Lexus LS Hybrid delayed
It is only a 30-day delay -- for now -- but the Lexus LS 600h L launch has been pushed back. Meant to launch in June, the new date is late July or early August. A Lexus spokesman said the company was "firming up the scheduling," but the people in Japan behind the reschedule didn't give a reason for the development.
There are a great many folks waiting to see how this car does and a 30-day delay is not a huge deal -- at this point it's safe to think that this could be nothing more than extreme attention to detail. Only expecting to sell 2,000 of the cars annually, Lexus has already taken orders for 1,650 of them. That represents the kind of following that you don't want to abuse. Being Lexus's first foray into six-figure territory, the most technologically advanced car it has ever made, and the flagship product from the newly minted number one car company in the world, Lexus will want to be sure it does this right. The limited edition Neiman Marcus version is expected to arrive around the same time. Stay tuned.
[Source: Automotive News (sub req'd)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Avinash machado 9:06AM (4/30/2007)
Nice car but lacks the heritage of Mercedes,BMW and Jaguar.
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Mike 9:36AM (4/30/2007)
another puff piece written directly from toyota's PR department.
WTF does AB give ToMoCo a pass CONSTANTLY? Name the last launch of a new vehicle ToMoCo HASN'T delayed? camry? no. tundra? no...etc.
Had this been a domestic, you would have detailed every delayed launch from the last 5 years. STOP GIVING TOYOTA A PASS. Hold them to the same standard, the bias on this site is becoming intolerable.
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Josiah 9:53AM (4/30/2007)
Wow Mike... lay off the early morning coffee or go outside for a smoke or something...
A 30 day delay for a special edition luxury car is almost a non event (only the extreme hype makes this even blog worthy)
I sure would like to have that kind of following and almost sell out before the first unit ships.
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bmoredlj 9:55AM (4/30/2007)
I've known about the delay since March, having pre-ordered three: one for my daily driver, in specially-pre-ordered Quantum Dynastic Plum, a Truffle Mica Neiman Marcus Launch Edition for the wife, and a Canary Yellow one for my darling 16 year old daughter. I'm having hers converted into a convertible. If she can parallel-park this, she can park anything! Oh wait, it parks itself!! Ha ha ha, I forgot. I can't think of a better use of 300 grand. This is the Lexus of automobiles. I was only going to buy one, but my neighbor went and ordered two, so...naturally I had to one-up him!
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The Other Bob 10:01AM (4/30/2007)
bmoredlj:
If you weren't joking I'd call you the biggest moron in history.
You would probably be getting yours right after Al Gore gets his.
Any rich snob who drives this things thinking he/she is being a good envronmentalist is a real sucker.
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JGN 10:04AM (4/30/2007)
Wow, 82.5% of the 2000 of these they expect to sell this year have already been bought.
Where are all of those people predicting not a single one would be sold?
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Ron 10:07AM (4/30/2007)
Buick's on the phone! They want their Chinese Lacrosse back.
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DarkKnight67 10:12AM (4/30/2007)
And I wonder how many of those supposed 1,650 orders are by people who plan to lease them? Or, better yet, how many people are planning to put on a big show and will have them repossessed six months later for non payment? This is as big an overhype, P.R. pile as they can create.
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MPL 10:17AM (4/30/2007)
You've got to remember that order banks are mostly bogus. A lot of the times they're filled with bogus names to get extra allocation on newly released cars. That said, I think the initial offering will be snatched up pretty quickly but the car won't have the staying power of the S or 7.
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Mattlach 10:23AM (4/30/2007)
In my humble opinion the automakers are abosuing the word "hybrid" in their "green" marketing schemes.
Uneducated consumers think that as long as its a hybrid they are doing their share for the environment and feel good about themselves...
Its ridiculous considering the crop of hybrids that are starting to pop up. Hybrid luxury cars and SUV's that are so wasteful that despite their hybrid technology fail to get better fuel economy than your average regular fuel car.
We could start with a federal ban on any personal vehicle weighing in excess of 4000lb
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uncle john 10:31AM (4/30/2007)
AWWWWWW Poor Al his gonna have to buy his carbon credits a little while longer.
9. And I wonder how many of those supposed 1,650 orders are by people who plan to lease them?
Probably all of them, this way they can dump them before they need their $10,000 batteries
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Mike 10:30AM (4/30/2007)
"We could start with a federal ban on any personal vehicle weighing in excess of 4000lb"
followed by mass killings in a stalinistic fashion... c'mon, communism ans socialism is all the rage!
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Mattlach 10:50AM (4/30/2007)
#12: Mike:
Even in a free country your rights and freedoms are only yours as long as they don't infrionge on the rights of other people.
I feel my rights to not be mangled by wastfully heavy vehicles on the highway, breathe clean air, live in a country thats safe because it isn't dependant on foreign oil, etc. etc. outweigh your rights to tend to your cool and masculine image by driving a truck...
Putting limitations on the highway arms race does not equal totalitarianism. Enforcing a little common sense every now and then might just not be a bad idea.
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Hank 10:53AM (4/30/2007)
An absolutely amazing car, but it's mpg was observed by IL to be no better than a 1978 Olds Delta 88.
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Brent Schmidt 10:53AM (4/30/2007)
I've already seen one of these driving around on the 91 in Fullerton the other day...
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Avinash machado 11:07AM (4/30/2007)
When the original Lexus the LS400 was launched in 1989, Mercedes and BMW laughed them off. However much to their dismay Lexus proved to be very successful. This time too perhaps the scenario might be the same.
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akatsuki 3:16PM (5/31/2007)
The sad part is it offers no advantages over the normal LS. The additional weight basically renders it as being the same speed, the same mpg, and more portly. This is a car for suckers if there ever was one.
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ckm 11:21AM (4/30/2007)
I was actually at a party in February where they had a fleet of 600h's as service vehicles. It was in conjunction with an environmental conference. I was a bit surprised as I knew the car was not out yet.
Chris.
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Mike 11:22AM (4/30/2007)
"Even in a free country your rights and freedoms are only yours as long as they don't infrionge on the rights of other people."
My freedom stops at the edge of your nose... you telling me what I can and cannot drive does not infringe on your natural rights...until I drive over you.
So, by your argument: after I run over you, I loose my right to drive a larger vehicle...NOT before.
take your socialistic worldview and shove it. Despite your ego, your beliefs are not better than mine, your worldview is not better than mine, and you in no way/shape/form know what is better for me.
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Shawn 11:24AM (4/30/2007)
Mattlach, I don't own a car and I feel I have the right to clean air & safe roads, so I demand that you stop driving immmediately.
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