Sriracha-Themed Lexus IS Debuts at LA Auto Show

[Tragic Bronson]

I'd agree if this was being run on national TV in place of the December to Remember commercials or something, but ultimately it's not the mass-market public face of Lexus. It's a couple of tweets and a forgettable display at a car show, for an entry-level model that Lexus US never has has a clue how to market. If they show an LS made of jelly beans at NAIAS, I'll worry.

I don't think you were the target market they are aiming for (I really think its millennials)...and you are underestimating the power of the Internet and social media, which seemingly today's society has encapsulated, even more powerful than "mass-market" ad that Lexus could possibly buy if they wanted to.

http://jalopnik.com/lexus-came-to-the-la-auto-show-with-a-butt-joke-1789071725

While it is funny, I just see people coming to the display to laugh at it rather than actually be interested in buying one.

 

[OlFius]

Agree with all the comments above. This is awful :scream: and seriously hurts the brand at a time when Lexus tech and performance have been considerably surpassed by the competition.

I hate to say it but for the reasons I listed above and as loyal as I have been to Lexus, I have also moved away from Lexus. For the first time ever, to the Germans - signed on a '17 A4 S-Line the other day.

Congrats with your new choice !
An Ax (any number looks the same for me, even the new A5 these days) ?
Were there no better Germans possible?

 

[OlFius]

Ai ai ai,
is this a new lesson 'How to screw up the IS' ?
Sorry, I don't get it.

 

[meth.ix]

I don't think you were the target market they are aiming for (I really think its millennials)...and you are underestimating the power of the Internet and social media, which seemingly today's society has encapsulated, even more powerful than "mass-market" ad that Lexus could possibly buy if they wanted to.

http://jalopnik.com/lexus-came-to-the-la-auto-show-with-a-butt-joke-1789071725

Lol I'm a millennial (well, one year too young) but I find this really lame and stupid as well. But that may be because I am a Lexus Enthusiast (!) and most millennials aren't lol

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Lol I'm a millennial (well, one year too young) but I find this really lame and stupid as well. But that may be because I am a Lexus Enthusiast (!) and most millennials aren't lol

http://time.com/money/3979425/millennials-consumers-boomers-gen-x/

Sriracha is everywhere. It is spicing up potato chips and croutons, adding some extra kick to Heinz ketchup, and offering a strange twist at Pizza Hut. Heck, it’s even in beer. And the overwhelming reason Sriracha is ubiquitous is that it’s evolved into the go-to condiment of the all-important millennial demographic. More than half of American households now have hot sauce on hand. Sriracha specifically is stocked in 9% of them—and in 16% of households headed by someone under age 35.

The hot sauce craze has translated to a constantly changing roster of ultra-spicy items on fast food menus. Part of the reason that millennials prefer spicier foods is that they were exposed to different tastes at fairly young ages. “Millennials like hot, spicy foods because of their experience with more ethnic foods, like Hispanic and Asian,” said Kelly Weikel, senior consumer research manager at Technomic.

 

[corradoMR2]

Woah. Replacing the RC F or NX?

Edit: Nevermind -- guess it's taking the place of your HS. That didn't last long!

Yeah HS - 6 months. I actually liked it but my commute frequency has been reduced considerably so fuel economy at this time is not a big factor.

Congrats with your new choice !
An Ax (any number looks the same for me, even the new A5 these days) ?
Were there no better Germans possible?

Thanks. I'm not a bimmer-fan (at least not yet), and MB was out after a test drive of the CLA (felt cheap, rattled, and suspension was too stiff). C-Class is nicely built but the styling is too S-class-luxurious-looking for my tastes. The Q50 S could have been in my driveway but it's a touch too big. The A4 S-Line is the right blend of sportiness and luxury with near-Lexus like reliability of late. And the interior is top notch in build quality and tech. Add in Scuba Blue and it will be fairly unique .

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Did Nissan do it better? At least with the Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition, it will be available to the public even if it is limited to 5400 units (5K US, 400 Canada).

and with purchase you get a DT helmet that you can throw on eBay so some fanboys can bid their dollars away.

 

[meth.ix]

Did Nissan do it better? At least with the Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition, it will be available to the public even if it is limited to 5400 units (5K US, 400 Canada).

and with purchase you get a DT helmet that you can throw on eBay so some fanboys can bid their dollars away.

But the thing is, it's still a Rogue

 

[meth.ix]

http://time.com/money/3979425/millennials-consumers-boomers-gen-x/

I love sriracha don't get me wrong. But making a sriracha-themed Lexus isn't gonna make me like Lexus or sriracha anymore. It just looks lame. No one will have a sudden interest in the brand because of this regardless of their "generation."

 

[Tragic Bronson]

But the thing is, it's still a Rogue

I know its a Nissan, but hey, perhaps the Force is strong with this one in bringing in those buyers. If anything, a tie in with Star Wars is expected to pay dividends. A Tie-Fighter GT-R would the ultimate bed wetter for SW fanboys.

I love sriracha don't get me wrong. But making a sriracha-themed Lexus isn't gonna make me like Lexus or sriracha anymore. It just looks lame. No one will have a sudden interest in the brand because of this regardless of their "generation."

Again, we're all wondering what Lexus' marketing department is smoking...they were probably reading Yelp reviews in figuring out this project.

 

[OlFius]

Yeah HS - 6 months. I actually liked it but my commute frequency has been reduced considerably so fuel economy at this time is not a big factor.



Thanks. I'm not a bimmer-fan (at least not yet), and MB was out after a test drive of the CLA (felt cheap, rattled, and suspension was too stiff). C-Class is nicely built but the styling is too S-class-luxurious-looking for my tastes. The Q50 S could have been in my driveway but it's a touch too big. The A4 S-Line is the right blend of sportiness and luxury with near-Lexus like reliability of late. And the interior is top notch in build quality and tech. Add in Scuba Blue and it will be fairly unique .

