Lexus to launch compact in Europe, targeting 1 Series and A3
Europeans will get another premium compact car not bound for U.S. shores and this time it comes courtesy of Lexus. The automaker is targeting the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, vehicles that its rivals have offered in the United States market. Lexus, though, only plans the vehicle for markets outside the U.S. where sales of smaller cars outpace their larger siblings. Apparently, Lexus has set a goal to sell 150,000 vehicles in Europe by 2015 and believes the new model is necessary to meet that number. At this point, we have no idea what platform the compact car would be based on, but Toyota certainly has a number of options, most notably the Auris, which is offered in the European market in hatchback form. There is also the possibility that the new entry-level Lexus could be based on an upcoming small hybrid model from Toyota that would slot beneath the Prius, a version of which the automaker plans to debut in the Lexus line.[Source: WirtschaftsWoche (Google Translated) via Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
StarkRavingMad 2:19PM (10/20/2008)
LOL... WTF Lexus, you have surely lost the plot. BMW/Merc/whoever built small cars to bring history, prestige, luxury to masses. You haven't got the prestige or history (the jury is still out on the luxury dept) to built small expensive cars to sell top the masses.
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rsfourever 2:28PM (10/20/2008)
though i may not have put it in quite those words, i agree with you in principle, especially for the european market (where lexus is pretty much of no import whatsoever)
zamafir 2:45PM (10/20/2008)
Very apt and true, this will sell just as well as their current lineup in Europe. aka, in minuscule portions when compared with anyone else (audi, bwm, merc, et-al). yawn.
tekd 8:56PM (10/20/2008)
Lexus can't sell cars to the masses? If you're going to accuse Toyota/Lexus of being "unable" to do stuff at least try to accuse it of something other than not being able to sell "to the masses", when they sell the most cars of any automaker worldwide. Your euro-snobbery is ridiculous. Lexus sells cars even though it doesn't have a very long history, because the cars don't need to depend on nostalgia about past achievements to sell-they sell cars based on modern and current achievements. Nobody cares about how great cars *used* to be if there's a car that's better right now. Just look at Jaguar and it'll be pretty obvious that if you don't keep up with the competition nobody's going to give a crap about how great your brand used to be.
If you really think Lexus can't move into the small luxury car segment and succeed you're as dumb as the idiots who thought the LS would never be able to outsell the S-Class.
Andrew 9:37AM (10/21/2008)
@tekd, poor you, you really can't understand that Lexus is a minor player in Europe?
We don't like paying extra for our Toyotas.
Erik 2:53AM (11/07/2008)
The decision could also have to do with European legislation wich in a couple of years will force car makers to have an average CO2 emmission of 120g/km. If they do not comply with this they will have to pay enourmous fines. That's one of the reasons why luxury brands have started to offer smaller cars with smaller engines and less CO2-emmisions.
Europe did sign the Kyoto-agreements, you see...
Paul H. 3:32PM (10/20/2008)
Yeah but the question is, will it play with the Del Boca Vista crowd?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. FAIL.
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Andrew 9:38AM (10/21/2008)
Why should that matter when it's not even going to be sold in the US?
Swede 4:35PM (10/20/2008)
The Auris is a bit strange, it's expensive as hell yet the plastics in it are worse than Hyundais built in Pakistan.
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BigWill 9:54AM (10/21/2008)
Lexus wanted to launch the Lexus IQ100 based on the Toyota iQ. Only problem was the leather and wood doubled the weight of the car.
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andrew 8:26AM (10/22/2008)
i like lexus, but they are far too expensive or what you get
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Stricks 3:51PM (10/31/2008)
I got behind a very small Lexus the other day. It had the Lexus Logo. It did not have a number, but a name on the rear "hatch" like they have in Japan. Looks like the Spy photos. Cute little thing.
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