zam2000

Why ???? I'm not American, and would be embarasssing to be one. All I need is to be fluent is in my native language. As long as my English is good enough to help me making $$$$$$ here, I'm okey with that.

Stupidity, however, doesn't care what language you speak. If you stupid, you're stupid.

Here're examples.

Quote from someone w/ perfect English "A GS300 is just an Avalon rebadged". That's stupid.

Some one w/ English as second language "GS300 and Supra share same engine, the latest DOHC I-6 that can also be found in the IS300". That's a quote from a very smart person, like me :-).

W210

I'm not an American either but keep your rude and silly remarks to yourself.

Nobody cares whether you want to be an American or not here.

vraa

zam, your crossing the line with that American comment, so far the debates here have been okay till the last few posts. Watch yourself.

GTR

Since you are so ashamed to be an American, why are you there in the first place? I think they have enough people already, and with traitors like you in their country, i'am sure that they would appreciate it if you migrated to another nation which you are not ashamed of. There are plenty of others who are willing to take your place, and actually do something for America rather than ridicule it.

However after this rant, i have to say that i do agree with SOME of your comments. I do care about what brand my car is. I wouldn't be paying a Mercedes premium for a Hyandai or KIA, no matter how much technology and quality there is in the car. This is simply because these Korean brands have never churned out a quality product. However, Lexus does have the quality to compete with the Europeans, and in some cases, the Euro's can learn from the Japanese.
If i did have the money, i would actually drive a Mercedes rather than a Lexus. Reliability is very important, but so is safety and Mercedes does have the ultimate reputation.

J Lucas

What does learning English have to do with being an American? There is no official language for the U.S.A. You are obviously not as intelligent as you are trying to portray yourself to be. If someone thinks that the gs300 is just a rebadged Avalon , then that is their opinion. I have driven in gs300'/400's before and I have driven in camrys and you can NOT tell me that they dont drive and feel identical. They look different, they have some higher quality materials but they are basically the same. How far from the truth is that statement, be honest....Nothing "stupid" about it...
It is my opinion that someone buys a lexus for the same reason why some buy Mercedes. The name, because you can buy a similarly equipped toyota for a considerable amount lower and still get the same reliability and quality you lexus owners crave so much. For me, I wanted leading edge technology and over 100 years of experience in safety and reliability so I got the Benz, and can cope with some minor problems(which are all covered and fixed in the warranty.

If you want to take facts, look at the new 2004 LS430. Lexus's flagship sedan, very nice all around in terms of performance, looks and features. Lexus boast it is LOADED with all new features, ie: Smartkey, Adaptive headlights,Voice Command,Tire Pressue Monitor, Pre Collision System,Six Speed Automatic. Show me one of those features which hasnt been introduced by another automaker years before? Taking what someone else created and improving on it DOES NOT MAKE IT YOUR IDEA. The Japanese ie:Nissan,Toyota have been doing that to American Car Companies for decades and now they are opening up Luxury Divisions to take on the Germans with the same sneaky under handed tactics. Some may argue and say its a good thing for competition in prices but what it doesnt do is create more competition in Innovation which is what consumers really need.

Tomorrow is the 6th and the start of the Detroit Auto Show. Lexus is supposedly going to unveil the new GS series and all I hope is that it has some sort of new innovation that adds something beneficial to the automotive industry and not some new stylish sedan with a working version of bmw's i-drive.

As for the American comments, I will leave that alone because that is just plain ignorant.

c4791p

To a Lexus and MBZ owner, currently both at the same time, this is old news, I have heard for years that in Japan the models sold by Lexus in the US and elsewhere were sold with the Toyota label. But this is the first I've seen the pictures, thanks.

In addition, until this year you could get an idea of what new model year vehicles were to look like by checking Japanese web sites. However, this year Toyota is introducing the Lexus brand to Japan and staging world wide introductions of the Lexus models for 2005.

If I were living in Japan and Toyota took that as an opportunity to start charging more for a car line than they had while it was carrying a Toyota label, I'd get really PO'd.

From a marketing point will be interesting to see how they handle it

MB AMG

Huh? Toyota Windom? Is that an XLE name for the Camry in Japan!? Huh!?

LEXUS!!