Abstract
- Lexus automobiles command a better price ticket than Toyota’s as a consequence of their bolder designs, higher-end tech, and premium options, setting them aside within the luxurious automobile market.
- Toyota established Lexus as its luxurious model to compete with in style European automobile producers in the USA, resulting in the creation of the first-ever Lexus LS 400.
- Lexus automobiles adhere to key ideas of Japanese hospitality, imaginative know-how, Takumi craftsmanship, and courageous design, leading to luxurious automobiles that stand out from Toyota’s lineup whereas sustaining Toyota’s famend reliability.
Lexus is among the premier luxurious automobile manufacturers in right this moment’s auto market, with its automobiles competing with the likes of longtime business favorites like Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lincoln and extra.
Nevertheless, many individuals nonetheless see Lexus automobiles as merely dearer Toyotas. Toyota, in any case, is Lexus’s dad or mum firm, new Lexus automobiles ceaselessly launch alongside Toyotas. Moreover, some Lexus automobiles are rebadged and up-styled Toyota automobiles just like the 2023 Lexus LX, which has the identical underpinnings because the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Collection.
Regardless of this notion, there are many the explanation why Lexus’s lineup instructions a considerably greater price ticket than Toyota’s, together with Lexus’ bolder designs, higher-end revolutionary tech, and premium options.
The data featured on this article got here from the official Lexus web site and CarSalesBase web site.
Toyota Established Lexus As Its Luxurious Model
Within the early Eighties, Japanese automakers like Toyota confronted a frightening problem — child boomers, among the most loyal Toyota clients, had been buying and selling of their reasonably priced Toyotas that bought them by their school days and early careers for premium European automobiles as they bought older and landed higher-paying jobs. European automobile producers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi had been rising in popularity within the luxurious automobile section in the USA alongside American staples like Chrysler and Cadillac. Toyota did not have a premium car in its North American lineup to compete.
To fill this hole, Toyota considered reintroducing its Crown sedan to the American market — a luxurious sedan that it pulled from the North American market within the Nineteen Seventies. Nevertheless, Toyota executives felt prefer it could not compete with its principal European opponents.
To resolve this drawback, Toyota Chairman Eiji Toyoda reportedly requested his engineers and designers in 1983: “Can we create a luxurious automobile to problem the perfect?” Presumably, the group stated sure as Toyota got down to create the proper luxurious car. Toyota appointed engineer Ichiro Suzuki, who on the time had 25 years of expertise creating Toyota automobiles, to guide the “Circle F” mission.
Ichiro Suzuki and his group of 60 designers, 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, and over 200 help staff finally made the primary ever Lexus car — the particular LS 400. Preliminary plans had been to launch the automobile below the Toyota model identify. Nevertheless, research recommended that it will solely succeed within the American market if the group launched it below a unique model.
Thus, the Lexus model was born to raise its luxurious automobiles from the widespread and reasonably priced Toyotas.
The LS 400 rapidly outsold the favored full-size luxurious Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan — fulfilling Toyota’s authentic objective of dethroning established European luxurious automakers in America. In 1990, only a 12 months after Lexus launched the LS 400 in 1989, the Japanese sedan outsold its closest German competitor by round 17,000 models in North America in line with knowledge on CarSalesBase.
Lexus Creates Luxurious Autos Comparable To European Luxurious Automobile Manufacturers
Lexus adhered to 4 key ideas as they designed and created every of its automobiles from 1989’s Lexus LS 400 to the number of Lexus automobiles right this moment. These ideas helped it defeat the long-running W126 S-Class within the early Nineteen Nineties and cement its place as a luxurious automaker globally regardless that its automobiles have a considerably greater worth than Toyota’s automobiles.
One is Omotenashi which embodies the Japanese spirit of hospitality — a giant issue within the popularization of Japanese automobiles within the US. Its groups designed every car to anticipate and fulfill the wants and needs of Lexus’s premium purchasers. The Japanese automaker says that it needs to make sure that its automobiles ship a tremendous expertise by considerate design and revolutionary know-how.
One other precept is Imaginative Know-how — customer-centric tech that Lexus intends to be probably the most superior within the premium automobile section. Because of this many Lexus automobiles have tech and options that are not discovered on cheaper Toyotas.
For instance, Lexus Security System 3.0 has just a few extra options on prime of those out there on Toyota Security Sense 3.0. like a threat avoidance emergency steer help system, front-to-front oncoming automobile detection, left flip intersection help functionality, and a proper or left flip oncoming pedestrian detection and braking system.
