All Entries Tagged With: "LEXUS"
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]
Efficiency + “The Plot” Lost: Infiniti Design
The M35x is an example of how Infiniti has lost the plot.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG by Infiniti
GUIDING the M35x’s stubby, leather covered gear lever into D, a realization hit me: Infiniti is the most un-Japanese of Nippon brands.
How so?
Inside Infiniti’s GS/5er/XF/ E-klasse fighter, the black plastic dash that disrupts two elegant sheets of supposedly real African Rosewood features an array of buttonry surrounding a clumsy multi-function wheel.
The controls feature explanatory pictograms and English titles.
For example, if you’re not sure what an inch wide rectangular button with the image of a telephone receiver does, Infiniti’s designers thoughtfully etched the word “Phone” adjacent.
Infiniti boasts that the dash’s “meticulous” design was the artistic culmination from inspiration that can only be found in a piano’s ivories. Functional considerations were also central to the dash’s architecture, since “the instrument panel lays flat so fingers fall naturally over the keys.”
The result in what Infiniti’s marketers are calling “elegant” is design that embodies as much grace as the automotive brail Buick once used in the senior-friendly LeSabre. Just as bad, the instrumentation wastes almost as much space.
Esoteric considerations of gauche interior ergonomics aside, the build quality, fit ‘n finish, and total design execution in Nissan’s luxury line, from FX to QX, rank a distant third behind Toyota’s front runner Lexus and even – gasp! – Honda’s floundering Acura.
Nissan’s luxury division lacks its initial elegant purpose as Japan’s reliable answer to Jaguar – remember the (G50) Q45 of the early 90s?
What made earlier Infiniti examples work was the singularly Japanese process by which they were built: eliminate all waste.
Be trimming a fat shoulder line from a fender or manufacturing time from assembly lines, the guiding lesson in Japan’s (and Toyota’s and Honda’s) post WWII rise centers on the nation’s obsessive, seemingly collective goal of maximizing efficiency. The novel idea is that from efficient design a superior product is delivered to the discerning customer – for less.
Considering the M35x’s confused design and its weighty fourty-eight large starting price, you can’t help but wonder that somewhere in the luxury car race Infiniti lost its advantage by losing the plot.
Is Ford’s CEO Still Driving A Lexus?
In what may be recent footage, Ford CEO Alan Mulally appears ready to take off in his own Lexus.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG ABC News
WHEN Alan Mulally accepted Ford’s top job, he grudgingly canceled his order for a new Lexus and the comic irony was plain to see.
That was then. We all assumed the former Boeing exec. got the joke and there’s been a lot of cars under the overpass since.
But ABC News ran a story recently that may have unwittingly showed that Ford’s top guy may not have parted ways with his old Lexus.
The report focused on how each of Detroit’s Big Three chiefs flew to D.C. on private aircraft to ask for bail out cash. It was the kind of populist look how much money they’re wasting while asking for yours story that probably ticked off lots of already irate tax payers.
Fine. Good job, ABC.
Among the must-see B-roll was some furtive, behind-the-fence shots of GM CEO Rick “lighting rod” Wagoner exiting an Escalade and climbing into a GM jet parked at Dulles.
And then there was even more undercover-esque footage, this time of Mr. Mulally disembarking from what may have been a Ford plane and into the driver’s seat of what we could guess is his own, previous generation Lexus LS430.
Now, plenty of old media reports say that Mr. Mulally did own an LS430 at one point which leads us (in true Watergate form) to ask: what did Alan Mulally drive and when did he drive it?
Leave it to the mainstream media NOT to pick up on the fact that Ford’s boss may still own the foreign competition’s flagship.
If ABC‘s B-roll was in fact recent footage of Mr. Mulally as Ford CEO and not archive tape of him as the Boeing man, ABC has then managed to drop the ball on a rather significant add-on question:
If Ford’s own CEO prefers to drive a Toyota product to one of the company’s Lincolns, why should he reasonably expect Americans to buy his – um – product?
[Linked: ABC News]
Wall Street Trembles But Car Dealers Were Already Quaking
IMG by Robert Madeira
By Gunnar Heinrich
IT’S one of those funny constant that we can come to expect.
Such is this tidal nature that when there are boom periods – the economy is up; life’s good and people are well catered to by material amenities.
Like de luxe automobiles.
The tide recedes, as it must, and it goes without saying that the converse proves to be quite true.
Wall Street has been having weeks so rough that it’s insular turmoils have spilled over like acrid battery acid onto Main Streets this world round.
And while business folk and the idle rich in Shanghai or Dubai are less apt to feel the pain as those in New York or London, it’ll be interesting to note just what kind of hit luxury and exotic car makers and their dealer networks take in their global earnings in the wake of this financial meltdown.
Consider the following snippet from an explanatory article CNBC’s Jim Cramer wrote for New York Magazine as food for heartburn.
