Lexus Plus Negotiation-Free Pricing at USA Dealerships

[mmcartalk]

One thing I personally would like to see printed on each price-sticker (and why Ralph Nader, with all of the other new-car consumer-benefits he brought about over the years, didn't push for this long ago, beats me)

, is to have the invoice/dealer-cost clearly printed on each price-sticker, in addition to the current figures. That can easily be done, since each new car is built to a specific set of factory/dealer figures that are in effect on the day that that vehicle is built, and those figures could easily be printed with the others.


It might look somewhat like this:

Base Price: XXXXX

Options: XXXXX

Factory Rebate: (If applicable): XXXXX

Factory Invoice / Dealer Cost: XXXXX

(The repeat-customer and military discount could be left off, since it doesn't apply to all buyers)

Manufacturer List Price: XXXXX


That would definitely make it more difficult for the dealership to play games.

And any extra charges (such as dealer-accessories or the additional markup on high-demand vehicles) would be, as they are now, on second sticker.

 

[Benito]

I would really welcome the no haggle pricing experience up here in Canada. The car buying experience would be so much better without it in my honest opinion.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

http://www.autonews.com/article/20170522/RETAIL07/170519728/lexus-patient-with-fixed-price-program

Slower rollout aids transition, exec says

DALLAS — A year into the Lexus Plus no-haggle pricing program, the expected waves of dealers joining are only ripples. But brand executives say a slow and steady pace has its benefits.

“Not only are dealers learning in this process, we too as a manufacturer are learning how to better support them in this transition,” said Greg Kitzens, Lexus general manager of future initiatives.

Rather than having a dozen dealerships going through extensive training at the same time, Kitzens said, “now when you’re ready to go, we’re ready to launch you.”

Fundamental shift

Lexus Plus, which seeks to revamp the luxury dealership experience with the promise of fixed, transparent pricing and a single point of contact with customers, started with 11 dealers volunteering for the first wave last year. One dealership dropped out after being sold, and three others joined this year.

That leaves 13 stores in the program out of 237 nationwide.

That sounds low, but Kitzens says the slow uptake is understandable. After all, he says, Lexus Plus isn’t designed to be an experiment where dealers jump in and out. It represents a fundamental shift in how dealers interact with customers.

“It’s one of these things where you’ve really got to burn the ship,” Kitzens told Automotive News. “You’re not going back, and if you’ve got personnel that are used to doing business very traditionally, they may not fit into the Lexus Plus process.”

Indeed, the Lexus Plus model means changing more than just the pricing conversation in the showroom. Used cars, parts and service also carry fixed prices set by the dealer. The single-point-of-contact promise means salespeople need to be trained in finance and insurance. Vehicle sales can fall during the transition as employees and customers adjust.

Bigger shift

While several of the dealerships in the program are in out-of-the-way markets where they can take a chance on a new way of doing business, a few are in urban areas with fierce competition and less room for error.

That’s the case with JM Lexus in Margate, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale, the latest store to join.

It has been the nation’s top seller of Lexus vehicles for nearly as long as the brand has been around, including last year when it sold just under 8,000 vehicles, said Jim Dunn, general manager.

The dealership already had “ready upon arrival,” an in-house program allowing for online negotiation and quick store pickup.

But Dunn said it was time for a bigger shift, for the sake of consumers and the staff.

The store’s high volume “takes a toll on people,” he said. “It’s a toll on our customers, but mostly on our associates. We really want this dealership to reflect a culture that’s caring, that’s sensitive to what our associates need and what our buyers today are really demanding.”

One-price models have come and gone over the decades for new cars, although they are increasingly popular with used cars.

Mark Rikess, CEO of the Rikess Group consultancy, said one-price models can result in lower costs, better margins, less turnover and higher satisfaction if done correctly.

He acknowledged that many new-car dealers are resistant, especially in an up market, but predicted that would change over time, because younger generations don’t want to haggle, either as a buyer or salesperson.

Mark Rogers, a dealer consultant at the National Automobile Dealers Association, said that while he doesn’t see the industry moving to one-price quickly, it could pay off down the road for dealers that make the change.

“Lexus, with this one-price, is thinking long-term,” he said. “If they haven’t got some traction after five years, then maybe they’ll think about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they hung on further. They always play the long game.”

 

[krew]

krew

JM Lexus in South Florida is joining the Lexus Plus program.

View the original article post

 

[Ruksac]

JM Lexus is doing it since all they care about is volume. Push in and out. No actual attentiveness or service. Its like a wal-mart/call center.

