I've a 2000 Is200 s Nav. Just parked up near to a couple other Is's and noticed all my side windows are etched "Toyota" and they are all etched "Lexus". I've got all the Lexus stickers like them.
Not that I'm a snob or owt but why is mine different?

yeah - i've noticed this before too........ mind you, we are all driving fancy toyotas after all........

[quote name='Zee007' date='Jun 10 2003, 08:52 AM']yeah - i've noticed this before too........ mind you, we are all driving fancy toyotas after all........ [/quote]
Speak for yourself Zee

after they revised the IS (new stereo, etc) they made all the windows say lexus

thats my theory anyway but all the light clusters and stuff still say toyota

i remember when i took my test drive, i drove a '99 V plate and i asked if all the windows could be changed to say lexus and he said there was nothing they could do about it

then my '02' plate arrived, and they all said 'lexus'!


we aren't really driving fancy toyotas though, because the engines and things are different, its only the basic mechanicals that are the same, aren't they?

just to muddy the water a bit more..... my 03 is200 still says toyota

[quote name='amolkarnik' date='Jun 10 2003, 08:41 AM']just to muddy the water a bit more..... my 03 is200 still says toyota [/quote]
Strange

[quote name='Parthiban' date='Jun 10 2003, 08:28 AM']we aren't really driving fancy toyotas though, because the engines and things are different, its only the basic mechanicals that are the same, aren't they? [/quote]
made by toyota = it's a toyota

When Lexus started with the IS400 all those years ago they needed a new brand to justify the extra $$ the cars cost as they were aiming at the luxury market and didn't feel that a Toyota IS400 would compete proplerly with your merc's and BM's, not many luxury car brands have something like a starlet in their stables....

At the end of the day Lexus is still a Toyota, same management at the very very top....

[quote name='amolkarnik' date='Jun 10 2003, 09:41 AM']just to muddy the water a bit more..... my 03 is200 still says toyota [/quote]
The light clusters may say Toyota but the Windows should now say Lexus. All the newer models I've seen say Lexus.

If it doesn't they must have switched parts on the production line, maybe they ran out of Lexus windows!

[quote]made by toyota = it's a toyota[/quote]
[quote]At the end of the day Lexus is still a Toyota, same management at the very very top....[/quote]

not any more though, so the new IS will be all LEXUS!!!!!

[quote name='rhaines' date='Jun 10 2003, 11:09 AM']When Lexus started with the IS400 all those years ago they needed a new brand to justify the extra $$ the cars cost as they were aiming at the luxury market and didn't feel that a Toyota IS400 would compete proplerly with your merc's and BM's, not many luxury car brands have something like a starlet in their stables....

At the end of the day Lexus is still a Toyota, same management at the very very top....[/quote]
Actually Ryan....

As of 2003 Lexus has now completely 'spun off' from Toyota, and is an independent entity (so i've heard).

Now it's true that Toyota is still the parent company, but only in the way that VW is of Lamborghini.. so

hadn't heard that

According to my local dealer "Lexus" was etched on windows instead of "Toyota" sometime in 2000.

[quote name='Parthiban' date='Jun 10 2003, 08:28 AM']"we aren't really driving fancy toyotas though, because the engines and things are different, its only the basic mechanicals that are the same, aren't they?  "[/quote]
Sorry to disappoint you mate.

In Japan, in addition to the Toyota Altezza RS200 (which has a more powerful 210 bhp engine, than the IS200), there is also the Toyota Altezza AS200 (which is really the IS200, including the 1G-FE 2L 6-pot engine).

There is no Lexus brand in Japan. Only Toyotas.

The "Lexus" models in Japan all sport Toyota labels on the chassis, windows and steering wheel.

The Lexus labels are only stamped for the export market to USA, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

In Japan, you only get to see the following Lexus models as:

Toyota Celsior = LS430
Toyota Aristo = GS300
Toyota Harrier = RX300/330
Toyota Windom = ES300
Toyota Altezza = IS200/300

From the latest news reports in the Japanese papers, Toyota will be introducing the Lexus brand in its home country by about 2005 (the irony of it all!). The business driver is to cut down the parallel imports being done into the Lexus markets, at Toyota prices, re-badging the cars as "Lexus" and selling them to end users at a premium.

Such tactics are prevalent in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong - where one can buy a Toyota-equivalent model, at a much cheaper price, but get to drive a Lexus. That trend, I believe, may have caught up elsewhere in Europe.

But it is still the SAME car.

Even in Japan, the well travelled purchase Lexus labels and rebadge their Toyota-equivalents to achieve the "rarity" factor.

p.s. I spent 5 years in Japan.

Oh, BTW, in Japan and even Singapore, a 3L Toyota Crown costs about US$30K more than a Lexus GS300 or ES300. And the Crown gives a much more refined and plusher ride than either of the Lexus models.

