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Comments
TagMan
My guess would put the Infiniti dealer in the most danger since (in my opinion) Infinitis tend to be bought by those who could not afford a BMW/ MB. It is that sector of lux buyers that I would think may be forced to rethink new car purchases if the economy heads further south.
In addition I would think that the 3-series sales would be vulnerable to a little less money in the pocket of the 30-something entry lux buyer.
I can speak from experience, after mulling the idea of getting out of my Accord (which has all the nice bits and pieces that most luxury vehicles have, just not the cache or handling....) I have decided to wait a year to do anything. My income seems safe right now, but who knows what will happen in the next 12 months that may impact projected raises/ bonuses and even down-sizing? If the economy was not in any danger and the housing market stabilized, I probably would not be holding off.
I don't know if your assumption of the Infiniti buyer not being able to afford BMW or Mercedes is completely correct. I suppose to a large degree it has to be, as the overall purchasing power of many consumers can't reach past Infiniti into BMW or Mercedes territory, but this isn't always the case... there are those that clearly choose Infiniti because they prefer it. I remember ljflx, who used to post here often (and I truly miss his intelligent posts), bought an Infiniti coupe (G35 or G37 IIRC) instead of a BMW 3-series. He could afford anything he wanted, but to him the G coupe was a better buy.
TagMan
I doubt it.
Let's not forget that 50% of the BMW owners leased their cars instead of purchased it. I don't know what the ratio in terms of lease to purchase (including finance) is for Infiniti but I would guess that to be lower than 50%.
A guy who purchased a G35 on a 36-month loan could well be driving a 5-series under BMW's aggressive leasing program. With the kind of monthly payment I am paying for my IS350, I could easily be driving a loaded 535xi or base 550i if I choose to lease instead of purchase.
TagMan
I seem to remember someone posting a stat that said less than 50% of 3-series were leased.
TM
Bless those poh, poh Lexus dealers!
They are so reliable that they hardly need servicse and to top that all off the LS460 Red Bow sales price was discounted by over $8K and still LS sales dropped by about 15 percent.
Well at least Lexus sales will increase by one unit in Canada when I buy that new 09 hybrid Lexus. I pray that my Lexus will be unreliable so at least I can frequently visit their top highly friendly services, enjoy a massage, be served salted peanuts with a tall cold stiff drink at their customer entertainment centre and end up being so pampered that I will be subscribing to CR and participating in their services/reliability services with an elevated and very good mood .
Well, wait a minute... unless it's the BMW dealership that I ordered the 135i from!
Here's a photo of the dealership:
It's not terribly far from where I work, which is one reason I chose it... in case all those services require me to "suffer" at such a run-down facility... and just wait until CR hears about it!
TM
"Lexus will debut hybrid-only model next year in Detroit...
Lexus didn’t have much planned for the 2008 Detroit Auto Show besides the LF-A Roadster which it surprised us with. However, Lexus will debut its first hybrid-only model at the Detroit Auto Show next year.
“Next year here in Detroit, we will expand our conventional hybrid line-up by staging world premiers of two all-new, dedicated hybrids, one for Toyota and one for Lexus,” Toyota Motor president Katsuaki Watanabe said at the Detroit auto show.
Parent company Toyota will also unveil its next-generation Prius. The Prius current Prius was introduced in 1997 and has yet to see a major change.
Wantanabe also said that Toyota will deliver a “significant fleet” of plug-in hybrids in 2010. Guess Toyota isn’t too far behind GM after all."
link title
Your Lexus hybrid is only a little more than a year away!!
TM
The hell with the car. I'd buy any car just to have it serviced there.
That is my conclusion based on what I read so far but if you have any info that contradicts this then I would be very happy to hear it.
TM
Well, you and the rest of us will hear more about it as time goes. A lot of this has to do with the battery developments in the near term... just like the article that you posted recently pointed out.
Interesting to witness Toyota sounding very aggressive this week.
The building is beautiful. What a panoramic view!
The hell with the car. I'd buy any car just to have it serviced there.