I worled at JM for a long time and what Mike says is true. In fact they treat their associates worse than they treat their customers. A few years ago they tried another sales strategy they called 'break-it'. Break-It was developed in house not by Lexus. Then they changed all the salespeople to product specialists and their sole responsibility was to help a customer select a car, not to discuss price or payment at all. Once a demonstration and selection was made, a finance manager immediately stepped in to structure the deal and the product specialist disappeared never to really see the customer again. Then, after a deal was consummated, a third person stepped in to deliver the car. By the time the customer was finished their head was spinning. And in the likely event that the customer had a question with the technology in their car or some hiccup with the financing or paperwork they had no idea who to turn to. In that regard, the traditional sales rep makes things much easier for the customer. Remember, this is Lexus and not Toyota. It's all about personalized attention and anticipating guest's needs. That program failed and as a result they permanently lost a lot of their customers. Remember, JM Lexus is the largest volume Lexus dealer on the planet.

So now this new system, while noble in its intention of saving a customer time, will too ultimately fail because this particular dealership has forever poisoned their own well by having spent the last few years operating without a care as to profit on sales. Yes, car dealers are allowed to make a profit. The dealership will now hold a fixed price and as a result a much higher profit margin. But the typical JM customer has now been groomed by the dealership to nag and complain ( a poor yet effective negotiating strategy) until everything gets given away. Which by the way still doesn't satisfy their customers. JM Lexus has the benefit of being owned by the parent company JM Family, the largest Toyota distributor in the US. For 28 years they've been operating under the guiding principle of being the number 1 volume dealer first and foremost regardless of profit. It's what Jim Moran wanted. And it worked, they could sell more Lexus cars in a single month than some dealers sell in an entire year.

But back to Mike's point, they have developed such a bad taste in their own mouth because they always give in to the customer's each and every demand that they all end up jaded and burned out which results in an even more negative experience for the customer. To make matters worse, the company which has been on Fortune magazine's Top 100 companies to work for list for over a decade, treats the staff at the dealership like second class citizens. They cut the pay of all the grunts doing the leg work in Sales, Service, Parts and Body Shop while making huge raises to the top brass. Jim Dunn might be the worst general manager in this history of the car business. And he'd reply to that statement by saying look how many cars I've sold over the past 11 years and look how many cars we've serviced and fixed. But what he doesn't understand is that a chimpanzee could have stepped into his job and the dealership would have functioned the exact same way. All that's truly resulted in droves of people leaving that store, both customers and staff only to go to their competitors where everyone ends up having a much more positive experience.

 

[Bulldog 1]

krew

View the original article post

So....(deep breath)....I need to respond to this. My first Lexus purchase was in 2006. Over the next nine years up to 2015, I leased eight Lexus cars, six of them from this very dealer.
I am an extremely rare breed when it comes to consumer loyalty for my favored brands where I have unwavering devotion, yet it is never a symbiotic relationship.
I purposely bypassed two closer Lexus dealers between 2008 up to date for the experience at this dealer.
My devotion to Lexus has been very strong. Eight cars in nine years, two in the current fleet, total support through social media including local and international events such as the SEMA Show.
I'm no Mike Forsythe, but I'm clearly above the average owner/enthusiast in my support of the brand.
And then we come to my latest-and perhaps last-interaction with this dealer.
The "no-haggle" pricing concept is why I've never done business with CarMax.
It's not up to YOU to tell me what to pay for my next automobile, it's up to ME to decide what I'm willing to pay for my next automobile.
Lexus is blindly putting their faith into their loyal owners blindly signing up like sheep for their next car.
Based on the dominant demographic of the typical customer at this dealership, they will not accept one price pay.
It is not in their DNA to NOT haggle over the price. Big mistake.
This store lost my loyalty not only to them but to the Lexus brand over a recent experience in their service department.
Over a piece of plastic. Really.
Suffice it to say they tried to convince me: "the part doesn't really serve any purpose"; "you can go back to parts and see if they can order you one"; "we have to run it past Lexus to see if they'll warranty it"; "hey, we're doing what we can".
Two and a half hours later-on a Mother's Day when the dealership was dead, they allowed me to leave incensed at how I was treated, with nothing more than a car wash.
As I sat at a nearby Mercedes-Benz dealer contemplating my next non-Lexus purchase, this dealer finally decided to call me and advise they would replace the plastic piece in house.
Nine days later, it was. After I as subjected to a confusing, humiliating experience at the above mentioned dealer.
Their arrogance has steadily grown, and sense of service has steadily declined over the past few years.
They refused to negotiate a replacement 2017 ES350 for me a month ago, so I opted to extend my current lease direct via LFS.
I'd already decided enough is enough but this new one price no haggle policy cements my decision to not do business with this dealership any longer, in sales or service.
There has been a paradigm shift in the Lexus brand over the past few years where they have decided to ignore their most loyal customer base such as myself for their apparent pursuit of a younger hip hop loving demographic, according to their latest marketing efforts.
I don't believe the strategy will work in the long run, but I can clearly point to this specific store as being front and center in my decision to not do business with Lexus once my current contracts expire.
And they won't care one bit or notice that I'm gone.

