by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 05/11/2017 at 14:20
by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 05/11/2017 at 14:20
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STARS: 1
Everyone loves to make fun of the Lexus spindle grille looking like a Predator face, while complaining that it is usually poorly integrated with the overall design of the cars to which it’s attached, and generally looks gaudier than people expect a staid, boring Lexus to look. But it’s actually totally fine!
I realized recently that Lexus taking its styling in a more obnoxious direction hasn’t and won’t hurt their sales, because based on my totally unscientific research consisting of of observing cars on the road and making snap judgments of the people driving those cars, there are far more obnoxious Lexus buyers than staid, conservative Lexus buyers.
Hear me out.
When Toyota first launched Lexus, it was all about build quality and reliability. Basically, “here’s a nice refined luxury sedan that’s less expensive to buy, and especially maintain, than a Mercedes.” Check out a typical early-90s Lexus ad.
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But the truth is, Lexus quickly became an aspirational brand just like Mercedes and BMW, something people buy not only because it is a nice, reliable luxury car, but something people buy to show off in. They just want something reliable to show off in.
Sure, you have people who buy Lexuses because they’re nicer Toyotas, and Lexus dealers kiss their ass, and they are staid, boring people. But more often than not, I see even the boring Lexus models like the ES and RX being driven by people who are trying very hard to look fancy.
Lexus advertising has been playing up the “look how fancy we all are!” aspect long before the styling caught up to that perception with its gaudiness. How long has that smug, awful, FUCK YOU LEXUS NOW I WANT TO THROW MY TV AT THE WALL BECAUSE OF YOUR SMUGGY SMUG SMUG COMMERCIAL big red bow nonsense been going on? A long time!
Effectively, the spindle grille, while making for increasingly odd-looking vehicles, makes them much more noticeable, which is exactly what people buying a car for attention want. It’s very hard to ignore cars that look like this...
...precisely because of their gaudy, incongruous styling.
I’ve lost count of how often I see a typical relatively-affordable Lexus like an IS or ES that’s got limo tint on it and some gaudy schmuck or schmuckette at the wheel with designer shades on.
“WHY YES, I DO IN FACT DRIVE A LEXUS, I AM OBVIOUSLY A PERSON OF GREAT MEANS AND WEALTH AND ALSO SMART BECAUSE I DRIVE A LEXUS AND NOT A MERCEDES, THANK YOU FOR NOTICING THAT I DRIVE A LEXUS. IT IS WHY I DRIVE A LEXUS.”
Yes, I know, I’m saying this when I drive a gaudy metallic royal blue BMW coupe with shiny 19 inch wheels that makes lots of stupid turbo noises and has 4 inch chrome exhaust tips, and tinted (but only 50%!) windows.
Now let’s look at Lexus sales numbers over time .
The spindle grille was applied to Lexus models in the following years:
2011 - LX mini-spindle
2012 - ES mini-spindle, LS mini-spindle
2013 - GS mini-spindle, RX mini-spindle, LX medium-spindle
2014 - IS, GX, CT
2015 - ES, RC, NX
2016 - GS, RX, LX mega-spindle
2018 - LS
If you look at the corresponding years of when the spindle grille appeared on different Lexus models, the only year that sales dipped was from 2015 to 2016. We’ll see how 2017 shapes up, but that 83,961 is year-to-date through April. Multiplying that by 3 to give a yearly number yields only 251,883, but over time, the biggest sales months for Lexus tend to be, yes, November and December with those goddamned big red bows. May through August are also bigger than the earlier parts of the year. So we’ll see. But if there’s a decline in 2017, that’s probably more a symptom of an overall decline in the overall car sales market this year than a shrinking of Lexus market share.
Which is all to say, in spite of alienating many non-Lexus buyers, the spindle grille is either not stopping Lexus buyers, or possibly converting more people into Lexus buyers.
"Bytemite" (bytemite)
05/11/2017 at 14:08, STARS: 0
I like the spindle. Looks good on the IS, RC, and LC. But the SUV ones are getting stupid.
"Nibbles" (nibbles)
05/11/2017 at 14:25, STARS: 0
I disliked it greatly when it first arrived but the complementary restyling that has happened since has made the grille more likeable.
"Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig" (AndySheehan-StreetsideStig)
05/11/2017 at 14:37, STARS: 0
Yeah, but it’s ugly.
