Lexus LS - Optional Extra

[@LittleCar]

See the main Lexus LS video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGSxYpd3edZ9pKM

[@chrispnw2547]

After the LS 400 entered the market and was well received in the United States. Mercedes made a number of drastic changes. The philosophy of over-building their cars was seen as more of a liability than benefit driving greater sales. Both BMW and Mercedes tested what decontenting /rationalizing what the customer would accept. In addition, surveys commissioned by Mercedes indicated styling and cabin technology influenced buyers more than the behind the scenes capabilities the customers could not see. Finally, the Germans conceded to the wants of American customers (bigger cupholders, more bling, etc,) as the LS 400 project heavily researched the U.S. market and affluent customers. Thank you for this episode.

[@davidpistek6241]

It's kinda like how the original nsx made super car companies rethink their whole process when someone brought out a better product at a lower cost with the intention of making the perfect vehicle, compared to Corvette 911 or 348 it's levels above in quality and taught atleast Ferrari a major lesson, like how Nissan taught Corvette with the z

[@tonygichuki8202]

I hold great respect for Toyota and their ability to obsess for excellence...and ultimately achieve it.

[@benzinapaul7416]

One thing I can add to this is the quality of the brochure. Back in 1990 brochures were very important media - I remember writing to Lexus as a 16 year old prospective buyer as you did back then.......I still have the brochure, it came in a slip case and was beautifully produced. I also have BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Jaguar XJ brochures from the same era and the Lexus brochure is leagues ahead. Interestingly the Audi V8 brochure which I also have is of the same quality as the Lexus brochure, that car was a total flop.

[@energymc22]

I used to do this also, when the first issue of Top Gear magazine came out in 1993 it had a manufacturer directory with phone numbers in the back and I called virtually every single one "I'm doing a school project on cars", over the next few days the postman was turning up with an embarrassing amount of leaflets. I don't think I got a Lexus brochure but I still have the BMW and Rolls Royce ones, and remember that VW sent me a so many of them that they came in a cardboard box!

[@simonacuthbert1]

Nice bonus with more interesting insights that complement your earlier documentary. Well done and a nice little addition.

[@LittleCar]

I'm getting better at these.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

The first gen LS400 is my favorite of all of them. I'm not into new cars. Actually the first Lexus is newer than I prefer. But it's so good that I make an exception for it. In my opinion the best cars were built between 1963 and 1973. And there are very few cars made after 1988 that I actually like. The Lexus LS400 is one of the few. And since they're so old now, I might actually be able to afford one

[@nuueq]

Good luck surviving an accident in 1963-1973 car.

[@MilesDeluxe]

I love each and every video on your channel. Not too long, not too complicated but always with the right amount of data and information. So my heart jumped in joy when i saw there is finaly a video about one of my cars. I own a late 2007 LS460 and i adore it. Keep up the fantastic work and i cant wait for the next one! (i am secretly hoping for an S2000 one, since this is the other car i own and love)

[@LittleCar]

Thanks! I drove a early 90s LS400 probably 10 years ago and it had definitely seen better days. It wallowed. I'd love to try a newer model.

[@MikeArott]

Not directly related, but the same way the LS lead to better quality Toyotas, and pushed the competition to up their game, makes me think of how General Motors completely mismanage Saab. GM wanted them to badge engineer GM products, but Saab did their thing anyway. I feel GM should have instead given Saab the lead in developing their cars, that GM could then badge engineer into some of their US brand, trickling down quality across the board, as with the Lexus LS and Toyota. I reckon we would have seen better cars from GM overall, and Saab would still be with us. We'll never know.

[@LittleCar]

GM should have introduced Saab to the Cadillac team, and let them cooperatively collaborate on making the best components and platforms. Then as you say the quality could have trickled down to other cars. But as you say, the management teams were all kinds of messed up from the start.

[@MikeArott]

@@LittleCar Precisely! GM was getting CEO after CEO, all trying to cut costs more than the last, dooming Opel/Vauxhall, which were loosing money for over a decade, but soon went out of the 'red ink' after being sold to Group PSA Peugeot Citroën in 2017. Unlike Japanese companies, who tends to keep the same management for the long haul, promoting in house rather than hire form the outside. It's a different mindset. Going further back, even from the start, GM's management was a mess. If memory serves, founder of GM William C. Durant was fired at some point but eventually managed to come back and regain control of the company, after which he added more brands to the fold. He did manage to rescue Buick 1905, founded GM in 1908. The bankers took control. Walter P. Chrysler was hired by the bankers to manage Buick. Durant was back in 1916, when Chrysler wanted to resign but Durant offered him a salary he could not refuse, for 3 years. Durant and Chrysler did not share the same vision of the future for GM. Walter Chrysler eventually went on to create his own corporation in 1924, and the rest is history. But I have digressed quite a bit. I find the early history of the foundation of some car brands fascinating, like the fact Henri Ford probably wouldn't have succeeded without the Dodge Brothers, who went on to make their own cars. I'd better stop here! As always, you made another stellar video with the new one about the Lexus LS. In it, you mentioned the Acura Legend and Mazda's Amari brand, both of which are worthy of their own videos. Or, as I mentioned to you a few weeks back, one about the Xedos 6 & Xedos 9 cars.