 

[mmcartalk]

So....(deep breath)....I need to respond to this.

Welcome back, Bulldog. Haven't seen you post here for months.

I don't totally agree with your view, in that I do see some merit in no-haggle pricing......but I admire you for sticking to your convictions. And I do agree that Lexus, along with some other luxury/premium car-makers, have lost their way by forgetting their bread-and-butter customers and going after a young, sporting crowd. Like it or not, though, the traditional people, especially the ones in the late 40s-through early-60s, in the decade or so right before retirement, are often the ones with the most money to spend on new cars. Unless they have rich parents, or are fortunate enough to get a high-paying job in their youth (most young people today aren't), those young buyers the auto companies are so eager to pursue nowadays usually don't have enough money to pursue their automotive dreams.

BTW, in case you aren't aware of it (since you've been gone for months), I myself have a new Buick Lacrosse on order......that's about as cushy and traditional as you can get nowadays. It was a tough (and I mean tough) choice between the Lacrosse, Lexus ES350, Lincoln MKZ, Genesis G80, and Kia Cadenza...but, in the end, the triple-shield won out.

 

[CIF]

Bulldog1 and mikeavelli, I have to say I share your general concerns for sure. Not about specific dealerships you mentioned, as I have no experience with those dealerships, but about the general trend that seems to be happening with some dealerships, and possibly the Lexus brand itself. Growing arrogance, and ignoring very loyal customers are very concerning trends IMHO. If this is coming from Lexus corporate, it is very ominous then. If it is happening purely at the dealership level, still pretty bad but not quite as ominous. The question is, at what level is this happening? If only at the dealership level, is Lexus corporate aware of this, and what are they doing about it?

Dealerships are hit or miss depending on management. Bad dealerships and experiences can sway people away from a brand.

That right there is a key point and what blows my mind about the entire dealership-manufacturer structure and model that currently exists. For myself personally, a really bad dealership experience makes me much less enthusiastic about a brand. Multiple bad dealership experiences from the same brand would cause me to seriously consider moving on from the brand, or only buying and also doing service and maintenance through private sales and private non-dealer shops.

I know this is a bigger problem for Toyota dealerships than for Lexus dealerships, but it ultimately speaks to the fundamentally dysfunctional and broken system we have currently.

At first I thought no-haggle pricing might help solve these traditional dealership issues, but reading more posts from you guys, it seems like for some dealerships the no-haggle pricing system might make the experience even worse for customers.

It seems like a revolutionary leap forward in how vehicles are sold to customers needs to happen more than ever.

Also all of the above is a big reason why I have developed a general aversion to dealerships.

 

[CIF]

When I bought my cars at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett, I didn't give 1 iota how long it took since we were very close. The experience was just a formality. We would eat, hang out, share stories, etc. Many were at my wedding. I really REALLY miss them. We never argued over price as I wanted them to eat too. One time I bought a car using a fax machine and picked it up the next day. Another time I think I spent an entire day there hanging out buying a car. THAT is how you run a dealership. Amazing people.

Customers can be bad too, some expect every deal in the book, act with an attitude, are cheap and slow to pay, then want favors and things done for them all the time. There are two sides. Going no haggle avoids those customers. "The price is the price".

South Florida dealers account for like 60% of volume for Lexus. ITs about volume, that is their business model.

Yeah I understand there are two sides. However I feel most of the problems are from good customers who are getting bad experiences. I've never been a bad customer at any dealership, even when I was being given bad service. To me it's pretty simple, in that good customers should get good service. Very loyal customers should get special service. Bad customers of course need to be dealt with in their own way. Also service should be consistent across all dealerships that represent that brand, but sadly this is far from reality. Much of this has to do with fundamentally how the dealership industry works and is structured with automakers.

