[GTO]

Damn overpriced, but going by how Toyota India has usually placed its CBUs (Prado for 1 crore), I'm not surprised. We should ask Toyota to put their money where their mouth is - would any senior person in Toyota India's management pay 1.3 crores on the road for the RX? I bet not.

The RX is placed a segment or two above where it should be, hybrid tech notwithstanding. Seriously - you could buy bigger & more talented German SUV at a lower price, and even the lusty Jaguar F-Pace.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

The same way a ₹ 25 L 'Stang costs ₹ 75 L here!!!

The Mustang we get here is more like 28 lakhs in the USA; it was launched at 65 lakhs. Just saying (I'm in full agreement that Ford has overpriced it).

Originally Posted by aerohit

Maybe it is priced high because it is going to spend less time at workshop compared to Germans.

I would agree with that, say a decade back. But the reliability of the Germans has improved today (although it's still not flawless). My 4 year old car has had a single failure so far - water leakage. And it was traced down to a plastic / rubber cap that went bad. Certainly nothing that serious. Mechanically, the car has had zero issues. Am I willing to live with the odd problem here & there in return for driving pleasure (vis a vis Lexus)? You bet.

[Turbanator]

So do you expect Lexus to slash couple of millions from their CROREpati cars once they start assembling?

We don't have any model from Toyota that was launched as CBU first and then gone via CKD route so I won't have an answer. Yes other manufacturers like Audi/ MB and BMW have passed only partially but if we see over an extended period then prices have indeed gone lower after CKD.

I don't understand. On one hand Mercedes, BMW and Audi locally assemble their cars. The launch edition CBUs aren't 3X the landing price.

I have to repeat myself to answer this query, most of the German companies transfer CBU at costs so if you see customs data, perhaps launch edition S class would have been transferred from MB Germany to India at say 30-40,000 Euros ( there are old posts somewhere with actual figures ) But Toyota for some reasons transfers close to their retail prices. Why? I have no answers perhaps they don't have trading setup or they want to keep it simple and clean.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

We don't have any model from Toyota that was launched as CBU first and then gone via CKD route so I won't have an answer. Yes other manufacturers like Audi/ MB and BMW have passed only partially but if we see over an extended period then prices have indeed gone lower after CKD.

Precisely. If history is an indication, good luck to Lexus's future in India

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I have to repeat myself to answer this query, most of the German companies transfer CBU at costs so if you see customs data, perhaps launch edition S class would have been transferred from MB Germany to India at say 30-40,000 Euros ( there are old posts somewhere with actual figures ) But Toyota for some reasons transfers close to their retail prices. Why? I have no answers perhaps they don't have trading setup or they want to keep it simple and clean.

Yes, simple. Rip-off people who think a RX 450h is worth 1 Crore

Its not the end customer's problem to know what trading setup Lexus has vis-a-vis Volvo or Merc. Whether its 1 million or 10 million, people look for value for money.

What Toyota has is a spectacular opportunity. Assemble the Lexus locally and sell it at prices on par with the Germans. That will shake the segment. People will have a wide range to choose and the Germans will take a serious look and respond accordingly. Win-win for all.

Instead what I see happening is a few diehard Lexus/Hybrid fans buying the first few cars and the Germans will have a sigh of relief that they don't have to worry about Lexus.

I'm just sad at the lost opportunity here.

[Turbanator]

what I see happening is a few diehard Lexus/Hybrid fans buying the first few cars

Where do you see the numbers? I think there is only one person here who has gone ahead with ES and given his priorities, I think he has done correctly also beside it's less than twice the Camry hybrid

Except for ES - comparatively VFM amongst all Lexus models here and LX 450-D - remember there are too many die-hard Lexus fans from 80's and 90's - politicians and Bollywood actors, I don't see their sales happening anywhere else.

I'm just sad at the lost opportunity here.

+1, agreed in total.

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

There is simply too much of a premium at play here in the guise of bulletproof reliability, resale value etc.

If the Germans play it smart, I think they can really take advantage of this situation. Longer warranty, service plans etc. can help customers gain trust in the brand and bring home the machine which they 'want'.

I for one cannot understand why I shouldn't pick the excellent Volvo XC90 over this Lexus if I don't want a German.

On the other hand, I sincerely hope the German trio does not take this opportunity to increase prices at par with the premium 'Lexus' saying 'Hey! people are ready to part with 10 million INR for one of our competitors while we only charge them 7 million. We have a 3 million gap which we can exploit. Lets throw them some bread crumbs by the way of 'features' and 'face-lifts' and increase the prices'.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

We don't have any model from Toyota that was launched as CBU first and then gone via CKD route so I won't have an answer.