[@aaronbryan5095]

What I really like about US car manufacturers is that they always try to go the easy way to cut costs but it almost always backfires, eventually they still end up losing money and hurting their own reputation in the long run, god bless their short-sightedness 🤣.

[@reynardkitsune1]

The major problem Saab had was the output...100,000 cars per year were simply not enough to stay alive in the long run. And the portfolio didn't helped either with only two models competing with strong contenders like BMW and Mercedes. When Saab finally tried to expand into other segments it was with badge engineered vehicles which a) were not well liked with either the "Saabians" nor other potential customers who weren't willing to pay the Saab badge fee and b) did nothing to remedy the problem of the low output. If GM had not stepped in, Saab may had become history a few years earlier. BTW...Saab had a badged car way before GM took over - the Saab-Lancia 600 which was a rebadged Lancia Delta MK I. I think that the model code has also denoted the cars actually being sold. 😉

[@ScottALaFollette]

When you spoke about air suspensions… I thought it important to mention that the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham of 1957-1958 was the first automobile (that I’m aware of) to have an air suspension. Thanks for your wonderfully informative videos and you’re calm demeanor delivering facts and history that deserves to be remembered. Will continue to subscribe.

[@JoshuaC923]

Always loved the outtakes, excellent video sir

[@AndreasBruehl2589]

Here in Germany we have a Lexus LS With 1 Million Kilometers and the original engine. The youtube Channel "Auto Motor und Sport" Featured this Car in a Video...

[@deathghost13]

It'd be cool to see a video or videos focussing on local car markets that were affected by import restrictions. I know you mention a lot of the unique South African models (in the videos on Fords and some Chevy/Vauxhall cars) but given the uniqueness of the market there and the availability of the historical data, I think it might make for an interesting video. Thank you for the lovely channel and detailed videos. It's a great way to learn about the histories of these different models and marques.

[@AaronOfMpls]

Canada had some odd local brands/models in the 1950s too, that were variants of US cars. Ed's Auto Reviews talked about why they were a thing, in his "World Tour" episode on "The History of the Canadian Car Industry": kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6vKdoKeadhsgtk .

[@JK061996]

4:58 can confirm, here in Italy very few Japanese cars were sold before the mid 90's (and they were mostly 4x4s).

[@JeffKing310]

Great extras and fun bloopers. Thanks!

[@reynardkitsune1]

Around 1990, the dad of a friend was looking for a replacement for his Celica GT-Four and noticed the LS. My friend and I were so hoping that he would get the Lexus (having in mind that we were borrowing the car for Saturday night cruises 😁)...but in the end, he made the decision of buying a Nissan Maxima. His decision was mainly based on the fact that the LS' price sticker was double that of the Maxima, and the Nissan matched his needs as well. Damn. 😉 (To be fair, the Maxima was no bad buy either; and he kept this car until he died in the 2000s.)

[@anthonygray333]

The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham had an air dome assembly at each wheel. It was offered for three years. Buick jumped on board in 1958. Lots of problems caused them to be removed from production. I think the next US Car to have air suspension was the Continental Mark VII. Speaking of Buick it reminds me of the old saying. When better cars are built, Buick will build them. When better Buicks are built, Lexus will build them.

[@LittleCar]

Thanks for the info Anthony. It shows what little I know about cars - only what I've learnt for these videos!

[@tng2057]

When I see Prince Albert of Monaco using a Lexus as a daily limousine instead of a Mercedes or a BMW or a RR / Bentley I see how far Lexus has advanced.

[@MrLuba6a]

Probably in that case everyone looked at him in disbelief, rather than in curiosity.

[@warmstrong5612]

Surprised you didn't mention the BOSE suspension concept LS400. Seeing a car actually jump over an obstacle was incredible.

