In the News

I had a chance at last week’s Toronto Auto Show to have a quick chat with Toyota Canada’s Managing Director, Steven Beatty, about the growing Canadian Lexus sales and the possibility of a production LF-Ch coming to Canada (keep in mind that this conversation took place before Lexus’ announcement of the CT 200h).

TLE: In January, Lexus Canada had a 62% sales increase, and I was curious what you would attribute that to.

Stephen Beatty: I attribute it to good product! (laughs)

TLE: That’s a good answer!

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Edmund’s Inside Line is reporting that the new Lexus CT 200h may not be coming to the USA:

The curious got a first glance at the Lexus CT 200h on Friday via a teaser shot of the car’s cat’s-eye taillight, ahead of the full hybrid compact’s debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in March. But U.S. consumers are unlikely to see this Lexus in their driveway anytime soon, Toyota told Inside Line.

“There are no plans, at present, to bring this vehicle to the U.S.,” said Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister in response to an e-mail query from IL.

Knowing that compact hatchbacks don’t typically perform well with American consumers AND with the HS 250h already on sale filling the “entry-level hybrid” role in the U.S. lineup, it’s not that difficult to see Lexus USA’s reasoning, at least in the short term. The 1.8L I4 engine might also be figuring into the decision—I would wouldn’t be surprised to see Lexus USA waiting until the engine options are increased and something more powerful is available.

[Source:Edmunds]

A voluntary recall of the 2010 Lexus HS 250h has been announced by Toyota USA—from the press release:

The ABS, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage. Some 2010 model year Prius and 2010 HS 250h owners have reported experiencing inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the ABS is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction.

Toyota has responded to owner concerns with a running production change for 2010 Prius that was introduced last month, improving the ABS system’s response time, as well as the system’s overall sensitivity to tire slippage. The production change for the HS 250h is planned for later this month.

The ABS system on the Lexus HS 250h is similar in design to the Prius. The software adjustment planned for HS 250h production and dealer modification is being finalized and will be announced very soon.

If a Prius or Lexus HS 250h owner were to experience this condition, pressing hard on the brake pedal will stop the vehicle safely. The vehicles are safe to drive because pressing hard on the brake pedal will stop the vehicle.

Toyota has published a list of frequently asked questions, and the Lexus Customer Assistance Center can be reached at 1-800-255-3987 if you have any questions about this recall.

The full press release after the jump.

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There’s an interesting column by Eddie Alterman at Car & Driver—I recommend reading the whole thing, but here’s some choice quotes:

...try to figure out what an IS F could possibly be doing next to an HS250h hybrid. Or why the LFA, a bona fide super-premium super-GT, looks like somebody’s old Supra that crashed into a JC Whitney parts warehouse…You’ll certainly leave wondering what it is that Lexus believes in.

The real answer to the question of Lexus’s product convictions is that it has none. It’s a fine mimic, but there’s no dynamic cohesion among its cars. However blasphemous this may sound to the car enthusiast, those great performance Lexuses represent the problem. They are elaborate ways of confusing the brand’s message and scattering its resources. What’s really killing Lexus is waywardness.

A business, especially a luxury-car business, should stand for something more than just best practices and profit taking. A great car company needs its own animating idea, expressed through the entire product line—a spirit that holds the enterprise together.

What I find most interesting about Alterman’s column is that he almost gets it—it’s right in front of him, but he takes a wrong turn and ends up at the wrong conclusion.

The answer is here in this audio interview with Lexus Head for Global Design, Simon Humphries:

Mr Humphries’ comments are strictly broad strokes, but there’s a lot that can be taken away—particularly when he says “Lexus is about changing, or redefining, the luxury experience”.

This sentiment is the very essence of the brand, the “animating idea” that Alterman is looking for. It’s the common thread that ties every Lexus model together. Alterman mistakes it for a “fine mimic”—Lexus is not copying, they’re improving.

It’s the pursuit of perfection.

It explains the very first LS 400 as much as it does the IS F or LFA, and it’s the reason behind every vehicle in the lineup. Most importantly, it’s been the brand’s slogan since its introduction in 1989—I’m surprised Alterman didn’t know about it.

[Source: Car & Driver & Lexus Magazine]

Taking the upmost caution in the face of increasingly ridiculous media attention, Toyota has announced that the Lexus HS 250h will be investigated alongside the 2010 Toyota Prius for a software glitch that is causing problems with Toyota’s hybrid braking—even though the two models don’t even use the same software:

The mechanical parts that make up the brake system in the Lexus model are identical to those in Toyota’s 2010 Prius, but the two gas-electric hybrid cars use different software systems to control the way the brakes are used, said Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman.

Still, he said, the Lexus is now part of Toyota’s investigation.

“If you’ve got an issue with the Prius, then you are going to look at the [Lexus] HS 250h too,” Lyons said. “The two cars have the same components, so we are looking at both cars despite the difference in their software tuning.”

To be clear, not a single complaint has been received about the HS 250h’s braking system, and neither the HS 250h or the 2010 Toyota Prius have been recalled—in affected Prius’, there can be a temporary “disconnect” in the braking system when going over a bump. Tellingly, it mirrors Ford’s recent Customer Satisfaction Program that fixes a similar issue with the Fusion Hybrid, and which was not classified as a recall and was fixed with a software update.

(It’s unfortunate that media coverage has reached such a fevered pitch, as it’s becoming difficult for consumers to separate hype from fact—events this week with U.S. Transport Secretary Ray LaHood & the UAW have only confused the matter more—and I have to recommend that everyone read this story from the Financial Post (titled appropriately enough “The War on Toyota”) for an alternative look at this entire situation.)

[Source: The LA Times]

Update: Here’s another well-reasoned article, this time by Autocar’s Steve Cropley. Nice to see some “Positive Backlash”, as The Guardian’s Edmund King puts it.

In order to head off the emails I’ve been receiving over the last couple days regarding Toyota’s recent accelerator pedal recall—it is important to note that this is strictly a Toyota issue and does not affect any Lexus car or SUV.

There was a Lexus ES 350 & IS 250/350 recall announced in December regarding the gas pedal design, but these are two separate recalls and are unrelated.

For more information, please Visit the Toyota Website.