Toyota to go on the offensive?

[jro4566]

Word in Japan and on some forums is that Toyota may be launching a new "premium" brand here in America and the UK. Targeted at entry-level luxury vehicles and premium sedans (ala Buick), this new brand would slot below Lexus but higher than Toyota and Scion. Vehicles will include the Toyota Crown Athlete, Toyota Crown Majesta, and Toyota Mark X with engines 'superior' to Toyota's yet detuned from their Lexus siblings.. The brand may launch by the end of the decade.

[jro4566]

Latest Toyota Mark X (Japan) commercial:
http://toyota.jp/Showroom/tvcf/markx/tvcf03.html

[mgescuro]

Kinda stupid movie if you ask me.
What they are actually trying to do is create an "Acura" within the Toyota line. Problem is... Avalon encroaches into the Lexus territory... and the IS and ES are already entry level luxury Lexus cars.

So... unless Lexus is willing to part witht he IS and ES and Toyota gives up Avalon to this new brand..... I think this new brand is totally unnecessary and redundant. And it really starts to thin out the limited number of platforms Toyota already has. There is only so much you can do to rework a platform before it becomes redundant.

[jro4566]

Well, Lexus is moving upscale so this could workout.

[Ming]

Hmmm, so Toyota wants to have as many brands as GM, perhaps?

[goblue]

I don't know how much upscale lexus can go while selling a bunch of cars. Lexus works b/c its a "almost mercades" with great quality. Make them equivalent - and I'll take the Benz. Especially if DCX swings mercades back which I'm sure they will at one point - most things are cyclical.

[Vintalage]

One of the more aggressively styled Toyota models







I love the Crown!

[paul8488]

Are there really that many people that say "Well, Toyota is too downscale and Lexus is too upscale... what I really need is something inbetween"?!? Maybe Toyota is worried about Buick, and wants to aim right there! Dunno... sounds to me like they'd be just as well off, oh I don't know... making Toyota cars attractive!

[tgagneguam]

I wonder if this strategy is right for Toyota. It seems that there are very familiar lines here, and there's already a lot of sharing of components between Lexus and Toyota [division]. So, now Toyota wants to at another line between the two with more sharing? I dunno, I'm not convinced this is one of the more winning strategies to come out of Toyota City.

[OzoneGTX]

I agree. Scion was made to get kids into buying something that "wasn't your mothers Camry", but whats the point in this? "Not quite your uncles Lexus"?

I'm not convinced it'll do well. The front of the Athelete reminds me too much of an Infiniti M and the back of an LS430. Toyota would probably regret doing this after a while anyway.

[SVT2888]

Toyota wants to know how it feels to be one of the big three and have too many brands.

[mgescuro]

Isn't the Toyota Crown a Lexus GS?? Like the Toyota Celsior is an LS430?

[jro4566]

Isn't the Toyota Crown a Lexus GS?? Like the Toyota Celsior is an LS430?

The LS430 is just a "rebadged" Toyota Celsior, but the GS is not a Toyota Crown. They share the same platform, trasmissions, minor interior detailing, and engines, but nothing else. The new GS has better fabrics, carpeting, stereo system, more wood, and more "luxury". Basically, they're just platform mates.

Anyways back to this new brand of Toyota...

I remember when insiders pointed out a new "youth brand" to come from Toyota 4 years ago. Everybody laughed and said it would be redundant since Toyota has new (at the time) youth-oriented vehicles like the Celica, ECHO, and Matrix. Well, then we found out that the Celica, ECHO, and Matrix were all going to be phased out and Toyota actually did successfully launch a new youth brand. The same could happen with this new "premium" brand - the market could change in the next 5 years.

[mgescuro]

I remember when insiders pointed out a new "youth brand" to come from Toyota 4 years ago. Everybody laughed and said it would be redundant since Toyota has new (at the time) youth-oriented vehicles like the Celica, ECHO, and Matrix. Well, then we found out that the Celica, ECHO, and Matrix were all going to be phased out and Toyota actually did successfully launch a new youth brand. The same could happen with this new "premium" brand - the market could change in the next 5 years.

Well, that would explain why IS and ES haven't been updated, and we haven't seen hide nor hair of an update. But Avalon was just updated... so I'm not quite sure where it's place would be in the scheme of things.

[Vintalage]

I agree. Scion was made to get kids into buying something that "wasn't your mothers Camry", but whats the point in this? "Not quite your uncles Lexus"?

I'm not convinced it'll do well. The front of the Athelete reminds me too much of an Infiniti M and the back of an LS430. Toyota would probably regret doing this after a while anyway.

The Crown has been out since '03 I believe. It came out before the new M.