The Lexus Enthusiast Annual Review: Welcome to 2016

[krew]

Hello everyone,

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Lexus Enthusiast forums, and I would like to take this occasion to share some of my thoughts and future plans with all of you.

Right off the start, I'm extremely proud of the community that's grown around the site. Getting a chance to talk with such a passionate group of Lexus enthusiasts has been a highlight of the past year. There is a solid foundation, and I believe we have started something special here.

Even so, 2015 was a difficult year. The premium membership program that launched last February was not the success I hoped for, falling far short of my projections. As a result, I have been unable to deliver the proper experience to the site's most dedicated members. I fully intend to make that right -- if you're a premium member, be sure to read more about this here.

But through adversity comes strength, and these growing pains have been rewarded. The LC is a turning point for both Lexus and Lexus enthusiasts. Seeing the vehicle's debut earlier this month has renewed my faith in the Lexus brand. This is the Lexus that we deserve, the Lexus we expect.

Where I was once discouraged by issues with the premium membership and a general lack of progress, I came home from Detroit feeling refreshed and excited. The first thing I did was start working on major changes to the site. In order to be prepared for the LC, I knew things could not remain the same.

This weekend, Lexus Enthusiast will launch an all new redesign, with a massive upgrade to the forums. I will also be announcing a clear leadership group, and will introduce a new user structure that rewards participation.

We have an opportunity to build something here -- the future is bright for Lexus enthusiasts, and I'm very proud to be part of this group.

Until this weekend, stay safe my friends,

Kevin Watts
Founder, Lexus Enthusiast

 

[Ruksac]

Keep up the good work Krew

 

[oem_is300]

Looking forward to the new update. Lexus Enthusiast is already miles ahead of where it was last year, thanks for all your hard work Kevin!

 

[Bulldog 1]

Good thing I made it to 200 contributions before the "lurker" cutoff date

 

[mikeavelli]

As KREW stated 2015 was exciting yet very challenging and the team is super geeked up for 2016 and going forward. To think a year has passed here at the Lexus Enthusiast Forums! We got some really great things coming to bring Lexus Enthusiasts together around the globe. Thanks to everyone for their active participation here!

 

[corradoMR2]

Krew, despite larger forums out there, one thing is consistently heard from the car community. People know of Lexus Enthusiast as the defacto standard for the latest Lexus News. Although I'm optimistic with your latest announcement, regardless of what happens, LE will always be the best source for anything Lexus.

 

[meth.ix]

I will upgrade to Premium soon!

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Honestly, Lexus Enthusiast is so awesome on the "baseline" that I never felt like I was missing anything without Premium. It might help if those perks were trotted out a bit more often for the rest of us to be jealous of as they happen (And I'm going to upgrade right now anyway, because LE's totally worth it).

 

[Born2Drive]

Happy 1st birthday to Lexus Enthusiast!

 

[Gecko]

A personal note...

Working with Kevin and @theLexfather last year has been a great honor, and I can personally attest to the unbelievable amount of work that Kevin has put in to make this a great community for Lexus enthusiasts. I think this is the point that sets Lexus Enthusiast apart... honest passion. You simply won't find another person as dedicated to the brand or enthusiasts as Kevin Watts, and what has been started here is only getting better.

The first year might have had some growing pains and many important lessons learned, and through that, I'm looking even more forward to sharing 2016 with this community. We have a lot of great things to look forward to!

 

[mmcartalk]

Though I'm more of a general car enthusiast than a Lexus enthusiast per se (note my avitar and signature), I've enjoyed my (so far) ten months on the forum. Lots of good good discussion about vehicles, the auto business, the auto market, and the auto press. Learned a lot from some of you other members....and I hope vice-versa. Looking forward to another year of.......(what else?).........more car talk. :grinning:

(My motto, BTW.........Driving is Believing)

 

[RAL]

Though I'm more of a general car enthusiast than a Lexus enthusiast per se (note my avitar and signature), I've enjoyed my (so far) ten months on the forum. Lots of good good discussion about vehicles, the auto business, the auto market, and the auto press. Learned a lot from some of you other members....and I hope vice-versa. Looking forward to another year of.......(what else?).........more car talk. :grinning:

(My motto, BTW.........Driving is Believing)

It has been a pleasure to have you with us

 

[mikeavelli]

You can read my FB post here but for those not on FB here it is...honestly its a pleasure each and everyday to come here....thanks KREW!!!

Some of you know I can get wordy.....

Well this popped up on my FB feed so what better time to do some writing....A year ago Kevin Watts took a big, expensive gamble by expanding his The Lexus Enthusiast site to include new interactive forums. We actually discussed it for quite sometime and I was honored when I was asked to be a part as the forum administrator. Obviously it would be a huge challenge and there have been tremendous ups and downs (with more downs lol) during the past year from even angle conceivable. After a year we now know better than ever what must be done and the challenges that lie ahead. To say we are super excited each and every day to make things happen would be an understatement.

The biggest challenge in itself is the awkward realization that the "Lexus Enthusiast" is in many ways not a traditional enthusiast and one in really small numbers. It is growing but distinctively different than a traditional BMW/Audi etc or even Mustang enthusiast. In addition Lexus themselves is going through a huge transition with new amazing product and the big move to Texas. Some would say the timing is awful but we think it could never be better. In addition those that are a Lexus Enthusiast seem to be even more passionate than a traditional car owner.

You might be asking yourself "omg ANOTHER forum" but I feel ours is a rare gem. For one unlike most forums it is privately owned and managed by the brand enthusiasts it represents (for example moderator's Gecko /RAL) which means we have a true vested interest to bring the best Lexus news to you. We have a team with a solid foundation in the auto industry who work hard to bring any exclusives and perks possible.

We cannot say enough for all the support we have gotten in the past year from friends, family and all our members so continue to spread the word about the Lexus Enthusiast and its new Community Forums!

KREW's Take- https://lexusenthusiast.com/…/the-lexus-enthusiast-annual-…/

Special thanks to RS-R USA, A'PEXi, Beat-Sonic Norman Karkada(‪#‎FSportSunday‬)& Vossen Wheels for being the founding Lexus Enthusiast partners!