But now they are introducing the Lexus brand into Japan..

(I'm sure I saw this here)...

who cares !! we know they are toyota , they know they are toyota ! most people know they are toyota ! why worry !

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jun 10 2003, 11:42 AM'][quote name='rhaines' date='Jun 10 2003, 11:09 AM'] When Lexus started with the IS400 all those years ago they needed a new brand to justify the extra $$ the cars cost as they were aiming at the luxury market and didn't feel that a Toyota IS400 would compete proplerly with your merc's and BM's, not many luxury car brands have something like a starlet in their stables....

At the end of the day Lexus is still a Toyota, same management at the very very top....[/quote]
Actually Ryan....

As of 2003 Lexus has now completely 'spun off' from Toyota, and is an independent entity (so i've heard).

Now it's true that Toyota is still the parent company, but only in the way that VW is of Lamborghini.. so [/quote]
it may be true that they spun off Lexus but they make the customers believe it's a completely independent entity. They wouldn't make any dough if they don't let people believe that.

Lambo and VW is a bit different. Just like VW, and SEAT, and AUDI. They were acquired, not spun off. They maintain a certain level of autonomy but not with Lex. Toyota run the whole thing. It's like the reserve team of a Premiership Club. They have the reserve team manager but at the end of the day the first team manager runs the show.

You can go to a VW garage and wouldn't see a SEAT, Audi, nor Lambo, and vice versa. But am yet to see a Lex garage that doesn't sell a Yaris or Corolla.

At the end of the day Lexus is a Toyota in a posh frock.

[quote name='Teddy' date='Jun 11 2003, 11:31 AM'][quote name='Fidgits' date='Jun 10 2003, 11:42 AM'] [quote name='rhaines' date='Jun 10 2003, 11:09 AM'] When Lexus started with the IS400 all those years ago they needed a new brand to justify the extra $$ the cars cost as they were aiming at the luxury market and didn't feel that a Toyota IS400 would compete proplerly with your merc's and BM's, not many luxury car brands have something like a starlet in their stables....

At the end of the day Lexus is still a Toyota, same management at the very very top....[/quote]
Actually Ryan....

As of 2003 Lexus has now completely 'spun off' from Toyota, and is an independent entity (so i've heard).

Now it's true that Toyota is still the parent company, but only in the way that VW is of Lamborghini.. so [/quote]
it may be true that they spun off Lexus but they make the customers believe it's a completely independent entity. They wouldn't make any dough if they don't let people believe that.

Lambo and VW is a bit different. Just like VW, and SEAT, and AUDI. They were acquired, not spun off. They maintain a certain level of autonomy but not with Lex. Toyota run the whole thing. It's like the reserve team of a Premiership Club. They have the reserve team manager but at the end of the day the first team manager runs the show.

You can go to a VW garage and wouldn't see a SEAT, Audi, nor Lambo, and vice versa. But am yet to see a Lex garage that doesn't sell a Yaris or Corolla.

At the end of the day Lexus is a Toyota in a posh frock. [/quote]
Come to my local dealership... they only sell Lexus

[quote name='Teddy' date='Jun 11 2003, 11:31 AM']Lambo and VW is a bit different. Just like VW, and SEAT, and AUDI. They were acquired, not spun off. They maintain a certain level of autonomy but not with Lex. Toyota run the whole thing. It's like the reserve team of a Premiership Club. They have the reserve team manager but at the end of the day the first team manager runs the show.[/quote]
hmmm...

Interesting statement...

Now I don't know about the car industry, but my company was a spin-off, and is completely detached in every way from the original parent company (even the board of directors is new).

We have aquired 2 companies, and both of these have been fully integrated and no longer exist, except as a part of my company...

This is the perspective I am looking from, my apologies if it is incorrect..

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jun 11 2003, 11:32 AM']Come to my local dealership... they only sell Lexus [/quote]
All of the new dealerships are separate to Toyota. You won't see a Toyota in any of my local dealerships.

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jun 11 2003, 10:37 AM'][quote name='Teddy' date='Jun 11 2003, 11:31 AM']
Lambo and VW is a bit different. Just like VW, and SEAT, and AUDI. They were acquired, not spun off. They maintain a certain level of autonomy but not with Lex. Toyota run the whole thing. It's like the reserve team of a Premiership Club. They have the reserve team manager but at the end of the day the first team manager runs the show.[/quote]
hmmm...

Interesting statement...

Now I don't know about the car industry, but my company was a spin-off, and is completely detached in every way from the original parent company (even the board of directors is new).

We have aquired 2 companies, and both of these have been fully integrated and no longer exist, except as a part of my company...