 

[CIF]

I agree that something should be done for loyal or special customers. It seems to be based on the management/relationship and not automated. In Bulldogs case you would think there is a giant gold star he's bought 350k worth of cars from Lexus.

Its just good business.

Yeah exactly. Even in the current dealership system, I mean you would think that loyal customers such as Bulldog would for sure get special treatment by the dealer. Even if not, maybe observed by Lexus corporate that he is a loyal customer, and have it mandated directly from corporate down to the dealership level to offer special service and not waiver from it.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

I happen to be in So FL for the week and a half, and have seen mostly those JM Lexus frames or ones from Lexus of Pembroke Pines...definitely lots of them. I see that most of Ze Germans have a presence in FLL or Pompano, particularly on Federal Hwy, but Lexus doesn't have a dealer there (and probably no one else wants to compete with JM)

 

[Ian Schmidt]

That's crazy to me. Lexus of Orlando never treated me as anything but a VIP (they even had LS loaners!), and up here in Maryland Lexus of Towson's gone above and beyond for me on a couple of occasions even though I didn't lease at their dealership. I certainly will when the LS500 arrives!

The sales guys in Orlando would sometimes grumble because they'd lost a few sales to people willing to take the 4 hour trip down the Florida Turnpike to JM, but their service department was equally awesome no matter what license frame you had.

 

[Ruksac]

I never worked in the car biz before I started at JM back in 2006. The way I trained there was what set the tone for me as to how I handle my customers and it's served me well. I've worked on the sales side and the service side and I truly have enjoyed helping customers and making their experience easy. I was trained by a more traditional system which was designed to yield higher volume of sales by delivering a superior level of service to the guest. 11 years later and it's a method I still adhere to. As a result I've developed a large book of business that appreciates my product knowledge and my willingness to handle all of the automotive needs and I'm fortunate enough to have customers trust me enough that they refer their friends, family and colleagues for their car needs as well. I've only worked at the two largest volume stores in the US which are both here in South Florida. It's a tough market. Many of the posts on this forum speak of the luxury level of service that a Lexus owner is due. A standard to which I adhere to closely. But in that same regard there are more customers than not that simply do not care how good someone's service is. Many customers here will sell out on a salesperson for less than $10 per month on a lease payment. But then they'll go ahead and call back the person that didn't sell them the car and expect that person to still field their questions, schedule their service appointments, etc. I get it, it's a tough business and things are tough all over, but new luxury customers and younger buyers on one hand will seem not to care about leaving one person for a trivial amount of money but will then be very quick to berate you in an online review if you don't jump when they call. Service is a two way street. One shouldn't check into the Ritz and expect their level of service when they're paying with a coupon.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

@Ruksac: I hear ya. I'm one of those people who will pay a little more for something demonstrably better, be it the product itself or the sales experience. Lexus in particular for me has always been about the great, friendly dealership staff I've interacted with, and I'd never ditch any of "my" salespeople for a few bucks or even tens of bucks on a lease payment.

 

[Bulldog 1]

Hello again. Just to be crystal clear on what my experience was, please review the attached photos. This is a plastic ABS clip that is attached to the interior of the console designed to hold a cable running to a radar detector or USB cable so that the console door may close correctly without undue stress on the latch mechanism.
It failed. Miserably. After two years of ownership. The car is driven daily to and from work. My ES takes over weekend duties.
And...Lexus put my 11 year relationship at risk over this piece of easily replaceable plastic. Two and a half hours at the dealership going back and forth over its usefulness, my culpability in its destruction, insinuating I should bear the cost of its replacement due to the accusation my reckless slamming of the console door had caused the part failure despite no evidence to support the allegation, gouging the finish on my center console surface while carelessly removing the part, then utterly destroying it while removing it and putting it back in more broken than when I had arrived at the dealership.
And you may wonder to yourself, "why make such a big deal out of a piece of plastic?"
To wit my singular response would be "Why did you subject me to two and a half hours of dismissive, defensive, accusatory behaviors only to send me away with a car wash?" Yes, in full disclosure, the part was replaced. Nine days later.
The fact that Lexus was willing to destroy 11 years of unwavering devotion and loyalty over something so utterly trivial speaks volumes about their current state of affairs pertaining to the treatment of their customers.
It all seems absurd when you look at it on the surface but this is problematic in that there has been a seismic shift in how this dealership specifically engages with their clientele. I have the car buying experience down to a comfortable science. I pick the vehicle I desire. I negotiate with email with my VIP sales manager, I come pick up the vehicle when we have agreed on the terms and conditions. I do not interact with floor salespeople at all.
But as was already covered, this was about how my experience at a flagship Lexus dealer commenced from the time the service writer appeared in the driveway up to the time I left in disgust.
Mike and I shared a private email where I went into more details, but I wanted the photos to speak for themselves. The car comes with a warranty. It better for nearly $43,000. And I expected the part to be replaced. Until I assertively defended my position, they attempted to coerce myself into accepting responsibility for the loss and covering the replacement at my expense. Absurd in so many ways....

