Lexus Announces Handmade Sneakers Inspired by CT Hatchback

krew

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krew

Lexus Announces Handmade Sneakers Inspired by CT Hatchback
18-10-10-lexus-ct-inspired-shoes.jpg


Made by UK manufacturer Norman Walsh.
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Ray99

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Lexus has been nonsense recently. Instead of focus on building cars, now it enters to non Automotive segments.

Merc has great line up now, Lexus should zero in on its competitors.
 

zeusus

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Lexus has been nonsense recently. Instead of focus on building cars, now it enters to non Automotive segments.

Merc has great line up now, Lexus should zero in on its competitors.

I don't necessarily care for a Lexus sneaker but posts like this are pretty misguided.

Lexus has a lot of fashion and art partnerships. Collaborating with a UK brand as a marketing play is not going to take any automotive designers or engineers in Japan away from their desks.

Lexus is a lifestyle brand, I think some people need to accept this.
 

GSCT

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I suppose “Lexus” on shoes is no worse than the stuff in the “Lexus Boutique” and as the brand grows stronger we can expect to see it on even more stuff. I just hope someone at Lexus is responsible for maintaining the brand’s value as they allow its use on non automotive items.
 

Gecko

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I don't necessarily care for a Lexus sneaker but posts like this are pretty misguided.

Lexus has a lot of fashion and art partnerships. Collaborating with a UK brand as a marketing play is not going to take any automotive designers or engineers in Japan away from their desks.

Lexus is a lifestyle brand, I think some people need to accept this.

Lexus marketing would like for you to believe they are a lifestyle brand - they are not. Lexus builds cars. There is no lifestyle around a car. This is where Lexus has gotten so terribly off track over the last decade.

"Since we can't build great cars anymore, let's divert everyone's attention elsewhere and make them think we're a 'LIFESTYLE' brand - yes! that will do it!"

Look at the lineup. Lexus should be focusing every resource on their product - not shoes, hoverboards, boats or anything else. All of these pet projects are distractions.
 

zeusus

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Lexus marketing would like for you to believe they are a lifestyle brand - they are not. Lexus builds cars. There is no lifestyle around a car. This is where Lexus has gotten so terribly off track over the last decade.

"Since we can't build great cars anymore, let's divert everyone's attention elsewhere and make them think we're a 'LIFESTYLE' brand - yes! that will do it!"

Look at the lineup. Lexus should be focusing every resource on their product - not shoes, hoverboards, boats or anything else. All of these pet projects are distractions.

Exactly, and that god awful black panther partnership they did, that was a 100% flop too. The millennial market does not buy Lexus and all attempts to reach them should be halted. In fact, let's abolish the Lexus marketing department, that would do wonders like adding a brand new model to the line up that wasn't already planned.

Ok, back to reality.

The thing you don't understand is that all luxury brands are lifestyle brands. Thats why Lexus links their brand to fashion, sports, and art, especially lifestyles of the wealthy, potential buyers of the brand. I'm not an expert but even I know this is only basic marketing principles.

The marginal space between approval or disapproval of what Lexus does, is so minuscule.. If Lexus had 10,000 more units in sales YTD and at the #1 slot vs. #3, would you still be complaining about their marketing methods?
 
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Ian Schmidt

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Lexus has been nonsense recently. Instead of focus on building cars, now it enters to non Automotive segments.

Yes, because they totally pulled engineers off the LC-F to make these shoes.

As @zeusus said, back to reality: this is all marketing, and all upscale brands are lifestyle brands. The Germans understand that. Tiffany and Macy's and Barney's understand that. And Apple understands it perhaps best of all.

Look, I get being frustrated about the Lexus product mix, even while I continue to be happy with my LS500. But these marketing exercises aren't what's in the way of the Lexus of your dreams.
 
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spwolf

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"Since we can't build great cars anymore, let's divert everyone's attention elsewhere and make them think we're a 'LIFESTYLE' brand - yes! that will do it!"

Look at the lineup. Lexus should be focusing every resource on their product - not shoes, hoverboards, boats or anything else. All of these pet projects are distractions.

Reality is that Lexus brand has never been stronger than today, and we never had more vehicles on offer.... sales were never as high as in 2018 worldwide.

No brand updates all of their vehicles every 5 years, so it is silly to think that Lexus should too. I mean it took BMW 7.5 years to update their best selling vehicle 3 series... 1 series is going to be updated after 8-9 years?

IS and CT will likely end up with similar update cycles as BMW.

Neverending high expectations of something new every year is just a debbie downer.. people talk about F models, then pretend RC F and GS F dont matter, as soon as they are released... they talk about twin turbos then LS does not matter... then we want high end luxury coupe then LC does not matter... ES is old, we have no X1 competitor... then new ES and UX dont matter month after/before they go on sale.
 

Levi

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Lexus marketing would like for you to believe they are a lifestyle brand - they are not. Lexus builds cars. There is no lifestyle around a car. This is where Lexus has gotten so terribly off track over the last decade.

"Since we can't build great cars anymore, let's divert everyone's attention elsewhere and make them think we're a 'LIFESTYLE' brand - yes! that will do it!"

Look at the lineup. Lexus should be focusing every resource on their product - not shoes, hoverboards, boats or anything else. All of these pet projects are distractions.

It is true, but unfortunately it is the direction Lexus has to take (follow others) if they cannot find another way to stay relevant. "Lifestyle" is the new trendy buzzword in consumer (as opposed to industrial) oriented product marketing. BMW thinks it is a lifestyle brand, Apple,.... every consumer product now sells as a lifestyle rather than as a product. Stupid I know, but what can I (we?) do if consumers are not smart?

Porsche Design at least is a subsidiary and focuses only on design (cool, modern, sleek,...) and in no way relates to cars other than in name resonance.
 

Sakura

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Lexus has been nonsense recently. Instead of focus on building cars, now it enters to non Automotive segments.

Merc has great line up now, Lexus should zero in on its competitors.

Lets be fair now. MB, BMW, and Audi has been selling "car merch" since forever and have been doing clothing partnerships as well. Hell - even Ferrari has a Ferrari clothing store...

Why hate on Lexus for doing what the Germans and Italians have been doing for a long time?

Also - like others have mentioned - this is part of a bigger marketing at play. Selling clothes to market doesn't hurt their ability to make cars. The car designers/engineers are a different group and even different department of people compared to that of the clothing designers.