Lexus: still lost

Lexus badly wants us to think of it as a “dynamic and exciting” brand. So their top executive gave a speech declaring how dynamic and exciting they are, and (entirely without a sense of irony) how the car he was introducing had left him speechless–every word obviously read off a teleprompter. In this speech on speechlessness, Lexus’s fear of increasing irrelevance was palpable. They’re desperate to change their image lest they become known as the last car you’ll ever buy.

LF-LC concept front quarter

The speech did accompany a concept of a sports car that’s likely to see production in some form, but in the usual Toyota way it was overdone. They badly wanted to make the car look exciting, but didn’t really feel it themselves. So, well, they’re not where they know they need to be yet.