Car brands generally have a main label. When we think of sports, we think of BMW; when we think of luxury, we think of Mercedes-Benz; when we think of full-time four-wheel drive, we think of Audi, "just step on the accelerator, the rest is left to Quattro", which is a sentence that even girls who don't know cars know.
So, when you think of Lexus, what label do you have in mind?
If you can't get a clear word in your head, look down together.
Lexus is a mixed brand. Some people say that it is a National Treasure brand in Japan, and the quality of the product is good; others say that Lexus technology is old-fashioned and the power is too weak.
Lexus, as the lyrics say, "makes people happy and makes people worry." The reason I feel this way is because Lexus always has to make us give up something. The cheap Lexus space is too small, the power of the space is too weak, the price of the car with good power space is too high, and compared with the opponent, the situation of Lexus is quite embarrassing.
Some people complain that Lexus's power is weak, and the ES 300h of more than 400,000 yuan only has an acceleration score of nearly 9s, which is not as good as some domestic cars, and Lexus's interpretation of the word "luxury" is not in place.
But even so, some people prefer to give up the motivation and choose Lexus, why is this?
First of all, I would like to start with the official homepage of Lexus.
Lexus' official website clearly ranks brand culture in second place, which I haven't noticed before.
Aside from the model, what Lexus would like us to know most about is its brand culture. There is not only the history of the brand, but also the ingenuity of craftsmen, design concepts, environmental protection concepts, etc., we can see that this is a brand that attaches importance to culture and ingenuity.
Out of curiosity, I also searched the official websites of Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which put a century-old culture in the most inconspicuous place.
Although there is a saying in English called "Last but not least", from the content point of view, the century-old Ashkenazi luxury brand does not seem to pay attention to cultural influence like Lexus, but more like it tends to be commercialized. This is one of the things that appeals to Lexus.
What is the brand culture of Lexus?
Craftsman spirit
Lexus's most iconic is the "craftsman spirit". The so-called craftsman spirit is to focus on one thing and do it to the extreme.
Lexus employees spent three years designing a door handle that hides a mechanical keyhole.
In these three years, engineers and designers need to hide the door handle keyholes, design a beautiful shape, and ensure good aerodynamic performance, while also making the left and right hands feel the perfect grip. Such a "more genuine" craftsman spirit is not available to every car company.
In the Japanese factory in Lexus, there are indeed people who are called "craftsmen", such as the quality inspectors of the paint surface. Craftsman-level employees need to go through at least 60,000 hours of hands-on work. They can use their fingers to distinguish the front and back of the A4 paper, and with gloves they can also touch the 1mm thickness of the paint surface error.
In addition, Lexus is the only brand that uses bamboo as an interior material. In the eyes of the Orientals, bamboo represents gentleman and integrity, but also represents closeness to nature. Lexus is also giving itself trouble with such a design, because the selection, cutting, gluing, etc. of bamboo require many processes, and it also reflects a certain craftsmanship spirit.
Because the bamboo material on the steering wheel requires craftsmen to plan, polish, polish, and polish by hand to make a perfect steering wheel shape, which is also a kind of craftsmanship.
It is precisely because of the excellence of work, strict control of products, and meticulous craftsmanship that the Lexus brand attracts consumers who like details and texture. Imagine if you sit in Lexus, the interior feels very good, and the delicate workmanship makes you feel that it is worth the money, is it triggered by this ingenuity to buy.
Aesthetic design
The model of the Lexus brand is highly recognizable because it is different from the design of German and American cars, and has the "oriental beauty" that Akio Toyoda wants to express.
The spindle grille, the angular body curves, and the "Nike-style" daytime running lights make it recognizable at a glance that this is Lexus on the road.
Of course, Lexus design is by no means limited to this, and there are many inspired design details that deserve our attention and even learning.
I once saw a Lexus promo where a Lexus designer was inspired to hike through the rainforest and pick up a curling leaf to use it for styling at the central handrail box. This is a design idea that comes from nature.
Lexus LS models also have many design highlights, in addition to its guzheng-like dashboard air outlet design, it is worth saying that the "Crane Feather Folding Cloth" door trim.
At the beginning of the design of this door panel, the shape was tanned from paper by an experienced weaving artist, and the texture it formed was able to reflect the L shape of LEXUS at multiple angles, and there were different visual effects under different lights.
Lexus engineers and designers then scanned the prototype in three dimensions, modeled it digitally, and polished and reinforced the mass-produced trim panels by professional technicians to finally reveal the LS Crane Feather folding door trim we saw.
Therefore, some of the design elements of Lexus can be seen that the designers' thoughts on design, their yearning for nature, the display of culture, and the persistent pursuit of exquisite craftsmanship are all worth savoring.
If you are a sensual consumer who likes to have a sense of design, of course, you will have a lot of good feelings for Lexus, and the impulse is also a matter of moments.
Brand service
I believe that there must be consumers who choose to buy Lexus because of good service.
I once heard a story about a father and son who, out of their love of cars, often went to the Lexus 4S store near their home. The child's father has made it clear that he can't afford to buy it, but the Lexus clerk is still patient and will take the initiative to invite them to dinner at lunchtime.
In the days that followed, the father and son still did not buy Lexus, but the father of the child had many friends around him, and he told his story to the people around him, and several friends bought Lexus because of their thoughtful service.
While we can't guarantee such a passionate sales staff at every Lexus store, Lexus is truly known for its service and after-sales experience in the luxury brand camp.
In the official after-sales service of Lexus, there are service commitments of 4 years or 100,000 kilometers and 6 years or 150,000 kilometers of free warranty maintenance. During this period, there is basically no extra money to spend, even if the wiper is not clean, you can enjoy free replacement service at the 4S store. This is enough to attract some users who know how to live a life, who does not want to save money?
Write at the end:
Lexus' brand characteristics do differ somewhat from those of Ashkenazi brands. The products of German industry display luxury in performance, configuration, or a sense of technology. The luxury interpreted by Lexus lies in the sense of detail and quality.
When the Lexus LFA came out, even if its performance was not comparable to some of Ferrari or Porsche's supercars, some people still used words such as "the most beautiful sound" and "the strongest V10 engine" to describe the LFA. It can be seen that what Lexus pursues is not the result, but the process and experience.
In 2020, Lexus sold 225,000 vehicles in China, an increase of 11% over the previous year, while in the past 2021, Lexus sold 227,000 units in the Chinese market, which also achieved a slight increase. This shows that Chinese consumers are increasingly recognized by Lexus.
Of course, these users who buy Lexus may have abandoned the influence of the Ashkenazi brand, abandoned the power, and abandoned the control performance, but they jointly chose the quality of quality and the spirit of craftsmanship.
So, what kind of label is more appropriate to describe Lexus? Is it quality, ingenuity, or service? Or is it the "sense of experience" that all three have?