Mexican Media Brands
Lexus Takes Wait-and-See Approach to Subscriptions
Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus unit has no immediate plan to follow rival luxury marques in testing subscription services that offer motorists on-demand access to a variety of vehicles.
Share
Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus unit has no immediate plan to follow rival luxury marques in testing subscription services that offer motorists on-demand access to a variety of vehicles.
It isn’t clear how to make money and serve customer needs with such schemes, explains Cooper Ericksen, Lexus' vice president of marketing, to Automotive News. He adds that neither dealers nor Lexus owners are asking for subscription services.
But Lexus is evaluating an all-in-one payment plan. The brand’s Complete Lease pilot program is testing the idea in certain markets with its all-new UX compact crossover vehicle. The two-year lease combines vehicle payments with insurance, telematics services and some maintenance into a single monthly fee for the 2019 model, which bows this month.
Dealers will set their own rates for the program. Lexus says the UX (shorter for user experience) is well-suited for the lease because its young target market already uses subscription services for other products. The program may be expanded to other Lexus vehicles in the future.
BMW, Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volvo are testing their own subscription plans with varying success. Cadillac and Lincoln are retooling their programs following weak customer demand for the pricey option.RELATED CONTENT
-
Ford Copies Nature
As Nature (yes, capital N Nature) has done a pretty good job of designing things, it is somewhat surprising that Man (ditto) doesn’t follow Nature’s lead more often when it comes to designing objects.
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
-
Mustang Changes for 2018
On Tuesday Ford unveiled—using the social media channels of actor Dwayne Johnson (this has got to unnerve some of the auto buff book editors)—the 2018 Mustang, which has undergone some modifications: under the hood (the 3.7-liter V6 is giving way to a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four, and a 10-speed automatic is available), on the dash (a 12-inch, all-digital LCD screen is available for the dashboard), at the tires (12 wheel choices), on the chassis (MagneRide damper technology is being offered with the Mustang Performance Package), and on the exterior (three new paint colors). And while on the subject of the exterior, there are some notable changes—a lower, remodeled hood, repositioned hood vents, new upper and lower front grilles, LED front lights, revised LED taillamps, new rear bumper and fascia.