The interior is awesome, too. Lots of slabs of marble and glass everywhere. Plasma TV in the waiting area.
TM
I posted that far over a year ago and I believe the source of info was from the Wall Street Journal. I buy my BMWs. I am not tied down by the terms and conditions of a lessor and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I drove my BMW323i for 8 years until I found something I fancied. And I have no regrets whatsover for buying my 323i especially since the resale value I got was higher than I had expected. For my 335i and my wife 530xi my actions are dictated by my whims and not by a businesslike lessor.
So far as I know we will be seeing a plug in hybrid Toyota taxi and delivery vehicles. I have a feeling the plug in version will be an extremely expensive feature for someone who drives only 12K miles annually.
Time will tell.
See, we do listen...
I do listen too.
CH3(CH2)nCOOH
And I am grateful to you that I can recite during social gatherings the forumla of lipids. Now I've become the life of all parties.
The actual number of BMW 3 series leased YTD June 2007 was 33 percent while 67 percent were purchased at that time.(refer to Post 4089 in this forum)
Below is a rendering of a 2011 S Class which will get styling cues from the F700 model. I dont care what people say here. MB is a great luxury car company if not the greatest.
Now you're talking!!! Bring it on!!!
BTW, here's where the credit goes for that rendering... and it is a great job, IMO.
Photo Renderings Copyright ©2007 Christian Schulte Design for eGMCarTech.
Also, here's a link to the article: link title
It's a great look.
TM
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Now there are some fond memories! Indeed, the girls find that stuff fascinating
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, the only seller of gasoline-electric luxury autos in the U.S., plans to add a more fuel-efficient hybrid car next year to attract affluent buyers of models such as the Toyota Prius.
``There is a whole section of the population that wants something different, and that's high-efficiency,'' Lexus general manager Mark Templin said in an interview at the Detroit auto show. ``It's a supplemental strategy to what we've done before.''
Lexus now sells hybrids that focus on performance and offer only a small fuel-economy gain from its gasoline-only models. The division wants to take advantage of the spending power of many who purchase vehicles such as the Prius, the best-selling hybrid in the U.S. More than a third of the 181,221 Prius buyers last year had annual income of more than $100,000, Templin said.
``Half of those people made over $150,000 a year and 24 percent of those people have a luxury car in their household fleet,'' Templin said at the North American International Auto Show yesterday. ``We think there is part of the market that everybody is missing.''
Bloomberg
The first one is Lexus of Palm Beach and the last two are from a Lexus dealership in Indonesia. :surprise:
The reason for his disappointment becomes very clear that he was expecting much too much, too soon, and he set himself up for disappointment. If anyone just takes a more objective look at this vehicle, it is clearly a great value. There was never a spin on this car that it would introduce all-new advanced technology to the scene. Why would anyone in his right mind expect that from Hyundai? The Genesis has always been about its tremendous value... which is obvious.
Seems to me the fat guy has lost perspective. Then again, he often does.
And, for the life of me, does anyone know why he is obsessed with Sandra Burkhart? He frequently mentions her... It's very weird. :confuse:
Now I know why I don't visit that website much any more. It's messed up. :sick:
TagMan
I have no idea what his motive was but some of the things he said were just so outrageous and stupid that they ended up being comical, along with his looks.
I am really pulling for this car. I like the conservative exterior and the V8. I am hoping the interior is not a disappointment in the flesh and that actually driving the car is a satisfying experience.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Good thinking.
TagMan
A NAV system is all new advanced technology for Hyundai, at least in this country. I have absolutely no interest in anything done by AutoSpies. LLN consistently beats them when it comes to spy shots, their writing is always heavily biased and generally lousy, and the commenters, ugh don't even get me started.
TM
The AutoSpies.com 2008 Detroit Auto Show photo gallery is sponsored by Lexus.
So why's Autospie knocking on the Genesis again?
:P
TM
Ignorance was bliss until today when I had visited Autospies for the first time in my life. That Hyundai commentator cut Genesis to shreds for no apparent reason that it even makes me feel defensive about Hyundai (and believe me I am no avid Hyundai fan).
