DetNews: Will Lexus become Toyota's Buick? Is it already?

With a median buyer age of 56 years old and its reputation for longevity, today's Lexus ES350 may be the very last car many of the brand's buyers purchase. It's not like Lexus hasn't tried to attract younger buyers – those who may actually buy another car before being planted. Since its inception, the IS sedan has been a calculated shot at capturing the fancy of BMW buyers, especially the high performing IS-F. Youthful, eco-minded buyers will soon find the hybrid HS250h, but the marque's biggest seller is the RX350 crossover, something of an acknowledged yuppie mommy mobile.

An entry-level crossover slotting under the RX would give Lexus something to lob at the GLK, X3, and Q5, but that's not yet in the pipeline, says Mark Phelan of The Detroit Free Press. There's nothing wrong with selling cars to people who care most about reputation, quietude, and comfort instead of the car person's holy trinity of acceleration, handling, and styling. Lexus cars are fussed-over and the brand's buyers care about quality, so Lexus has that angle sewn up, but attracting younger buyers seems to be an increasingly important item on the punch list. Perhaps a leather-lined Sienna variant with a Mark Levinson entertainment system to grab the parent dollar?

[Source: Detroit Free Press]