 

[Bulldog 1]

Welcome back, Bulldog. Haven't seen you post here for months.

I don't totally agree with your view, in that I do see some merit in no-haggle pricing......but I admire you for sticking to your convictions. And I do agree that Lexus, along with some other luxury/premium car-makers, have lost their way by forgetting their bread-and-butter customers and going after a young, sporting crowd. Like it or not, though, the traditional people, especially the ones in the late 40s-through early-60s, in the decade or so right before retirement, are often the ones with the most money to spend on new cars. Unless they have rich parents, or are fortunate enough to get a high-paying job in their youth (most young people today aren't), those young buyers the auto companies are so eager to pursue nowadays usually don't have enough money to pursue their automotive dreams.

BTW, in case you aren't aware of it (since you've been gone for months), I myself have a new Buick Lacrosse on order......that's about as cushy and traditional as you can get nowadays. It was a tough (and I mean tough) choice between the Lacrosse, Lexus ES350, Lincoln MKZ, Genesis G80, and Kia Cadenza...but, in the end, the triple-shield won out.

Congratulations. My parents were diehard Buick owners throughout the LeSabre years. I still have an emotional softspot for the brand tied to memories of my departed father. The unceremonious return of a spectacular 2003 Buick LeSabre Celebration Edition in a Crystal Pearl Metallic Red whatever fully loaded with every possible option including a Heads Up Display! led to my discovery of the Lexus brand when I procured a 2006 Lexus ES330 in Blue Shale with a beige interior and factory 17" chrome wheels.

We spent a considerable amount of time at the Buick display at the Miami Beach International Auto Show last October pre-SEMA Show poring over every last detail of the LaCrosse. It's a far departure from its predecessor. Sadly, the cost of the vehicle was far from what we were told once we arrived at the dealer. And yet, another mistake. We were at Lexus and drove by the Buick dealer where I've done business for years purchasing Pontiacs. I know the staff and the owner, who loves my sports car. But I digress. The salesman was told specifically we were on site to experience the new LaCrosse.
Somehow we ended up in a Regal with a 4-cylinder turbo engine for our test drive. The payment and the inception for the Regal was higher than the LExus ES350, which is why we've consistently leased Lexus over and over. I can't justify Lexus money for a Buick. They just aren't the same car.

But there are so many aspects of the current LaCrosse that are on par with the ES and some that surpass it. The fact they won't up-charge you for a V-6 engine. It's the only one offered. That there's a "3" in front of the HP rating. (Knock knock Lexus, when will you upgrade the power in your vehicles?) That huge trunk. Modern design front and rear. Excellent spaciousness in the rear. There is no way to say you made a bad choice. I would never consider the Lincoln, Genesis or Kia, so I offer an enthusiastic thumbs up. Now if it's the pearl red close the Matador Red, well that's getting two thumbs up!

 

[Bulldog 1]

Bulldog1 and mikeavelli, I have to say I share your general concerns for sure. Not about specific dealerships you mentioned, as I have no experience with those dealerships, but about the general trend that seems to be happening with some dealerships, and possibly the Lexus brand itself. Growing arrogance, and ignoring very loyal customers are very concerning trends IMHO. If this is coming from Lexus corporate, it is very ominous then. If it is happening purely at the dealership level, still pretty bad but not quite as ominous. The question is, at what level is this happening? If only at the dealership level, is Lexus corporate aware of this, and what are they doing about it?

I know how to effectively get my point across. I am a college trained and former professional journalist who worked for multiple national magazines and the local daily newspaper. In short, I know how to write and I know how to communicate. In a roundabout way, my phone call to Lexus FS led to my discussion of this whole experience I was subjected to, and they showed a genuine interest in making things right. In the end, Lexus Customer Satisfaction offered me some generous compensation in non-monetary forms that I truly appreciated, because they overall are saving me money in subscriptions and maintenance fees, as well as some free Lexus branded items. They showed genuine concern, and responded with gestures of apology.