“For two-plus decades, New Yorkers have been living in a Wall Street–dominated world. Ushered in by Michael Milken and Henry Kravis, popularized by Oliver Stone and Tom Wolfe, and carried to its decadent extreme by hedge-funders with 32,000-square-foot Greenwich mansions and Gulfstreams at every airstrip, it was an era that dramatically changed New York.
I don’t care what the stock market did late last week or what it does in the next few days. That age, the Master of the Universe Era, is over. Too many people were too badly burned by taking too much risk to repeat that trick again. That has practical implications for everything from private schools, Range Rover dealerships, and Sotheby’s auctions to SAT tutors, newsstand operators, and shoeshine guys.”
Trouble is, the Range Rover (and BMW and Cadillac and Lexus and…) dealers were already feeling the pain before the $#!& hit the fan.
[The New York Article In Full: The Great Shakeout]
Olde Top Gear Review of Lexus LS400 versus Traditional Euro Set
By Gunnar Heinrich
TOP GEAR wasn’t always Top Gear.
And there’s no better proof of that than this clip of ye olde Top Gear from the Y.O.L. nineteen hundred ninety one. In it, a very un-Clarksonesque presenter takes us through an arc-storyline presentation of the Lexus’ then new LS400.
Assembling a crowd of “The traditional European competition” – a BMW (E32) 735i, Jaguar (XJ40) XJ6, and Mercedes-Benz (W126) 420SE (with those bloody Euro-spec lights ‘n bumpers) – the presenter performed a rather matter of fact review of all three’s kit and tags next to the cheap ‘n cheerfully stuffed and hushed LS.
The presenter’s notes on the Europeans was firmly stiff upper lip.
- Speaking of the Jag, “It’s got exceptional ride and handling… and extra instrumentation; something the Americans demanded.” Hey don’t blame us, pal.
- The Bimmer, “Very much a driver’s car. Very efficient in design and layout.” Naturally.
- The Benz, “Long in the tooth. Good performance, ride, and handling.” I beg your pardon?
- And the Lexus, “Toyota have undoubtedly produced a quality car.” Quite.
And that’s about as heated as the review gets. No rants nor raves. Just a mild assessment of the qualities and shortcomings of four luxury sedans.
Top Gear really wasn’t always Top Gear.
For Luxurious Alternative Fuel Options, It’s The Seventies All Over Again…
By Gunnar Heinrich
SEE if this passage from an October, ’74 Road & Track review of Benz’s (W115) 240D strikes a familiar chord.
“It seems to us that no American who can afford an $8,250 [($35K in 2008)] needs fuel economy badly enough to put up with the diesel’s shortcomings.”
Funny how the commercial expense of efficient transport outweighs the fiscal benefits of using it.
Consider then, the current attention given to luxury hybrids.
The Lexus GS450h with its lofty starting MSRP of $55,800 stands some 11 grand taller than the standard GS350 ($44K) that uses the same, albeit de-fanged 3.5 liter V6 engine sans the aid of toxic hybrid batteries.
Plotting a trip using AAA’s Fuel Cost Calculator – one way from New York to Los Angeles tells a curious tale.
In the 2763 mile trip between Gotham and the City of Angels, the GS450h uses 110.52 gallons of gas and costs its environmentally conscientious driver $471.37.
By contrast, on the same trip the milder GS350 drinks just 102.33 petrol gallons and costs less at $436.45.
And to put it all into perfect perspective, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec – operating on an old concept (oil burner) – will use just 86.34 gallons of diesel and cost the driver even less – $368.26.
Trouble is the E320 Bluetec starts at a fiscally unsound $53,775. And that’s with MB-Tex upholstery, not ($1,570) leather, thank you.
Makes you wonder if we weren’t better off in 1974.
To Advance, The General Falls Back
By: Christopher P. Davis
I’M going to throw it out there: GM Makes Good Cars – really.
Sure, most of them are not deluxe, but they perform the basic job of a car – the movement to and from points A and B – with admirable dispatch.
I’ve recently experienced a broad sampling of GM’s brands, and while none could waft quite as professionally as the LS460 that whisked me and three others to golf last week, they did perform commendably well and far better than anything Detroit ever made in the 90s.
I’ve rode in a number of Cadillac Escalades, and while I wasn’t obligated to feel the pain of shelling out at Shell, I can say that they ride smoothly, their cargo capacities are voluminous, and they’ll tow your powerboat or horse trailer with aplomb.
Even the entry-level Chevy Trailblazer has its merits.
Its styling is that of a traditional SUV – if you want to move something, you put in a box. The Trailblazer I took for a spin had an impressive Bose Sound System, and rather quick to start heated seats. Its Vortec engine cruises around 65 at a steady 1700rpm – good for the powerplant’s longevity.
With this knowledge in hand, it’s hard to believe that GM’s Common Stock has fallen to levels unseen since the days when we liked Ike.
Sure, they bled billions last quarter. And, yeah, the unions’ demands have a lot to do with the fiscal pressure GM’s under.
