its Bangle fever once again: the all new Lexus LS460

**niky** · January 9th, 2006 02:17 PM

Ikaw naman... maybe 5x better lang. :lol:

That thing looks so much like a Beemer, it's not funny.

If you cover the front end of the two cars and show them to people, most of them would say the Beemer is the Toyota. The Toyota's rear end says BMW more than the BMW's does!

Can BMW sue Toyota over the dogleg kink in the C pillar? They should. :lol:

**theveed** · January 9th, 2006 02:21 PM

I think the C Pillar thing can't be touched anymore, daming jap cars na ganun like the Mazda...

**KCboy** · January 9th, 2006 02:28 PM

the reat definitely looks batter than the 7 series, only thes ide view is a copy of the 7 series. if it's cheaper than the 7 series, it will definitely be a hit.

**mbt** · January 9th, 2006 04:05 PM

parang mas maganda nga yung itsura kesa BMW 7, mukhang higanteng IS... pogi na rin

**Bogeyman** · January 9th, 2006 04:21 PM

Nah, the C-pillar on the Lexus has a slightly different curve than BMW's Hofmeister kink. Pag pati yun kinuha ng Lexus, aba magkakamatayan na!

**mfo** · January 9th, 2006 04:28 PM

Definitely looks like the bimmer, i've always liked the build quality of a lexus. Ano kaya gawin ng mga taga bmw dyan?

**pajerokid** · January 9th, 2006 04:56 PM

What a ripoff!!!

But In fairness pogi naman especially the rear (well, compared to the 7)

**gearspeed** · January 9th, 2006 10:03 PM

7 series ba yan?.. pero at least alternative sa bmw yan..

World's First Eight-Speed Transmission

Pambihira dati 6 speed ngayon 8 speed..wow..advance na talaga ang technology ngayon..

**mbt** · January 9th, 2006 11:33 PM

8 speeds? big deal... meron nang mga CVT ngayon hehehe

**number001** · January 9th, 2006 11:44 PM

Sportier LS Puts BMW in Lexus's Cross Hairs

By GINA CHON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 9, 2006; Page B1

DETROIT -- When Lexus -- long the sedate, dutiful child of the luxury-auto family -- unveiled a bold, sleek redesign of its flagship car here yesterday, there was no mistaking that the brand is heading someplace new, namely straight at BMW's top-of-the-line 7-series.

Ever since the first Lexus LS was introduced in 1989, also at the Detroit auto show, it has been solid, super-quiet and ultrareliable, but it would never be confused with the BMW. The new Lexus LS 460, with a sportier design and increased horsepower, demonstrates the Japanese brand's shift of competitive focus away from DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz and toward BMW AG's "ultimate driving machine" image.

Bob Carter, Lexus's general manager, avoids specifically mentioning BMW, but he says the new LS, coupled with a pair of less expensive models introduced last year, are an effort to go after younger buyers and compete more seriously in the performance category, long BMW's preserve.

"Our performance was always competitive but not viewed by the public as class-leading," Mr. Carter says. "So that's a segment we wanted to get into."

The new Lexus LS 460 has the world's first eight-speed transmission and a 4.6-liter, V8 engine with 360 horsepower, compared with the old LS, which has a six-speed transmission and a 4.3-liter, V8 engine with 278 horsepower. The BMW 750i has a 4.8 liter, V8 engine with 360 horsepower and six-speed transmission.

The new LS also will be more expensive than Toyota Motor Corp.'s past Lexus vehicles, surpassing the $70,000 mark, as the company makes a bid to up the ante on luxury and the sticker price that goes along with it. The current LS has a starting price of $57,220. The company will hit the $100,000 price tag for the first time with a longer, hybrid version of the LS. That vehicle will compete head on with Mercedes's S600, which is only available in the long wheelbase, and BMW's 760Li, neither of which are hybrids.

Like other car makers, such as General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac, Lexus sees growth in the high end of the luxury market in vehicles priced more than $70,000 and into the $100,000 range.

In its relatively short, 17-year history, Lexus has been extremely successful, leading the luxury segment for the past six years. The new LS is part of Lexus's move that began last year to create more excitement about its vehicles. The first Lexus models to take on the new, sportier attitude were the IS and GS sedans launched in 2005. The IS competes with the BMW 3-series, while the GS goes against the 5-series. One GS slogan: "The GS is so fast you'll spend less time in your car." Mr. Carter says the new vehicles have brought in buyers in their 30s. Lexus is also considering producing the LF-A, a concept vehicle unveiled last year. The vehicle has more than 500 horsepower and could go as fast as 200 miles per hour. "We have people coming in who have never been in a Lexus dealership before," Mr. Carter says.

That may give reason for BMW, which has sold cars in the U.S. since 1975, to be more fearful of Lexus as a competitor. But BMW spokesman Robert Mitchell says the German car maker sees more competition from Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti and Volkswagen AG's Audi, which have long offered sporty, youthful cars. "Lexus has their work cut out for itself if it's going to try to convince BMW owners to look at something else," Mr. Mitchell says.

Mr. Mitchell adds that BMW isn't sitting still as competitors try to catch up. In 2005, while Lexus launched the IS, BMW introduced a new version of the 3-series. He says that Lexus is the overall sales leader in the luxury segment, but BMW still outsells Lexus when in car sales, minus sport-utility vehicles. BMW sold 197,833 cars in 2005, while Lexus sold 151,226.

On a global level, BMW Chairman Helmut Panke has said he doesn't see Lexus as a serious competitor yet, since the Japanese car maker is mainly a U.S. brand. Although Lexus is stepping up its global presence, most notably in Europe.

While Lexus is moving into the higher price range, BMW is looking downward with the 1 series, although company officials have declined to estimate when the smaller sedan will arrive in the U.S.