What they cannot do is exert influence or control over the behavior of the individual dealers, to more directly respond to your question. I spoke to a total of three persons at the Lexus corporate level. I had already researched and found the Lexus Vice President for Customer Satisfaction in Torrance, and secured a way to reach her. But after Lexus Customer Satisfaction came through with their offers and the dealership sent a manager to my home to complete the repair saving me a second 60 mile RT, I decided to forego the letter. Trust me, I had already formulated three pages worth in my mind, edited and spell-checked. I just never put it down on paper pending the final outcome. I have to be reasonable.

I suggested (they asked me point blank what will it take to retain your business as a continuing Lexus owner?) arranging the replacement of my two current 2015 Lexus vehicles with comparable 2017 models retaining the same payments and wiping out the customary inceptions for my less-than-Lexus experience.
Greedy? No. Actually, it would have accomplished me getting two new cars at a discount, and they would have not so surreptitiously trapped me into another two contracts, thereby ensuring my continued Lexus loyalty for the next two years. She declined because "each dealership is franchised and independently owned, so we have no authority over their sales process or negotiations." So in six and twelve months, respectively with my ES350 and IS250 F Sport, I will become an automotive free agent.

 

[mmcartalk]

Somehow we ended up in a Regal with a 4-cylinder turbo engine for our test drive. The payment and the inception for the Regal was higher than the LExus ES350, which is why we've consistently leased Lexus over and over. I can't justify Lexus money for a Buick. They just aren't the same car.

The Regal, like the Verano, Cascada, and Encore, are actually re-done German Opels (Insignia and Astra). They are the ones that are really bringing up Buick's high reliability ratings, more so than the Lacrosse and Encore, which are essentially American-designed products, and, while not lemons, aren't quite as highly-rated in reliability.

But there are so many aspects of the current LaCrosse that are on par with the ES and some that surpass it. The fact they won't up-charge you for a V-6 engine. It's the only one offered.

A new 4-cylinder hybrid version, with an older 6-speed tranny, will be offered for 2018, while keeping the standard V6 and the all-new 9-speed.

The ES actually shows better fit/finish than the Lacrosse, with better assembly-tolerances and a better paint job, but, IMO, was not as comfortable and did not drive as smoothly. Buick's Quiet Tuning is remarkable.

That there's a "3" in front of the HP rating. (Knock knock Lexus, when will you upgrade the power in your vehicles?) That huge trunk. Modern design front and rear. Excellent spaciousness in the rear. There is no way to say you made a bad choice. I would never consider the Lincoln, Genesis or Kia, so I offer an enthusiastic thumbs up. Now if it's the pearl red close the Matador Red, well that's getting two thumbs up!

Thanks. My main concern is the potential reliability of that complex new 9-speed tranny, which was co-developed with Ford. I had originally ordered a 2017, but GM had just cut off orders for them (I was notified the very next day LOL), and I had to settle for a 2018 instead...with that all-new tranny coming next year. It is considered the most advanced FWD transmission on the planet (the upcoming 10-speed will be RWD), but it is complex and packed into a very small housing. Fortunately, at least it was developed off an existing design, which cut down on some complexity.

They don't offer a Lexus-Type Matador Red on the Lacrosse....although I agree that is a beautiful color. They had the crystal red earlier in the year, but then dropped it. The closest to it next year, for the Lacrosse, will be the Black Cherry...a much darker shade.

 

[mmcartalk]

What they cannot do is exert influence or control over the behavior of the individual dealers, to more directly respond to your question.

She declined because "each dealership is franchised and independently owned, so we have no authority over their sales process or negotiations."

That's what, IMO, needs to change. When one accepts a franchise, even if privately-owned, he or she agrees to play by the rules. Saturn, for instance, was dead-serious about the customer coming first, and EVERY dealership playing by the rules. And it was the model of success, all through the 1990s, until the boneheads in upper-level GM management decided they were going to try and essentially turn the division into just another replacement for newly-defunct Oldsmobile. The rest, of course, is history.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

That's what, IMO, needs to change. When one accepts a franchise, even if privately-owned, he or she agrees to play by the rules. Saturn, for instance, was dead-serious about the customer coming first, and EVERY dealership playing by the rules. And it was the model of success, all through the 1990s, until the boneheads in upper-level GM management decided they were going to try and essentially turn the division into just another replacement for newly-defunct Oldsmobile. The rest, of course, is history.

Agreed. Given Lexus' emphasis on customer experience they should be willing and able to micromanage problematic dealerships when customer complaints come in. I think this is another reason why the Tesla model of company-owned stores is inevitable.