What about the Camry? If my memory serves me right, it was initially brought in as an import.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Yes other manufacturers like Audi/ MB and BMW have passed only partially but if we see over an extended period then prices have indeed gone lower after CKD.

Mercedes Benz usually lowers prices a bit after CKD assemblies start, but then they remove certain 'delight' features from the equipment list also.

And I do not foresee Toyota staring local assembly of Lexus in India anytime soon. Most Lexus vehicles are assembled in Japan except for very limited assembly in Canada. I am not sure of this, though.

Looking at the glacial pace at which decision making moves within their Indian operations, by the time they finally decide to set up manufacturing here, we would have magnetic levitation and flying cars instead of mundane hybrids running on wheels!

Lexus have been selling cars happily beating their own sales performance. In terms of absolute numbers, it trails Mercedes, BMW and Audi, but Lexus grew nearly 25% in numbers in the 2013-15 period. It is assumed to be very very profitable operation.

[Turbanator]

What about the Camry?

looks you are correct, they had first 2 generations as CBU and later converted to CKD but the prices went up . But remember we are talking about 2012 or so when difference in Import vs CKD was not that much

The 2012 Toyota Camry is will be the third version to be sold in India and it is the first time Toyota is assembling the sedan in India. The two previous models were imported as CBUs while the 2012 Camry is being assembled using imported CKD kits. This will help Toyota keep the 2012 Camry's price very competitive.

http://www.drivespark.com/four-wheel...24-003502.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

Looking at the glacial pace at which decision making moves within their Indian operations, by the time they finally decide to set up manufacturing here, we would have magnetic levitation and flying cars instead of mundane hybrids running on wheels!

Agreed. They are giants.

[sourabhzen]

I do not understand how could a car with permanent registration be on the road on 23rd March when it wasn't launched till then (it was RX4XX for sure).

I was behind the car for more than a km before I overtook it. Would have kept larger gap if I knew it was 1cr+ car.

[//M]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

I do not understand how could a car with permanent registration be on the road on 23rd March when it wasn't launched till then (it was RX4XX for sure).

I was behind the car for more than a km before I overtook it. Would have kept larger gap if I knew it was 1cr+ car.

It can be done, the RX would have been shown as a private import to the RTO.

I work for an auto firm, and we do get vehicles registered (Permanent Registration) before they are launched. However, I do not have much idea about the procedure of doing this.

[Turbanator]

I do not understand how could a car with permanent registration be on the road on 23rd March when it wasn't launched till then

Toyota has delivered these to their dealers months ago and must have been registered. In every RTO , local Dealer has to get formalities done the first time and thereafter any individual can get the car registered. It has got nothing to do with recent Lexus launch.

[veedub89]

The RX450h in Chandigarh has been registered finally. Saw it on the road yesterday with a Sikh gentleman behind the wheel. Registered in the latest CH01BL series.

I had been seeing the car almost every weekend at the Golf Club. Owner must be a golfer.
I must say that it certainly doesn't feel like a 1cr+ car. Between all the fancy, which is the Chandigarh Golf Club's parking, it seems a little lost in the crowd.

The car was on the roads well before the official launch. It seems like the local Toyota dealer has picked it up for himself.

[PraNeel]

Autocar India has come out with their first drive review of Lexus RX450h.

Their observations:

• Eye watering price of 1.07 and 1.09 crores. Taxes extra
• The sport version has changes only in the interior, which do manage to give a sporty look to the cabin. Nice quality leather seats.
• The car is a looker and screams attention.
• Lexus badge and hybrid power train are the differentiating factors.
• The car has decent handling and power however not as good as the Germans.
• Though the cost is quite high the brand pull and lower cost of ownership might attract customers.

Personally, I feel the price is too high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkI4nr2WBK4

[himanshugoswami]

Mod Note: Our Lexus Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

The high sticker price notwithstanding, and the polarising looks notwithstanding, In the last week, I have already seen 5 LX 450H in NCR. Now to put that in perspective, thats more than the number of Hexas I've seen on road this entire month!. The Lexus certainly has road presence and you will definitely not mistake it for anything else, thats for sure.

If people in India are willing to shell close to 70 L for an evoque, then the Lexus pricing doesn't seem all that ludicrous. But, thats all relative and doesn't take away from the fact that most manufacturers are simply ripping off the Indian consumer. However, so long as people are willing to pay this premium, there is absolutely no reason for manufacturers to reduce their prices.