Add fuel prices, globalization, and the fact that Ike wouldn’t recognize the American way if he were planted in Moraine, Ohio and what you find is a company that’s struggling to live despite delivering on quality.
General Motors Corporation for too long ran successfully, if unilaterally, on the premise that when Joe America worked his way up the corporate ladder he would simultaneously work his way up through GM’s brands. You’d start out with a Chevrolet and work you hardest for the boss’ Cadillac.
GM thrived in the white picket-fence Leave it to Beaver era.
Sadly, that was then when GM owned the American market. Today, it short term leases an American time-share.
Recognition has hit the General and as such Detroit has made some steps towards the 21st century; including axing Oldsmobile, and starting the (slow) shift towards fuel efficiency. But, their biggest step yet to be taken is to convince a Shell-shocked public that GM is moving on from the glutinous 90s.
Cars like the Chevy Volt, Escalade & Tahoe Hybrids, and some of their upcoming compacts are changing the General’s look for the Greener.
They need to and will (Because no matter what any nihilistic pundit says, GM isn’t going anywhere) keep up this progressive track in the coming years. Once the image of everybody and there brother driving a Suburban – and getting a couple gallons to the mile leaves GM, the crucial 18-35 market will be interested.
But until then Tokyo will advance, and Detroit will retreat.
In this week’s Barron’s Randall W. Forsyth wrote, “Barron’s continues to think that the General, armed with an array of competitive, high-quality offerings and reduced labor costs, will come back.”
So I guess I’m not the only one. The resurgence of GM will take time. But come it will. And why not? GM makes good cars.
[Linked: ADL Archive | Barron's]
On The Way To A Round Of Eighteen In A Lexus LS460
By Christopher P. Davis
THE fine workers of Tahara-Aichi have done it yet again – they’ve produced a full size luxury sedan that gives its Teutonic colleagues a run for their money (In fact a run for less money – MSRP starts around $60,000).
As I embarked upon my usual Wednesday golf game this week, one my friends had just taken delivery of his new Lexus LS460. He offered to pick me up, and with gas prices the way they are; I jumped at the chance (It also gave me the basis with which to write this article).
He had already picked someone else up, so I was relegated to the rear bench seat. With three sets of full size golf clubs, what would seem like an exorbitant amount of shoes, and a surprising amount of junk (my friend hangs onto things) there was still a great deal of room in the trunk.
So, I climbed into the cavernous back seat (Although this was not the extended wheelbase “L” version it was still quite big) and buckled up. I had oodles of legroom. Even with a 6-foot tall comrade in front of me.
Size wise, the car felt somewhere between a Mercedes E-Class and S-Class, though technically it’s grosser like the latter. At 116.9 inches, the short wheelbase model is within an inch of an Audi A8 SWB in length.
The leather was soft and supple. The seats were some of the most comfortable I’ve sat in. Even for rear seats, they seemed to embrace you.
Two courtesy mirrors are installed on the headliner in the rear – a nice feature, fun to play with and occasionally useful. A large, leather and wood armrest folds down from between the rear seats. Two cup holders pop out from the front. When it is opened, a storage compartment is revealed, and also two knobs, and a button.
The two knobs control the heating level of the rear-heated seats. The button in the center raises and lowers the rear sunscreen. For warmer days, like this past Wednesday, the LS460 has four rear air conditioning vents (two in the center console and one on each of the B-pillars), to keep you cool.
For those sitting upfront, Lexus’ best is equipped with heated and cooled front seats – something that is quite nice after hitting the links.
Asia is a center for technology and the LS460 succeeds at fitting in. The user interface is intuitive and useful (Read: No iDrive here). Although I didn’t play with it, I was impressed with the ease that my tech-challenged friend, changed the radio station (LS 460 has AM/FM & XM), punched things in the Navigation system, and used the integrated Bluetooth speakerphone all while driving.
Everything was broadcast throughout the passenger cabin with a superb Mark Levinson 19-Speaker sound system – Bloomberg never sounded so good!
I have to say that the Bluetooth speaker system is the best I have ever been party to. People on both ends have no issues hearing one another. In the car you don’t have to shout to be heard on the other end either. And the Air Conditioning – even with a high fan speed had little, if any affect on the call quality.
The Lexus LS460 is one of those automobiles that lies about its rate of progress. Sixty feels like nothing, 100 feels like 50. Three hundred eighty horses under the reins of an eight-speed auto never felt so tame. From the backseat, at least.
It’s a quiet car on so many levels.
Aside from the vocally absent V8, the sedan is a sleeper. It’s elegant, it’s luxurious, and it’s so understated. There’s nothing flashy about he car, the rear is subtle, the sides are subtle, and the grill is subtle.
It’s a luxury car for the 21st century.
No longer is it “Politically Correct” or “Social Responsible” to have overt flash, and unless you’re a rapper – Bling is out. What’s in, is quiet luxury, subtle wealth, and by proxy the Lexus LS460.
[Linked: ThePassionatePursuit]
