Lexus Targets German Brands With New RX F Sport - Ward's Auto
PORTLAND, OR – Lexus believes the latest generation RX CUV, paired with a strengthened F Sport package, may be the ticket to lure owners of German midsize-luxury CUVs into its showrooms. Pre-launch research commissioned by Lexus shows the new fourth-generation RX has a better opportunity than its predecessors to divert sales from competing German models, driven primarily by the CUV’s performance variant. “We did see a few more owners of German competitors say, ‘With the F Sport on the new body, I would give it a second look,’” Brian Bolain, vice president-marketing for Lexus in the U. S. , tells media here at a ’16 RX preview. “F Sport has historically been around 10% (of total sales) on the outgoing RX, but we think the opportunity is bigger – I think around 20% is more likely,” Bolain says of how the mix may shift for the fourth-gen model. However, Lexus still has ordered 10% of initial ’16 RXs built at its Cambridge, ON, Canada, plant as F Sport grades, as brand managers want to see how the market will react. New for ’16 and expanding the F Sport’s reach is the pairing of the trim level not only with the standard-powertrain RX 350, but also the RX 450h hybrid. Source: wardsauto.com
