK JOGGERST is a musician, a composer, an artist.
His music tends to be tranquil, pensive, deeply reflective and good for those moments when you’re feeling especially spiritual. In short, he provides the perfect material for a pithy commercial.
Perhaps it was only happenstance that Lexus’ people should choose a German national - Herr Joggerst was born in Germany though he did earn his musical stripes at Berklee – to compose the gentle piano piece that times out perfectly with the commercial spot that introduced the LS460 to American TV audiences.
If you were to think of what the first purpose of a Lexus should be, it narrows to providing the most serene environment possible in which a driver and passengers can transport themselves from A to B.
What you see in the following video is an advert that with Herr Joggerst’s music and imagery manages to capture the character of the product -perfectly.
GM Has Gotta Keep ‘em Separated
That 70’s sign must go…
By Gunnar Heinrich
YOU have to wonder how many potential customers have gone to their local Pontiac dealer with the aim of taking home a G8 only to drive on by once they saw that 70s sign which invariably read “Buick, Pontiac, GMC.”
The only product placement that’d kill the urge faster would be finding Trojans stocked on the same shelf with Huggies. Selling a Pontiac G8 GT next to a GMC Acadia – or worse – a Pontiac Torrent, just kills the Vibe (no puns).
Manufacturer Sales Events vs. eBay Motors: 0-1
The real “event” is over @ eBay.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG MBUSA.com
EVERYONE is having a fire sale Stateside.
Mercedes-Benz is hosting its “Winter Event” now through the New Year, tempting would-be buyers with saucy 3.9% financing on C’s ‘n E’s.
GM, naturally, has its own “Red Tag” event; slashing MSRPs on every Cadillac, Saab, Hummer, Pontiac, Chevy, and Saturn and offering cash incentives.
Toyota (of “Saved By Zero” infamy) and its luxury subsidiary Lexus have their own year end blow out – or as Lexus more properly puts it: “The December to Remember Sales Event.”
And it just so happens that the Lexus “Event” carries on until January 5th -a full three days longer than the Mercedes-Benz “Event”.
Mere happenstance? Likely not.
Since there’s enough “tape” out there telling us that the economy’s tarter than a Sicilian blood orange, it’s a buyer’s market for luxury cars. But as tempting as all these factory-led discounts may seem, buying used online remains the better bet for those who really want to save ca$h.
Here are some illuminating examples of fluffy manufacturer incentives versus real online bargains.
MERCEDES-BENZ
According to MBUSA, $54,075 will put you behind the wheel of a base M.Y. ‘09 E350 4-Matic.
If MB’s figure appears reasonable, consider then that Straightline Automotive Group of Dallas, TX is offering a M.Y. ‘06 E350 4-Matic on eBay for a buy-it-now price of $19,770.
Just shy of 50K miles, the silver Benz is still under Stuttgart’s warranty umbah-rella.
CADILLAC
Shopping for an ‘09 Cadillac SRX with a Northstar V8? Cadillac.com tells me that my Redtag price is $43,965.69 (down from the original $47,835). Nice discount.
Until we head back to eBay and see that Michigan based Gooley Cadillac offers a M.Y. ‘08 SRX (V8) with 12K on the clock for a buy-it-now price of $34,990 (bidding’s up to $25,100 last time I checked). Again, original factory warranty applies.
LEXUS
Base MSRP on Lexus’ LS460 is a lofty $77,110 before we get out the door – Lexususa.com says.
“Redlinefun” – one of eBay’s “powersellers” – has a promising listing for a warrantied M.Y. ‘08 LS460 that has only covered a scant 9,015 miles for a buy-it-now price of $54,700.
The best part of this and all eBay listings is that with sound credit, you too have as much chance of getting financed (if not at better rates) than you do at the dealer.
And yet nothing is ever fool proof. Scams, lemons, and bum deals can happen on eBay.
That said, scams, lemons, and bum deals can happen at the local dealer, too.
It seems that the real event is (for now at least) online. And what’s even better is that these incentives don’t appear to be disappearing anytime soon.
[Linked: eBay Motors | MBUSA | Cadillac.com | LexusUSA]