Lexus’s automobiles additionally adhere to the precept of Takumi Craftsmanship. In Japan, Takumi denotes a grasp craftsman who has over 60,000 hours of expertise in honing their specialization. Thus, Lexus’s group ensures that every car that leaves its manufacturing unit is “nothing lower than good” in line with the producer.
Lastly, Courageous Design ensures every Lexus car has a daring and crowd pleasing look on the highway. It displays Lexus’s iconic and distinctive styling that differentiates the Japanese luxurious model from different luxurious automakers by concepts taken from nature, Japanese methods of considering, and human expertise. Even Lexus automobiles that retained the Toyota badge featured the posh model’s distinctive styling, just like the Toyota Altezza which was additionally the Lexus IS in some markets.
All of those mixed create Lexus automobiles which might be considerably extra luxurious than Toyota’s, with a considerably dearer price ticket to match.
Lexus Automobiles Have Toyota’s Reliability In A Premium Bundle
A few of Lexus’s automobiles are principally considerably extra luxurious and comfy than Toyotas whereas others are uniquely Lexus automobiles. For instance, compared to the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, its 2024 Lexus GX sibling is way extra luxurious.
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2024 Lexus GX Normal In-Automobile Function Comparability
|
Mannequin |
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser |
2024 Lexus GX |
|
Value |
Mid-$50,000s |
$65,000 (HotCars Estimate) |
|
Infotainment Display |
8.0-inch |
14-inch |
|
Sound System |
6-speaker |
10-speaker premium encompass sound |
|
Inside Trim |
Material |
Semi-aniline leather-based |
The Lexus GX additionally has way more luxurious choices together with a 21-speaker Mark Levinson encompass sound audio system, visitors jam help system, adaptive variable suspension system, therapeutic massage seats, and second-row captain seats that are seemingly all not out there on any Land Cruiser trim degree.
Some business consultants and HotCars anticipate the brand new Lexus GX to start out at round $65,000, whereas Toyota said the bottom 2024 Land Cruiser will begin within the mid-$50,000s.
This worth premium additionally applies to different Lexus fashions which might be principally luxurious variations of Toyota automobiles just like the Lexus TX, which is the Toyota Grand Highlander’s sibling. It could be flawed to assume, nevertheless, that Lexus automobiles are simply rebadged Toyotas. Lexus’s automobiles are in a league of their very own, that includes distinctive daring styling, revolutionary tech, and a luxurious really feel.
However it is usually because of this that many Lexus automobiles have Toyota’s world-renowned reliability. Lexus’s automobiles undergo related ranges of engineering and high quality as Toyota automobiles, as the posh automobile model adheres to its aforementioned Takumi Craftsmanship precept. Lexus even beat Toyota to turn out to be the world’s most dependable automobile model in 2022 — Toyota was an in depth second although.
Lexus Has A Selection Of Luxurious Excessive-Efficiency Automobiles
Past rebadged Toyotas, Lexus additionally has various distinctive fashions that are not in Toyota’s lineup. The posh Japanese automaker’s first car, in any case, was the LS 400 which is a mannequin that Lexus’s group designed and constructed from scratch. Some fashionable uniquely Lexus automobiles embody the 2023 Lexus LS, and the 2023 Lexus ES.
However the pinnacle of Lexus’s lineup is its luxurious high-performance automobiles.
Toyota’s solely true high-performance automobiles are the GR 86 and the Supra, the GR Corolla is an upgraded model of a collection manufacturing automobile. The GR Yaris in Europe, is a particular version rally homologation particular. Lexus, however, has the RC F, LC, and IS 500 F.
Lexus made these automobiles to seize luxury-oriented patrons who needed a premium automobile that excels each on metropolis streets and on the monitor. The 2023 Lexus LC, for instance, has a beautiful inside mixed with a naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces 471 hp and provides the automobile a 0 to 60 time of 4.4 seconds.
It additionally created legendary sports activities automobiles just like the LFA, which the posh automaker meant to be the final word supercar. The over-engineered Lexus LFA featured a naturally aspirated V10 that produced 563 hp and was filled with F1-derived tech. The legendary V10 Lexus sports activities automobile even sells for greater than a Bugatti Veyron right this moment, which is evidently considerably dearer than any automobile Toyota has ever made.
