I just came back from the Beijing Motor Show to share something about the new ES.
Well, there really is not a lot to say, but a lot to rant. I didn't even take any pictures of it, we saw all of them online. They only show the exterior and don't allow interior visits, so it's really hard to add any details.
Overall I am deeply disappointed with the ES launch and their overall marketing effort. To begin with, their booth is very, very small. It's not even half the size of Infiniti and Acura's, so there's no point even comparing it to BBA. As a result, they are not even displaying all their models, no GS or GX is predictable since they are on their way out. There is no RC; there is a white LC which certainly isn't the best color to show in a heavily lit hall, and the LC is at a corner that people easily miss. It seems they didn't understand that sports cars are what attract people to visit them in the first place. By comparison, Mercedes has their 4-time F1 champion car right at the entrance; Alfa Romeo has the perennial last-row finisher Sauber F1 car (which the general public don't know, they only know they do F1); Audi has the carbon fibre grey R8 V10 Plus and an absolutely gorgeous lemon green RS4 Avant (they even sell it here!), not to mention a full row of M cars, starting from 1 all the way up to 6, in sedan and crossover flavors, plus a M760 V12, at the front row of the BMW booth. Their booth is bland and barren. They didn't show a structural blue LC or their perhaps only interesting sedan, the GS-F. It makes every Lexus owner embarrassed.
Also, no UX? Did they forget that crossovers are money printers? Speaking of money printers, they even passed on the RX-L. Apparently they think it's okay to to let Acura pick up all that free money.
And our hero ES, an ES260 F-Sport and an ES300h, are tucked in a corner no one can see, with no effort showing what's new and what's cool about them. Their staff don't even know the fuel economy and total system horsepower of the hybrid, because Lexus didn't give them any technical details. We know more by reading online. Yes, they took loads of pre-orders because to be honest, people who bothered visiting their booth are there to pre-order an ES. Their goal is very clear here: to sell the ES.
And of course they show the LS350 Executive Edition so they can perhaps milk more money by convincing some ES buyers to upgrade. It's an embarrassing product, while BBA are showing their best: the Maybach, the M760 V12, the plug-in A8. They don't show the 500h because apparently they are afraid its price tag will scare away ES buyers. Let me say this again: they don't show their flagship because they are afraid luxury car buyers can't afford it.
Now onto the positives:
>>They are taking loads of pre-orders. This thing will sell in record numbers. Lexus buyers are so confident in the brand that they buy them without even touching the interior.
>>Chinese buyers are almost 100% positive with the spindle grille. Nobody at the booth said "OMG it looks like the Predator I'm so scared!". They buy Lexus for the looks.
>>Their buyer demographic is very young. The IS has a lot of potential if the next generation is executed successfully. They need a cheaper variant against the likes of C200 and 320i, a hybrid to take advantage of their highly successful marketing campaign, as well as an IS-F to attract people to buy F-sport add-ons (that's how AMG/RS/M works). The looks department of current-gen is absolutely bang on; young people really want one, but the lack of a more accessible 200 or 260 variant stops them from buying it. Make it a look like a baby LC sedan with a better pricing structure and they have a 3 series killer.
>>The F-Sport has a lot of potential as well, again Lexus has the sportiest looks period, and F-Sport adds even more "WOW I want that" factor. Remember people just want a body kit on their 320i to pretend they had a M3. So Lexus listen: don't lock people out of interior options when they just want a body kit and bigger wheels! It is the No.1 reason people don't buy the upgrade. People want a good looking car without having to be surrounded by flimsy plastic (the interior quality of the IS F-Sport is abysmal).
P.S. Pre-order starts now and delivery will begin in August.
P.P.S. It's funny how almost every visitor mentioned "260" is a better name than "250" (a pejorative word meaning "dumb").