This is the perspective I am looking from, my apologies if it is incorrect.. [/quote]
interesting indeed.

You mentioned your company having acquired two others and being integrated into the parent one. That's what happens most of the time. Like GlaxoSmithkline. It took a couple of mergers / acquisitions to get that name and the names WELCOME, and BEECHAM have been lost from GLAXOWELCOME ,and SMITHKLINE BEECHAM.

But in the car industry, you cannot afford to do that cos you are still selling the other companies product to the a targeted market. Ford own Jaguar, Aston Martin. GMC own Saab. As you said those two companies you acquired no longer exists, but in the car industry if Jaguar or Aston Martin name no longer existed, will the Jaguar, Aston Martin market buy a Ford? Nah. But people will still buy GlaxoSmithkline drugs even though GLAXOWELCOME ,and SMITHKLINE BEECHAM are no more.

Lexus was spun off in order for Toyota to capitalise on the luxury market in Europe and States. It might be seperate but they still have a hold on it.

[quote name='ricky_is200' date='Jun 11 2003, 10:47 AM'][quote name='Fidgits' date='Jun 11 2003, 11:32 AM'] Come to my local dealership... they only sell Lexus  [/quote]
All of the new dealerships are separate to Toyota. You won't see a Toyota in any of my local dealerships. [/quote]
this is news to me. As I mentioned, am yet to see one (in the UK and Europe). I have seen a Garage that sells only toyotas but I haven't seen the vice versa.

They may be trying to detach themselves a much as possible by doing so but .......

[quote name='amolkarnik' date='Jun 10 2003, 09:41 AM']just to muddy the water a bit more..... my 03 is200 still says toyota [/quote]
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2418821034&category=9895"]see here![/url]


make the windows say Lexus !!!

I use lexus tonbridge and my only complaint is they have two showrooms one lexus one toyota next to each other. But if you go into the toyota showroom you can see into the workshop were they work on both marks of car .The weird thing is from the lexus showroom you can see nothing .When i asked for a toyota mechanic to work on my gs i was told they was not trained to do so (bang went my 25££ an hour saving).I pointed out that my car was a supra based saloon so they could do it, but got a no once again.

We used to have a combined Toyota + Lexus dealership.
They lost Lexus to a rival .... and are now kicking Toyota out

So now we have combined Lexus + Jeep + Chrysler + Mitsubishi

Well that's all lovely and seperate then

[quote name='astrid' date='Jun 10 2003, 03:11 PM'][quote name='Parthiban' date='Jun 10 2003, 08:28 AM'] "we aren't really driving fancy toyotas though, because the engines and things are different, its only the basic mechanicals that are the same, aren't they?  "[/quote]
Sorry to disappoint you mate.

In Japan, in addition to the Toyota Altezza RS200 (which has a more powerful 210 bhp engine, than the IS200), there is also the Toyota Altezza AS200 (which is really the IS200, including the 1G-FE 2L 6-pot engine).

There is no Lexus brand in Japan. Only Toyotas.

The "Lexus" models in Japan all sport Toyota labels on the chassis, windows and steering wheel.

The Lexus labels are only stamped for the export market to USA, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

In Japan, you only get to see the following Lexus models as:

Toyota Celsior = LS430
Toyota Aristo = GS300
Toyota Harrier = RX300/330
Toyota Windom = ES300
Toyota Altezza = IS200/300

From the latest news reports in the Japanese papers, Toyota will be introducing the Lexus brand in its home country by about 2005 (the irony of it all!). The business driver is to cut down the parallel imports being done into the Lexus markets, at Toyota prices, re-badging the cars as "Lexus" and selling them to end users at a premium.

Such tactics are prevalent in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong - where one can buy a Toyota-equivalent model, at a much cheaper price, but get to drive a Lexus. That trend, I believe, may have caught up elsewhere in Europe.

But it is still the SAME car.

Even in Japan, the well travelled purchase Lexus labels and rebadge their Toyota-equivalents to achieve the "rarity" factor.

p.s. I spent 5 years in Japan.

Oh, BTW, in Japan and even Singapore, a 3L Toyota Crown costs about US$30K more than a Lexus GS300 or ES300. And the Crown gives a much more refined and plusher ride than either of the Lexus models. [/quote]
Since many Lexus owners want the Altezza badges, maybe we could arrange to trade emblems with some Japanese owners.

I've ordered genuinr Lexus parts, and they come in Toyota boxes and the parts themselves say Toyota. Filters, etc.

ok i agree that the current models are all rebadged toyotas

but once the company has separated, everything will be done separately. development will be separate, parts will be separate, and most importantly to them, their profits will be separate so they can put different levels of investment into development of models

lexus will need more development to keep up with the likes of mercedes and bmw, whereas toyota...well, who cares!