"fintail" (fintail)
05/11/2017 at 14:45, STARS: 0
When ease of ownership and a smooth isolated driving experience isn’t enough, be different for the sake of different. It will lure in new buyers, especially from the BMWAudi fold.
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
05/11/2017 at 14:47, STARS: 0
You are probably right. It draws attention to otherwise boring upscale Camrys, and that’s probably all they need.
I just don’t get how people who shit on Bangle era BMWs can say that Lexii are beautiful.
"RT" (rt-p)
05/11/2017 at 14:49, STARS: 0
Not all attention is good attention though, if you want to make your cars look distinctive - they still have to look good proportionally. BMW and Mercedes have done this well in the past:
Being distinctive helps, but looking good counts.
Also, Lexus has made plenty of good looking cars before the spindle, they’re just more subtle about it.
etc.
"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
05/11/2017 at 14:50, STARS: 1
And Audi, MB, and BMW aren’t just a guilty of making cars with lots of tinsel and enormous gaping maws at the front either?
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/11/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 0
Luxury cars in general are now a lot flashier than the 80s and 90s examples you posted.
Also, the 2nd gen GS has always looked like garbage.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/11/2017 at 14:54, STARS: 0
All luxury cars nowadays (and maybe all cars in general) are somewhat over-styled, in varying degrees. Modern Lexuses tend to be even more over-styled than the norm.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/11/2017 at 14:58, STARS: 2
Quick, which is herp derpier?
"RT" (rt-p)
05/11/2017 at 15:21, STARS: 0
I prefer the 1st and 3rd gen GS as far as styling goes, it’s just that the 2nd gen was a bit sportier.
Also, modern examples:
Case in point: Distinctive and flashy, but also actually good looking.
And just try to tell me this isn’t flashy:
Luxury cars have always been flashy, even in the 80s and 90s.
You just have to make distinctive and ‘flashy’ cars that look good.
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
05/11/2017 at 15:31, STARS: 1
One is just unfortunate looking the other one is plain hideous.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/11/2017 at 15:49, STARS: 0
You’re cherry-picking examples.
Your old flashy cars are simpler designs with flashy added details.
Your new clean cars are particularly clean cars. The E92 M3 came out 10 years ago (and the E92 came out 12 years ago).
Even within just the past few years the prevailing look of all the premium brands has gone towards more complex surfacing and lighting, more brightwork, and bigger grilles and other vents.
And...you posted the back of the Mercedes AMG GT when the front looks like
this:
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
"misfitmascots" (misfitmascots)
05/11/2017 at 17:49, STARS: 0
Alfa Romeo grilles are pretty ugly but for whatever reason everyone loves them.
"JR1" (type35bugatti)
05/12/2017 at 09:43, STARS: 0
“WHY YES, I DO IN FACT DRIVE A LEXUS, I AM OBVIOUSLY A PERSON OF GREAT MEANS AND WEALTH AND ALSO SMART BECAUSE I DRIVE A LEXUS AND NOT A MERCEDES, THANK YOU FOR NOTICING THAT I DRIVE A LEXUS. IT IS WHY I DRIVE A LEXUS.”
Haha I couldn’t resist.
As for your analysis I just think the fact that people aren’t calling their cars boring anymore is one of the reasons the brand went crazy with the predator grill (I don’t often say it but I think it looks pretty good on most of their models). I am not sure how well they will age but that distinct look was likely probably part of the sales jump however, I also think the post recession bull market has helped too.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/12/2017 at 12:37, STARS: 0
You’re part of the group of 3rd-or-later owners of Lexus trucks which are first purchased (or leased) by people who want a more reliable Range Rover, and don’t actually know or care that they’re basically driving a Land Cruiser. Once depreciation kicks and they make their way to the 3rd owner it’s time to go muddin.
"JR1" (type35bugatti)
05/12/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 0
And actually use the vehicle how God intended.
"Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)" (6speedhaven)
05/14/2017 at 18:58, STARS: 0
I’ll bet they sell over 370,000 cars for 2017.
"bruce g" (bruce-g1)
12/23/2017 at 18:12, STARS: 0
Yeah I wonder where the author of this article is hiding now. 2017 US sales
Toyota down 2% Lexus models down 15%-57% contributed most to this sales loss.
Might be a nice drive but Butt Ugly and FA resale value.
The migration of the grill into the Toyota models will no doubt contribute to worldwide sales losses.
Time for a new design department.
if i am not making point clear enough have look at design they came up for below!!
Toyota Mirai
What are they on