A Lexus LS 600 HL hybrid sedan awaits admirers at the 2007 Houston
auto show in January. Toyota's luxury brand tripled its sales between 1997
and 2006 while U.S. luxury brands faded.
Posted on 11/04/2007 8:06:16 AM PST by Zakeet
It was a rich decade, and car buyers rewarded themselves.
After generations of being the exclusive domain of wealthy families, successful businessmen and professionals, luxury vehicles went mainstream in the mid-1990s. Between 1997 and 2006, luxury-brand sales grew 82 percent.
Detroit's Big Three missed the party.
A Plain Dealer analysis of data provided by the credit research firm Experian Group shows that domestic luxury brands failed to keep up with their Japanese and German counterparts. Once-successful near-luxury brands such as Mercury, Buick and Oldsmobile all but disappeared.
Toyota's Lexus division more than tripled its sales, while Ford's Lincoln brand fell by 27 percent. General Motors' Cadillac brand spent billions to increase sales and stay competitive but still lost share to BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Acura.
A booming economy and fierce competition drove some of the growth. Also, baby boomers hit their peak earning years, making them prime luxury-car candidates.
German and Japanese companies seized on those trends. By expanding the definition of what a luxury car could be and lowering prices, they expanded the market and grew quickly.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
A Lexus LS 600 HL hybrid sedan awaits admirers at the 2007 Houston
auto show in January. Toyota's luxury brand tripled its sales between 1997
and 2006 while U.S. luxury brands faded.
I didn’t know Lexus was owned by Toyota.
Still driving that Packard....?
When Ford destroyed Lincoln in 1998, they threw their company away. They discontinued the most beautiful car ever made, the Mark VIII, and turned the Town Car into just another full-size sedan.
I have absolutely no pity for the Big 3. They have watched what works now for over 20 years and still cling to their brand. Take a cue from Westinghouse who markets their hottest product line, HD TV’s as LG. Nobody has ever heard of LG (Living Good) but that hasn’t stopped them from selling units. The Chevy and Ford brands are a ball and chain. I won’t own one of their cars because the brand sucks. Ditch the brand, start over or branch it where it’s not recognizably connected to Ford and Cheverolet. Westinghouse didn’t want to become Sunbeam. MI carmakers are the biggest IDIOTS.
The Big 3 should get away from union labor. If I had to move to Michigan, I would not choose to I hear they have a RAT infestation, I would take what there paying without the union jackals all over me.
All three of the big Japanese automakers split off luxury marques about 15 years ago. Toyota started Lexus; Nissan started Infiniti; and Honda started Acura. Cadillac is struggling to stay competitive, and succeeding to some degree. But between the German luxuries and the Japanese, American highway sofas are an "also-ran."
The good news is that Mercedes -- once the undisputed frontrunner in the luxury market -- has been slipping in quality and reputation. Even the 80s' "gold standard," BMW, is feeling the heat from its Japanese rivals.
Brand and I don’t think paying to have their models idolized in hip hop songs was perhaps a case of not thinking through their cunning plan. I don’t quite run with TI. IDIOTS.
One of the reasons Lexus is so successful. They've built upon the quality control and lessons learned by Toyota.
In my experience, they are infinitely superior vehicles than anything I've driven from Ford or GM.
I will not buy another Ford or GM while there is a reasonable option from Lexus available.
This was done to get around the new import limitations the US government at that time passed. At first the Japanese automakers just made copies of the cars they were originally selling, then after that they upsold them to the higher end market.
The law of unintended consiquences strike again.
Precisely
Lexus =Toyota
Acura = Honda
Infiniti=Nissan
Chappaqua=Stinking Swamp
The Buick Lucernes are pretty nice. I would call them “entry-level” luxury.
The big three should each take their finest cars, in their opinion, give all three of them to the top five hotrodders in the country and let them redesign them for the public. These guys know what the public wants and they know how to do it. The next thing the big three should do is cut out the unions and drop their prices so the imports have to compete to sell their cars. We seem to have this ability to price ourselves out of the market. How many want to pay $50,000 for a pickup? The Tundra even sells for $40,000 which is crazy. No pickup should be over $30,000. It’s the work horse of our country and should be affordable for everyone.
I have a ‘91 LS 400, and an ‘01 Highlander. Terrific machines. People get in my 16 year old Lexus, and are amazed at how quiet, powerful, and beautiful it still is!
Every LG product I’ve owned has been a piece of utter crap. I refer to that brand as Lousy Garbage.
As for automobiles, there isn’t a make or model other than exotics that I would consider buying new, and exotics are out of my price range. All the new electric “features” are just more things to screw up, be it immediately or down the road. Then there’s the outrageous price of parts after the warranty expires. $400 for an alternator? No thanks.
It’s interesting, though, that the big mass-market foreign brands are manufacturing cars in the U.S., while Ford, GM, and Chrysler are building cars in Canada and Mexico.
Actually, it was only fairly recently that Lexus was truly “split off”. They were just branded and marketed as Lexus in the U.S. In Japan, it was all Toyota.
BTW, take a close look at the new ‘08 Caddy CTS. That car is pretty interesting, very comparable to the 5-series and A6.
German cars aren’t as reliable as the Japanese marques, but they have a road feel that a performance-oriented driver won’t give up. It’s only with some of the latest Lexuses (the IS250 and IS350) and Infinitis (G37S coupe) that this is starting to change. Most of the Japanese luxury cars handle like Oldsmobiles.
Caddy did extension suspension development on the new CTS at the Nürburgring. This is A Good Thing.
Mercedes has slipped because Chrysler owns them...
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