OK, I can understand your complete.
Don't get me wrong, but if you see one Audi from the front, they all look the same, from A3... A7 for me.
The only difference that I see every time are the LED lights.
At Audi they all look a bit like it's Christmas, every day ....

But this will change in the near future, as I understood.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/lexus-just-made-sriracha-car-and-no-isnt-april-fools-joke-174689

This isn't a joke, at least not entirely. The vehicle was indeed produced and will be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show from Nov. 18–27. It is obviously a lighthearted cross-branding stunt, though. And you won't actually be able to buy the Sriracha IS (or have your kids ask Santa for it)—as it appears Lexus has made only one.

Lexus agency Team One dreamed up the idea and helped to execute it.

Don't think the Engineering team will take credit for this one...let's see if BMW, Mercedes or Audi follow suit.

 

[CIF]

I'd agree if this was being run on national TV in place of the December to Remember commercials or something, but ultimately it's not the mass-market public face of Lexus. It's a couple of tweets and a forgettable display at a car show, for an entry-level model that Lexus US never has has a clue how to market. If they show an LS made of jelly beans at NAIAS, I'll worry.

As Tragic Bronson pointed out, social media is a big deal these days in terms of marketing. This was a SEMA vehicle, and SEMA is a really big show that gets tons of social media attention. Not a lot of TV attention, but that's not a big deal in this case.

The problem is that some people involved with SEMA, are opinion makers so to speak. Some of them help set trends in the aftermarket industry, and often influence opinions on what brands are cool or trendy. So now any opinion makers present at SEMA are very likely laughing at Lexus. These opinion makers are very influential to the aftermarket segment. Many in the aftermarket segment are younger people. These opinions gradually filter down into the mainstream masses, and can influence a brand's reputation, and change or influence stereotypes about a brand.

Did Nissan do it better? At least with the Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition, it will be available to the public even if it is limited to 5400 units (5K US, 400 Canada).

Yes, Nissan definitely did it better, infinitely better IMO. Not a level comparison since it is comparing a mass market vs luxury brand here, but Nissan I think hit a homerun here. They are a mass market brand, and what a perfect branding/marketing exercise to make a Star Wars special edition. This gives HUGE positive marketing to Nissan with virtually nothing negative here. This Star Wars special edition Rogue is apparently reasonably priced, it is NOT a one-off car like the Lexus, it is one people can buy, you get a special edition Star Wars helmet to go along with it, and the vehicle itself was done in a very classy way with understated, subtle touches. The timing of this is perfect, as it is right before the release of the Rogue One Star Wars film.

Just imagine if Lexus had done say a GS F-Sport or GS-F Star Wars special edition? That would have been some brilliant marketing for example. Or what if Toyota had done with this with the Rav4 or Highlander instead of Nissan with the Rogue?

I give kudos to Nissan for executing this. Regardless of what I think of the Rogue itself, the marketing here is just brilliant IMO.

Also regarding the IS, very surprised and disappointed that Team One came up with this idea.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

As Tragic Bronson pointed out, social media is a big deal these days in terms of marketing. This was a SEMA vehicle, and SEMA is a really big show that gets tons of social media attention. Not a lot of TV attention, but that's not a big deal in this case.

Was this actually SEMA? I thought it was the LA Auto Show. Lexus' thing at SEMA was the awesome modded LC, no?

 

[CIF]

Was this actually SEMA? I thought it was the LA Auto Show. Lexus' thing at SEMA was the awesome modded LC, no?

I'm sorry, you're right, I get the two shows sometimes mixed up due to the close proximity in which they occur each year.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

If anything, perhaps they can put the key into production

 

[mikeavelli]

Without going in great detail I was privy to this car awhile ago as there were builders being considered. Some of the other builds IMO were much better executed. I don't know anyone who really uses West Coast Customs in the luxury arena. That said I think they did a pretty tasteful job but there seems to be a huge uproar overall across all social media channels and evidenced by this thread.

Overall, I just took it as Lexus having a bit of fun, cause I'm sure many of use do enjoy that hot sauce as I do lol.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Car branding is a slippery slope

 

[meth.ix]

Car branding is a slippery slope

but those are the most hated car culture in the world: donks

 

[Carmaker1]

I am very disappointed in Lexus in respect to the decision to use the LA Auto Show to debut such a sideshow of a vehicle. Should've been for SEMA, not the showcase for a major show. There are a number of models outside of the new LS, that could've been shown as precursors. It is that Japan command just didn't want to spend extra money on paying their advanced design team to develop concepts previewing either the next generation ES and GX? Next CT? Where is the RC cabrio for that matter? I had hoped they were joking when they "cancelled" it two years ago, but it looks like they're not.:worried:

Design of the 5GS is frozen by now and surely decided on many months ago. Even at that, during 5GS design competition last year, surely management would be able to know which proposal would be likely to win and Tokuo Fukuichi could've easily delegated any studio to draw up a ridiculous concept with only the fascia having vague hints of the incoming production model (in order to not give away too much too early). I say this, as that would give them enough time to have a concept ready in time instead of this drivel.

BMW somewhat did that in 1999 with E65 7-Series, even if the Z9 Concept internally became the production E63 6-Series within 9 months of its IAA debut. In fact this has been practiced by Lexus in some cases already.

I understand that they cannot outright show anything related to the XC10 facelift (RC), AZ10 facelift (NX), AL21 (RXL), XV70 (7ES), LX redesign (5LS out of the question), but to stoop to this level is unfortunate. Seeing the new LS and LC, plus money wasted on recalls and buybacks, the budget must be seriously tight.