[uditsharma01]

That's a very good news for Indian automobile industry collectively. I hope they also consider improving the sub standard dealership experience in India. When someone pays fortunes they accept a world class customer service.

Here is an example of pathetic Lexus experience on Team BHP https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...o-vehicle.html (Ownership tussle for my Lexus ES300h (ex-demo vehicle))

[Dhruv29]

Originally Posted by Iyencar

Not really. A CBU has it's own attraction and will always command a premium in the used market. This is even more true in the case of the Lexus because of how reverentially the Japanese workers treat the manufacturing process. The wood in the LS for example is known as Shimamoku. Link
Then there are the Takumi:
Link
It's a very unique subculture out there and there should be enough people who value it and are willing to pay a premium for the products.

You really can't compare Lexus ES with the likes of Germans in terms of interior quality or fit and finish.
As of today, my car is in shop from 3 days because i was fed up with rattling from interior panels, Suspension noise from front and back side, Indicator stalk getting hard and clunky, sunroof creaking, play in driver seat which is noticeable in "stop and go traffic" etc.

I wrote a mail to senior Lexus officials and requested a test at home in Gurgaon rather than smooth roads in Delhi where most of the noises disappear. Maybe my car is exception rather than rule. But in this price bracket, i can't accept any single fault in my car. In the end, they accepted all the issues and are waiting for approval for replacement of parts after providing evidence to Lexus India by comparing the faulty part from another ES. I don''t really know why this extra step is needed when they know what the fault is!

Whereas my 5 year old W212 Mercedes doesn't have any single noise from its interior or suspension even after riding on low profile tires.

[CarManMotorcycl]

Originally Posted by Dhruv29

You really can't compare Lexus ES with the likes of Germans in terms of interior quality or fit and finish.
As of today, my car is in shop from 3 days because i was fed up with rattling from interior panels, Suspension noise from front and back side, Indicator stalk getting hard and clunky, sunroof creaking, play in driver seat which is noticeable in "stop and go traffic" etc.

Wow, i am absolutely baffled that a Lexus could rattle and have such problems! I have a feeling the car had gone through some abuse before you bought it. I hope your ES is back to normal.

[Dhruv29]

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

Wow, i am absolutely baffled that a Lexus could rattle and have such problems! I have a feeling the car had gone through some abuse before you bought it. I hope your ES is back to normal.

Not really, when i bought the car it was perfect, just as a brand new one would feel. I’ve seen it degrade a little every month a rattle here, a squeak there, even though the car is babied everywhere. Now, since 4 months, I’ve been hearing faint suspension knock from both suspension on the front, the noises are more noticeable due to its hybrid drivetrain as it gets completely silent in electric mode.

[Vid6639]

This is quite a landmark for Toyota India. Lexus cars are manufactured in Japan only and assembled in only 3 countries till now. Japan, Canada and USA were the only 3 countries making Lexus cars. India is the 4th.

For a plant to assemble or make a Lexus, there's some strict quality conformance. The Tahara plant in Japan was regarded as the most advanced and sterile automobile plant in the world and the only place where Lexus cars were made.

https://www.autonews.com/article/200...flagship-plant

To have Toyota India assemble Lexus cars given the almost next to nil sales is a very big surprise. It makes no financial sense unless they plan to export from here to other south east asian countries.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Dhruv29

my car is in shop from 3 days because i was fed up with rattling from interior panels, Suspension noise from front and back side, Indicator stalk getting hard and clunky, sunroof creaking, play in driver seat which is noticeable in "stop and go traffic" etc.

I think this has to do with your car being a Demo unit. I always advise everyone to resist the temptation of Dealer cars. Single owner old cars are far better over dealer demo in my opinion.

There are child parts for the seat assembly, chances are the Dealer driver used to sit in the car for long in the inclined position. It happened on one of my 7 series and BMW replaced the interior frame.

[Dhruv29]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I think this has to do with your car being a Demo unit. I always advise everyone to resist the temptation of Dealer cars. Single owner old cars are far better over dealer demo in my opinion.

There are child parts for the seat assembly, chances are the Dealer driver used to sit in the car for long in the inclined position. It happened on one of my 7 series and BMW replaced the interior frame.