[@RIlianP]

The "Lost generation" is referring to the generation of young people that were on the Japanese job market after their economic system failed, the companies in Japan hire once or twice a year (note that they prefer to hire fresh collage graduates) and promote exclusively from within. After the economic bubble burst the companies stopped hiring or limited drastically the new here numbers a lot of people missed the window and couldn't apply later, due to fresh college graduate preference, so they started either living on their parent money or working low paying draining "part time" jobs, at this time we see the skyrocketing of the "hikikomori" or "shut in" population, the Japanese government tried to take measures to help those people but its too little too late.

[@MrLuba6a]

А защо Лексус "изпуснаха" юздите?Затова ли,че нямат необходимата квалифицирана работна ръка? И защо BMW и MBebz продължават да се котират добре?Нима за тях нямаше кризи?

[@wilfamos7314]

Brilliant video as ever, thanks for posting. One day, I'm going to own a Lexus.....one day. Question Mr Big Car. No Honda videos so far or did I miss them? Honda deserve the attention of your awesome channel.

[@LittleCar]

I did the Rover 800 (Honda/Acura Legend), and the Honda/Acura NSX. But yes, I'm a bit light on Honda videos.

[@wilfamos7314]

@@LittleCar Fair Play. However the Civic has been with us for can you believe it, 50yrs now. And I would argue the Fit/Jazz is the most practical small car ever made. Brilliant channel. I cherish every video and rewatch them when time permits. Thank you Sir!

[@AaronOfMpls]

@@wilfamos7314 I wouldn't doubt the Honda Fit is a contender for that. My stepmom had one for years and _loved_ it, though she drives a crossover these days (I forget what kind). And @Big/Little Car, well done about the LS, and Lexus in general! I never knew as much about Lexus (besides being Toyota's luxury marque) or had much personal experience with them, but they were certainly around in my part of the US. Great to see why!

[@mattcocky8956]

Big fan, sir. FYI the Lincoln Mark 7 had air suspension in the very late 80s but it was a terrible failure and very unreliable. Keep up the good work buddy!

[@AllCarswithJon]

OMG, this was great! Loor... leweer...looooouer.... attract". HAHAHAHA! Thanks for sharing this! You could have done another 30 minutes about the lack of success of Lexus in Europe, success in China, and how they changed the luxury auto landscape.

[@Henry_Jones]

The 91-96 camry is the most reliable car ever made. I still see them daily in MA! Theyre 26-31 years old!!!! Salty road NE winters and all!!! The only other car I regularly see that old driving around,,,,,the LS400.

[@nickwebb9290]

Brilliant and love the end section, very amusing, thanks for adding that 👍

[@andrewnprice]

First time commenter, long time watcher. Really pleased to see you seem to get your stride in terms of your content, the utility and content types both channels provode, and the overall format and production. Always enjoy that sense of discovering a channel whenit is relatively small amd then sharing it iwjt others and watching it grow and develop. I know in your most recent video on the Smart car you cited just how much more involved and lengthy these things have become. With that in mind, I had a few suggestions for you should you ever start to feel constrained, struggle looking for what to cover next, want a change of pace, or maybe are just looking for another content type to add into the mix and provide greater understanding on a particular topic. 1) The Lost Decade(s): Patrick Boyle did a fantastic finance that is lengthy at a out 30 minutes on the post WWII Japanese miracle and the various polivy decisions and choices made by policy makers that led to the that period of stagnation that continues until this day. Hagerty just did a piece on the short period of Japanese high (well respectively) performance Kei cars like the Autozam AZ-1 and the way the changing in future economic prospects basically killed them. It would perhaps make an interesting video to just follow that financial story from a purely automotive perspective. My understanding, is it was essentially a case of Japan leveraging its future for the today of the 1980s. So it would be interesting to see what it enabled them to achieve (like cheap finance to fund all that Lexus research) but what costs, results, and sacrifices it had long-term. If anything it would probably be a good thing for your viewers to have a deeper understanding of know a bit more about and have a better understanding of, because it impacts a lot of aspects related to Japan and various Japanese automotive companies. 2) Governmental Policies/Groups:On similar line check out the Asianometery channel especially those videos relating to the rise and fall of Japanaese semiconductor manufacturing if you get a chance. Again, maybe 30 minutes I think. The trade wars/policies you described and so forth impacted those industries similarly around that same period, and it is dovetails nicely with Patrick Boyle's video. Maybe you could get one of them to do a comment on some of that and do a collab, especially with regards to some of the policies the Japanese government employed to strengthen domestic industry and production in the automotive sector and how those decisions influenced certain aspects of the industry long-term. Asianometery talks a lot about the way METI was responsible for managing, guiding, forcing collaborative efforts, and so forth to maximize industrial capability and global competitiveness in the semiconductor sector. I would be curious to know if a similar such government run oversight or agency was put in place for the automotive sector. 3) Potential Multipart Videos as Standalone Segments: Rex's Hangar kind of does what you do for the automotive industry, but asthe channel name implies, fairly specific to airplanes and aviation related development. He will often cover an aircraft that itself failed but the way the innovations they championed or first demonstrated made future products successful. A lot of times this is just an opportunity to follow the course of an engineer or aviation pioneer/company that went on to become famous for their later work. I am sure similar such cases might exist in the automotive field. A particular car fails or is not seemingly remarkable, but the changes it brings about make it significant or it is a particularly influential project for a particular designer or developer from which they learn and enable them to do do the thing they become famous for. Your comments about the way Lexus'research in the LS impacted all of Toyota in part made me think of it. Might also be a slightly shorter and more lightweight video you could do while working on a longer video I thought, or at least it would allow you to be able to essentially create/research two videos at once that are interrelated but seperate stories so you don't have to cut so much. Maybe you need a big/small person channel. 😉 Not meaning to tell you what to do. Love your content and I am sure whatever you choose will be great. However, I thought I would offer a bit of input on thoughts and video ideas that your content inspired in the event maybe you ever needed help in those areas. Basically, keep up the great work!