LINK
"The carrier M/V Courage tipped at the port in Jersey City on Friday causing damage to over 370 BMWs. The ship was loaded with new 3-series and 1-series vehicles, including new M3s. Around 70 of the damaged cars are reported to be total losses with others sustaining major damage. Word is that the M3s bared the brunt of the brutality. Extensively damaged cars will be crushed while those with minor damage will undergo repair at a receiving facility in Elizabeth, NJ, after which they will proceed onto dealers. "
I hope they don't plan on selling those repaired cars as new.
What do you think of the way they will "fix" many of those vehicles and then sell them as new? :surprise:
TagMan
That's because we. know. more.
Well, maybe not certain people who hate the Audi A8 because of the Lincoln Town Car... but most of the members here (and on other forums) know more than the average buyer.
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
I don't want Merc to move in that direction. Diesel-hybrid? A resounding "YES!" Style? I don't think so.
Interestingly, BMW hit a home-run with their CS concept. That theme will apparently make its way across the line. I can't wait!
And IMO, my fair R8 V12 TDI looks like the love child of a Nissan GT-R and a standard R8. There is not a single car that will look better in black.
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Audi Forum NYC
Grand Opening
:shades:
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Black? Ooooooooooh yeah.
TM
These are the same people who will be electing the next president.
Not necessarily the most notable source, but undoubtedly a much more realistic perspective than the maliciously twisted one, puked by that ugly obese slob from AutoSpies.
Whether Hyundai can accomplish its stated mission of taking on the luxury brands with the new Genesis flagship remains to be seen. At first glance, this car has moved the Korean automaker forward in a number of ways. It is the most cohesive design to date and genuinely looks good from every angle. It is pretty, sophisticated and balanced. The interior is just as refined, with an understated wood and leather finish, well-placed controls and plenty of room. It possesses technical sophistication, and a choice of V6 or V8 engines with six-speed transmissions. The five-link front and rear suspension is designed to provide responsive handling and high ride quality. Features such as XM Satellite Radio with NavTraffic, Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFLS), Smart Cruise Control, a 17-speaker Lexicon Audio System, electronic active head restraints, and heated/cooled seats are all available in a car that is likely to go on sale at a starting price around $30,000. If Genesis drives as well as it looks, it has to be a fantastic value for money.
Now THAT's the Genesis!... (without the fat man's "hatchet job", as Houdini appropriately named it).
TagMan
LOL. Well... consumers vote, too... and usually with their wallets... regardless of perceptions or misperceptions.
I'm looking forward to driving the 1-series and new M3.
Purchase thoughts perhaps? I could definately imagine you driving the standard-equipped 128i or 135i.
TM
There, I said it (again). What are you going to do?
So it's all right for you to knock on the Lexus and I can't voice my opinion on Audi? Just because you think Audi is better than Lexus that makes you know "more" than others. What a joke!
:confuse:
thanks to Pat for the nudge... sorry to not jump on the question. I actually only have initial impressions, and intended to look into the model a little further later today and get back to you.
I still intend to do that, if you will be patient, as I know someone I trust that can give me the scoop on that car.
My initial reaction is that you do not want to pay a premium for the "Designo" style features, as they are essentially only cosmetic and have little value except to the original purchaser's whims. However, I want to verify my opinion of that later. The mileage seems a little high, and you will need to consider that in the price. Mileage is a more significant factor than the Designo color. My understanding of the S-Class, in general, is that the latest generation is an improvement in reliability, which was sometimes inconsistent in the previous generation. I am not at all suggesting that it is a service nightmare, as I love the S-Class, but it could be a roll of the dice, which simply means you will want to check the vehicle's service records very carefully.
If I can, I'll check out the car later today and get back to you. In the meantime, hopefully, some of the other posters might illuminate that car for you.
TagMan
From Lexus of Bellevue. :shades:
Too bad they only sell Lexus. :P
TM