Lexus apart, why don't posh Japanese brands work here?

[RevolveR]

I would take the new Lexus GS in a heartbeat over any german equivalent.

From the Infiniti cars I've seen on the market the engines are 3.7L petrols which attract high tax and not very fuel efficient. I would like to have one but not with those high emissions.

[craigjm]

RevolveR said:

I would take the new Lexus GS in a heartbeat over any german equivalent.

From the Infiniti cars I've seen on the market the engines are 3.7L petrols which attract high tax and not very fuel efficient. I would like to have one but not with those high emissions.

I wouldnt. I drove one last week and I am open minded and I was disappointed. Far too much exposed plastic internally and the CVT box is awful.

[jamoor]

I wouldn't buy them because they aren't popular = getting one fixed is a pain as there isn't much knowlege. also parts will be hard to come by.

Only british brands make luxury cars anyway.

[wiffmaster]

I'm surprised Lexus works here to be honest.

Take a look at the £93,936 LS 600h:











Look at that switch gear. Look at that cheap green digital clock (I can only assume Lexus bought a billion of these in 1989 and are still getting through them). Look at that centre console. Look at that wood. It's basically the same interior as the LS400 from 22 years ago. I'm sure it's all beautifully made, brilliantly specced and will prove reliable...but if you spend £93,936 on that, you ought to be sectioned.

Now that same £93,936 will buy you a top-spec Jaguar XJ with a couple of grand to spare:













Just look at that to see how much the likes of Jaguar have moved their game on over those same 22 years.

The Japanese can produce absolutely epic stuff when they set their mind to it (step forward GT-R)...they just don't appear to set their minds to it all that often.

[king arthur]

craigjm said:

So... first off someone above doesnt recognise the history of Audi and states they were great from the start and now we have the same with BMW and a denial that they ever rebadged something. Go back to your history and check out how BMW started making cars

I didn't say BMW have never rebadged anything in their entire history. Yes of course they started off making Austins, and Jaguar started off making cars on Standard chassis with Standard engines, but that was a long time ago. BMW's reputation now is built upon the cars they made in the 60's and 70's - the sports saloons like the 2002 and the 3.0 CSi coupé. It takes time to build a brand image like that and time is what the Japanese luxury brands haven't had.

[BuzzLightyear]

jamoor said:

I wouldn't buy them because they aren't popular = getting one fixed is a pain as there isn't much knowlege. also parts will be hard to come.

But the engine and mechanical bits of the V6 are the same in the Nissan 370Z which isn't a million miles away from the 350Z.

I suppose this attitude goes some way to answering the OPs question: Some people are afraid of something uncommon or at least something they perceive as uncommon. There is also likely to be a lot of truth in the tendency to choose a BMW / Audi / MB because of the badge and associated image: Not saying that's wrong, just the way most peoples' minds work. That's the point of advertising etc

[craigjm]

king arthur said:

I didn't say BMW have never rebadged anything in their entire history. Yes of course they started off making Austins, and Jaguar started off making cars on Standard chassis with Standard engines, but that was a long time ago. BMW's reputation now is built upon the cars they made in the 60's and 70's - the sports saloons like the 2002 and the 3.0 CSi coupé. It takes time to build a brand image like that and time is what the Japanese luxury brands haven't had.

I think their image is really built from the 2002 onwards. Before that bankruptcy loomed. You are right in some respects though about time. Yes Lexus has been around since about 1990 which is a short time in the car world but look how far some car makers come in a not much longer time period such as Hyundai for example from building Cortina's under licence in the 70s.

What stops a new entrant from turning the car world on its head much like Apple did with the iphone when they had never had a history in phones? (just an example guys)

[drivin_me_nuts]

craigjm said:

I think their image is really built from the 2002 onwards. Before that bankruptcy loomed. You are right in some respects though about time. Yes Lexus has been around since about 1990 which is a short time in the car world but look how far some car makers come in a not much longer time period such as Hyundai for example from building Cortina's under licence in the 70s.

What stops a new entrant from turning the car world on its head much like Apple did with the iphone when they had never had a history in phones? (just an example guys)

Nothing at all really. I would have thought Mercedes, Audi and BMW (and the Japanese themselves) will be looking rather nervously over their shoulders at the likes of Korea. In the 'white goods' market it is very hard to justify an expensive car like a VW Golf over something equally capable as a product from Kia or Hyundai. People's perceptions are changing... and changing fast. Is it 'worth' spending 10-15k more on a 'prestige' European product when essentially the same type of product over 40k and 4-5 years can do the same job much more cheaply.

[craigjm]

drivin_me_nuts said:

Nothing at all really. I would have thought Mercedes, Audi and BMW (and the Japanese themselves) will be looking rather nervously over their shoulders at the likes of Korea. In the 'white goods' market it is very hard to justify an expensive car like a VW Golf over something equally capable as a product from Kia or Hyundai. People's perceptions are changing... and changing fast. Is it 'worth' spending 10-15k more on a 'prestige' European product when essentially the same type of product over 40k and 4-5 years can do the same job much more cheaply.

The luxury car market could be turned completely on its head with the arrival of completely driverless cars and unless they are careful we wont be talking here about why Lexus "isnt working" but why the Germans no longer work. Wouldnt surprise me if in 15 years time we have driverless cars built by Samsung et al and people see them in the same way as they do phones, TV's etc where nobody gives a fook about history and passion and soul and all that emotive rubbish that for some reason we apply to our cars and look at things purely as a tool for getting from A-B.

[otolith]

wiffmaster said:

I'm surprised Lexus works here to be honest.

Take a look at the £93,936 LS 600h:

Taste cannot be accounted for. If all luxury car interiors were styled like that Jaguar, those who prefer the German or Japanese ways of doing things would have no option.