Yeah, i agree with your opinion.
Maybe other members will differ from my view but reliability is not everything. The quality of interiors, components, overall feel of the car matters a lot and this generation ES lacks in it. As long as the car doesn’t leave you stranded on the road, we can take 5-7 days of downtime in service over the year.
For me the quality of this generation of ES is not up to the mark, atleast to the standard what Lexus deems acceptable, let alone the Europeans.
Even if i had bought a brand new ES back then, If given a chance to go all over again, i would not buy the ES.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Dhruv29

As of today, my car is in shop from 3 days because i was fed up with rattling from interior panels, Suspension noise from front and back side, Indicator stalk getting hard and clunky, sunroof creaking, play in driver seat which is noticeable in "stop and go traffic" etc.

Maybe my car is exception rather than rule.

Sorry to hear this after all the trouble you have undergone with the ex-dealer and transfer matters. It seems that some if not all these niggles are due to this unit being the dealers demo car. Few things can be worse than a car that has been driven by literally hundreds of different people. 40,000+ kms later my unit does not yet have a bolt or noise out of place. I hope you are able to resolve your problems.

[M00M]

I have a very different take from what some of the members who have spoken and contributed here. I think this is a symbolic and pleasantly welcoming gesture from Lexus India and Lexus globally to have the ES assembled in India along with future Lexus models. I think this is the exact boost that Lexus needed in India to get the attention of the Indian customers who value Japanese products with the highest regard. German cars are great no doubt and solid but high maintenance bills are something a lot of customers are vary of including me.

At first our community members and lot of customers were averse with the high price of the ES. It has all the features, the right build, reliability of Toyota, but it didn't have the right price. Now contrary to what our community members feel I think the ES has the shot to sweat the German competitors as long as they maintain this pricing. I just hope Toyota being Toyota doesn't get greedy and increases the prices and or doesn't remove features or reduce the build quality and keeps the Lexus a proper Lexus the way it should be and has been globally.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by M00M

I think this is a symbolic and pleasantly welcoming gesture from Lexus India and Lexus globally to have the ES assembled in India along with future Lexus models.

Absolutely, it’s a great step by Toyota and shows their commitment for our market. But the problem is the pricing. LS at 1,9 Cr and LX at 2,35 Cr, even after 100 % Duties and 50% GST these prices are more than what they ask elsewhere.

Customers who want to buy a luxury sedan, does find Lexus different but not comparable in Image/ luxury with Mercedes and we are not talking about the guys who want something to drive, so no BMW customers. That leaves Lexus with a very limited set of people.

ES does offer very low cost of ownership surely, I was surprised to find average Mercedes service costs Rs 50,000 and few of the services even higher. The difference in some of the wear and tear parts like brake pads maybe even like 5-10 times as Toyota parts are damn cheap.

I just hope Toyota being Toyota doesn't get greedy and increases the prices and or doesn't remove features or reduce the build quality and keeps the Lexus a proper Lexus the way it should be.

Haha, looks people are not aware, Lexus has categorically announced that these are prices valid only for February and March Bookings only and effective 1st April there will be new prices

All old orders will be executed at old prices though.

[Vid6639]

Well this was short lived. The budget yesterday has increased import duties on CKD and SKD cars.

Toyota probably put in money to promote local assembly thinking they will be benefitted. Instead they now have to go back to more duties. Still less than CBU but even less incentive to assembly locally.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Well this was short lived. The budget yesterday has increased import duties on CKD and SKD cars.

No, I think the changes are only on Electric vehicles. Hybrid kits are probably taxed at regular custom rates.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

No, I think the changes are only on Electric vehicles. Hybrid kits are probably taxed at regular custom rates.

Don't think so. They appear to be applicable to for all SKD/CKD and not just EV's:

https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-au...S0mi_Zy1PiMDh0

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Don't think so. They appear to be applicable to for all SKD/CKD and not just EV's:

This looks wrong, couldn’t find in the finance bill or ET. If that would have been the case, it would be a big news. So unless it’s a fine print somewhere, it appears to be only for EV.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...ml#post4742892 (Budget 2020: EVs not made in India to get costlier)

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

This is quite a landmark for Toyota India. Lexus cars are manufactured in Japan only and assembled in only 3 countries till now. Japan, Canada and USA were the only 3 countries making Lexus cars.

The Canadian plant at Cambridge, Ontario which makes Lexus RX is a full-fledged manufacturing site with its own Press & Weld shops. So it is not just an assembly plant.

To my knowledge, the Kentucky plant in USA also has Press/Weld shops where ES bodies are manufactured. So this site is also more than an assembly plant or CKD operation line. They initially started with the only the conventional drivetrain (ES350), but have expanded to produce ES300h also. Shared TNGA-K platform (Camry, Avalon, RAV-4, ES) helps significantly in this regard, similar to MQB manufacturing strategy by VAG at is different plants.