[@laurentiup5312]

About the air suspension...I don't know about other car brands, but I'm sure that Mercedes W112 had it in the 60's

[@j.t.erasmus7486]

Thanks for a great video about an awesome car, which was somewhat successful in South Africa. I always look forward to you next video (My favorites include Mazda MX5 and the original videos about toy cars)

[@andreasu.3546]

2:46 Is that the Stig driving the FXV-II?

[@asaadluaibi2111]

great videos. good job

[@Henry_Jones]

Protectionism never pays off. The result is always the same. Less choice, poorer quality, higher prices, smaller market, less sales, poorer ecenomy, etc. The bigger the market to sell your goods the more trade more competition better quality better product etc. Its shown so many times you cant cling to old trades. Should they have outlawed cars to protect carrage makers and horse breeders 120 years ago? New jobs always come, jobs that might not exist now. I have a job that didnt exist when I was a child. You might have to move, people move for work all the time. In the end free open trade is better for everyone.

[@jamesengland7461]

Enjoyed as always!

[@Ethan7s]

Big Car could use a little Toyota quality control for his display shelf.

[@LittleCar]

Yeah, and the Ikea bookcases are getting a bit ropey. They've been through 5 moves!

[@kavorkaa]

Lure,loore,lurr,....attract

[@LittleCar]

😀 It was just easier!

[@kavorkaa]

@@LittleCar nicer to attract than lure anyway,we talk about attractive women not luring women after all

[@AaaAaa-ly3on]

Would be nice to see video about Infiniti. Q45 and smaller ones - i30, i35 etc. The gorgeous A33 version were even licensed and manufactured in Iran! And also well known as Nissan Cefiro in JDM and Maxima QX elsewere...

[@nakkari100]

Interesting how investment in upper-level models comes to normally priced cars. Almost like a project management waterfall model but with investment

[@madzen112]

Please do the story of the Wartburger some day :)

[@93455Driver]

Great history lesson of an awesome car brand. I am amazed that Lexus gets so much right but drops a clanger, like the choice of capacitive touch volume controls, considering calling a model the Lexus TX (Lexus Texas), or their long now victorious battle to get a decent infotainment system. All is forgiven though, just look at the quality and finish of their interiors (LC is sublime) and listen to their V8s, makes you forget horsepower and torque.

[@mrjsv4935]

Good looking car that original Lexus and at least the Euro spec Corolla sedan 1992-1997 has quite a bit the Lexus look in it. Beautiful car, I think it's the best looking Toyota Corolla ever :)

[@rrmenonofficial]

Great work! Would you be able to provide an opinion for a car-manufacturer on something they're developing?

[@LittleCar]

My opinion is about as good as anyone's, just a random opinion.

[@davidpistek6241]

Matt Farah had the milion mile Lexus,and there are several uz v8 cars and trucks that went a million miles, nothing is built like a 90s Toyota and the uz series v8 is so reliable and easy to service,,cept for the starter,, my 07 sequoia was a unstoppable beast

[@Henry_Jones]

For my entire life US automakers (mainly gm and ford) have always just been nothing but excuses. I cant take them seriously when they complain about trade. How about focusing on product like your competiton!?

