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Sedans High End Luxury Cars
24700 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:24 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
Let's try to define this forum as being limited to luxury performance vehicles where the mainstream version in a typical configuration has an MSRP of at least $60k.
A luxury vehicle with a base price of $59k qualifies because it would typically be bought with some additional equipment, bringing the MSRP over $60k.
Vehicles like the E, 5, A6, M, or GS, even if available in certain versions over $60k, don't qualify because they are cars from companies that have higher end cars in their lineups.
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Brit CAR reported VAG chairman Piech wants to bring Porsche wunder-CEO Wiedenking (?) on board as CEO of VW, and make an alliance with Porsche. Such alliance is something MB dreamed in vain for years, and has given up. An VAG-Porsche alliance is much more probable for many reasons, one being the Porsche and Piech families are personally and corporately intertwined, Piech is the grandson of founder Ferdinand Porsche. Another, Porsche owns a huge chunk of VAG stock. With Porsche engineering help, will Audi, already pretty respectable, finally surpass BMW as the sedan performance leader? I think that's a real possibility! Report says alliance would jettison Lamborghini and Bugatti, because they're competitors of Porsche. Who would be interested in them, Honda? What'd VAG do with Veyron, after spending tons of money on the world's fastest car?
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I’m really getting sick of the LS vs German-car comparisons and bickering. The LS is a different type of luxury car and I would categorize it as pure luxury vs performance luxury. Furthermore, and I’ve said this long ago, most contented Lexus buyers have no need or desire for the type of performance that German cars offer, quite the opposite. That pretty much makes it apples vs oranges IMO. But we’ve been down this road a million times before. By the way, I’m surprised no one has brought up the LS460 review in the October Car mag. It is very consistent with the majority performance-biased reviews, that is, that the LS strong points are quality and reliability, applauding the impeccable build process, and that it will appeal to American-luxury tastes. It slams it on driving qualities and styling. It is clear the reviewer prefers typical Euro qualities and gives thumbs up to the S550. But of course, keeping hitting the tennis ball back and forth over the net. I suppose we all could use the exercise. 
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Well, let's see...uh...it seems like Lexus Corporate put the tennis ball in play when they declared they were going after BMW-wasn't it first with the GS, the..uh...5-killer (lol)! Is it just a coincidence that the rear of the new LS smacks of Bangle BMW influence? The German vs Lexus debate will continue because Lexus put it into play.
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Replying to: hpowders (Oct 08, 2006 9:03 am) In fact the only handling-oriented marketing comment I recall from Lexus management was a claim along the lines that the new LS would be "the best handling LS ever." They never claimed it would be "the best handling Lexus" or the "best handling in its class".
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Replying to: syswei (Oct 08, 2006 9:11 am) They are targeting BMW. So long as Lexus contributes in words or design that it is targeting BMW, the German vs Lexus debate is valid and will continue.
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Replying to: hpowders (Oct 08, 2006 9:14 am) YES . . . This is already widely acknowledged. Clearly Lexus adopted some of the trendy Bangle rear design in the new LS. And, of course, upon doing so, it increasingly validates BMW as a competitive target . . . from a style standpoint. Performance targeting of BMW has been primarily delegated to the IS model at this point. Combined, it proves what I've said for some time now . . . Lexus has clearly gone beyond Mercedes and has now included BMW as well, as a targeted competitor. This is all pretty obvious at this point. TagMan |
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Replying to: hpowders (Oct 08, 2006 9:14 am) What is also clear is the rear end is better than both of the Germans. I didn't know a copy could be better than the original?  DrFill
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