The Lexus LM Minivan Megathread

[maiaramdan]

Guys , still rendering
Wait for the real deal !!!

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

I know it's just a Russian artist's conception of what an Alphard-based Lexus minivan could look like, but I think it looks way better than I would've anticipated. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to the real thing (provided, of course, the Lexus is launched in Shanghai on the 16th).

 

[zeusus]

I know it's just a Russian artist's conception of what an Alphard-based Lexus minivan could look like, but I think it looks way better than I would've anticipated. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to the real thing (provided, of course, the Lexus is launched in Shanghai on the 16th).

Rendering looks good, pretty much as expected.

Lexus made the spindle work on the LX, and not only did it work but the execution was great.

I'm still not sure if this minivan was an April Fools joke or not but I hope its real and not much doubt in my mind that it will look good.

 

[flexus]

Rendering looks good, pretty much as expected.

Lexus made the spindle work on the LX, and not only did it work but the execution was great.

I'm still not sure if this minivan was an April Fools joke or not but I hope its real and not much doubt in my mind that it will look good.

Don't worry there's no such thing as April's fool in Asia

 

[ssun30]

^^Yes we do.

 

[krew]

krew

Rendered: The Lexus Luxury Minivan

Imagining the Lexus MPV.

View the original article post

 

[Rob Grieveson]

Should sell well in certain countries - a bit too much grille for my taste in these renderings would like the hood to come down further so that the grille is not quite so overpowering visually - otherwise looks very good.

 

[shizhi]

Yes，it is Lexus LM，flagship luxury MPV！
www.lexus.com.cn/node/3855

 

[krew]

krew

Lexus LM Luxury Minivan to Debut at Shanghai Motor Show

It's official.

View the original article post

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

For comparison, here are the lightened Lexus LM teaser (top) and a side view of the Toyota Alphard (bottom);

 

[mwyf]

For comparison, here are the lightened Lexus LM teaser (top) and a side view of the Toyota Alphard (bottom);

One step first closer to confirming my fears - I really hope it's not a rebadge job with some tarting up on the inside. It needs a quintessentially Lexus design inside out. If this turns out to be a rebadge, then there'll be Alphard, Vellfire, Lexus LM - are 3 flavours necessary for vans?

 

[spwolf]

Alphard usually outsells complete lexus lineup, so I guess yes?

It will definitely be lexus version of Alphard on the outside, I hope they change front dash, only thing not up to date there

 

[Joe]

One step first closer to confirming my fears - I really hope it's not a rebadge job with some tarting up on the inside. It needs a quintessentially Lexus design inside out. If this turns out to be a rebadge, then there'll be Alphard, Vellfire, Lexus LM - are 3 flavours necessary for vans?

Oh dear... Based on that teaser, I am afraid that you're right... :scream::bomb: I am very curious to see what Lexus designers can come up with based on the awful Alphard design.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

If this turns out to be a rebadge, then there'll be Alphard, Vellfire, Lexus LM - are 3 flavours necessary for vans?

Well, the Japanese domestic market offers 3 different flavors (Noah, Voxy and Esquire) for Toyota's smaller minivan. And commentary in our C-HR thread informs us that FAW Toyota China is launching the Vellfire at Auto Shanghai as a counterpart to the GAC Toyota Alphard.

Even as Toyota promises eventual consolidation of its 4 separate Japanese sales channels (implicitly eliminating duplicate variants of the same basic vehicle there), the internecine rivalry between FAW and GAC in China ensures that there will be duplicate Toyotas for the foreseeable future.

 

[flexus]

Hope they export this to ASEAN. They could overthrow Germans with this. LM will bring new customers and would introduce the brand to many people. When Toyota launched few weeks back luxury version of HiAce, SE Asia's car media got VERY excited.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

By looking at the dip in the front that goes all the way down towards the bottom-front lip, you can tell this grille is going to be ridiculously massive. Oh no.

 

[OlFius]

Is this really a priority for Lexus?
I can imagine something more urgent (LF-1),
or will we have to wait another 4 years like with the UX?

 

[Will1991]

It feels like... We already know everything abut this car...

 

[ydooby]

There is little incentive for them to jump to TNGA considering the only purpose of this model is to print money. The Alphard already is the best luxury minivan, period. The Alphard is relatively new and got its facelift last year with updated powertrains and interior. They cannot improve its competitiveness any further because there is no competitor.

We have to understand why the LM exists. This thing is targeted at the chinese market specifically, where the Alphard is a Veblen good: a luxury item that gets more popular the more expensive it gets. It reached that status because it is the best luxury minivan by a long shot. In JDM it costs between $35-55k (although there is a $150k special trim for VIP transport), but in China the MSRP is $120k and the average transaction price is $170k. Dealership add huge markups on them due to huge demand and limited supply. People who buy an Alphard would never compare it to a Mercedes V-Class, a Buick GL8 Avenir, or a Nissan Quest; they cross-shop it against Mercedes S-Class Maybach, Maserati Ghibli, and entry-level Bentleys, in which case $170k is a bargain. Even at such ridiculous prices they sold over one thousand of these a month, more than the LS, LX, and LC combined.

The LM will be the profit maximization machine for them, so they will do whatever they can to reduce costs. They could already command a ridiculous premium without a TNGA update because it is already the best. Let's just forget this stupidity and look at the bright side: it will be so profitable that it will pay for R&D for all their F models in the future.

Yes, and that's why I said I wouldn't be terribly surprised, but only terribly disappointed, that Lexus isn't holding its brand name to a higher standard.

 

[zeusus]

Yes, and that's why I said I wouldn't be terribly surprised, but only terribly disappointed, that Lexus isn't holding its brand name to a higher standard.

You mean like Mercedes does in Europe selling their cars cheap to be used as taxis?