[@Johnsmitty1971]

I don’t know if it makes difference but… I had an 1984 Lincoln LSC MK VII which had air suspension all around.

[@TEDdotcom]

What you didn’t mention was how Lexus fared in the UK.

[@LittleCar]

I don't have specific data for the UK, or anything other than marketing blurb from Lexus UK.

[@spinnetti]

Air suspension was an option... Other's had done before, but was a premium feature.

[@overlandjourno]

Brilliant

[@cayboy420]

Great cars I have one. Horrible rude dealerships in the UK. I have dealt with 3 and all rude as hell.

[@anthonywilliams4100]

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Birritz sedan had the first production air suspension.

[@LittleCar]

Thanks for letting me know Anthony. Shows how little I know!

[@anthonywilliams4100]

You taught way more than "air suspension" tech sir, thank you.

[@georgewashington1106]

If this video is optional, does that mean the other video is required?

[@LittleCar]

It is. I need to make sure everyone gets the memo. 😉

[@vengadeshkannavathy7225]

Can you please make a W140 S Class episode?🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@LittleCar]

I'm not much of a Mercedes-Benz fan, sorry.

[@evandrohipolito3128]

⁠@@LittleCarI love Mercedes-Benz. ❤🇩🇪 Em South America, swedish, english and, especially, german cars dominate the luxury market. Lexus is absolutely inexpressive.

[@Ls-43]

Ls400 ❤

[@runoflife87]

Well the LS is a good car but Toyota should've tried to sell JDM cars in LHD too including the Crown, the Mark series and even their flagship. These cars were so good compared to Cadillac or Lincoln. US government are miserable bigots for quoting good cars. Not every family wanted to drive your typical Cavalier/Escort that fell apart ever 10k miles, I'm sure.

[@Henry_Jones]

To crack the japanese market GM just gotta watch some anime and get the chevy astro back in production!

[@thomasfrancis5747]

The guys at the China Car History website seem very approachable and may be able to help with Chinese sales data.

[@MrLuba6a]

what shall I say? When I bought my LS 500h, mod.2019, I did it spontaneously-I fell in love with the color, the combination of interior and exterior, etc...If I knew then what I would go through, I would've bought MB, even not S class, an E class would've been enough for my needs. The most disappointing came from the service and the contact with Lexus. It looks like they do not exist, and Lexus Japan is really a Phantom office. I am sharing my experience with Lexus Europe, which probably has nothing to do with Lexus USA !!! Fex. one thing to compare: For Lexus LS 500 in the USA came upgrade in May.2019 for Apple Car Play, but here, in Europe, we still do not have it. The worst of all is that we might never have it. And no reasonable explanation on the question "why" !?!The driver seat is extremely uncomfortable, you feel the apples of the massage function right in your buttocks,the ventilation function is a nightmare to activate and manage, and there ain't any option to save the radio stations, to write an address in the navigation menu you have to take a holiday to try to type ...all is so primitive to be production 2018. Maybe this is the reason if I search for Lexus after 2018 in Germany, there are only 9 cars, compare to MBenz of 4500 ...And it is horrible to park-so inadequate to position and place on the spot, not to mention that the size is extremely large for the small and cute places we have here, on the island of Tenerife. So...if you think of buying one LS 500, think twice and do nod say you didn't know-now you know 🤷‍♂

[@stone-hand]

The Japanese did not got a lost decade, but rather a couple-trio of lost decades... to date.

[@davidpistek6241]

Lincoln had air suspension in the 80s

[@stephenholland5930]

And Cadillac in 1957.

[@goose4150]

And thanks to the stupidity of Italy's laws, you'll struggle to find any 1990s Japanese car that is not a Nissan Micra or a crap spec Honda Civic.

[@dfoitl]

wow when you started this channel you admitted you knew little about cars FYI Mercedes had air suspension on their S class at least since 1960

[@LittleCar]

I still don't! And that stuff from Japan's "lost decade" sounded like I knew what I was talking about because I'd just listened to an Economist podcast about it.

[@reynardkitsune1]

Back in the 1960s, not even MB used the term "S-class" for the full-size luxury cars W100 (600) and W109 (300 SEL 6.9) who had inherited the air suspension from the 600. With introduction of the W116 in 1972, MB used the term S-class for the first time, but soon this term was also used for the W108/W109 as the general term for MB's luxury segment (which does not include the W110/111 and even earlier models!).

[@LujinCustom]

Loo-er

[@georgiwesterman4834]

𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔬𝔰𝔪 🎶

[@nickdemichele4203]

Lincoln had air suspension starting in 1983