The Lexus IS-F is the car that will coerce buyers who might have previously dismissed Lexus as a maker of hybrids, SUVs and luxury barges.
Developed to take the battle up to high performance sports sedans from prestige German manufacturers, the IS-F will offer over 300kW power and more than 500Nm of torque from a V8 engine displacing five litres, driving through an eight-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission and limited slip differential (more here).
Whilst Lexus doesn't forecast huge numbers for the IS-F, it's an important model and must succeed as part of the company's broader strategy to continue changing the public's perceptions of the company.
Lexus, in the guise of the Chief Executive, John Roca, acknowledges that the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG has contributed to a pause in the IS-F launch program, while the company decides how it will re-position the car to take the shine off the Mercedes.
"They've launched that car very aggressively when it comes to price," said Roca, alluding to Mercedes-Benz and the C 63.
"Obviously we're conscious of that, so it's probably good timing for us, because prior to that, our benchmark was the [Audi] RS4 and the [BMW] M3. The '63' has blown them out of the water, so obviously we'll gauge it from there. But we're still to finalise specification on the [IS-F] as well."
The IS-F has already been launched in the USA and Japan, but Australia will wait for an upgraded model with an improved interior. So, there are basically two issues that affect the IS-F's market position and Roca agrees wholeheartedly that the C 63 is one of those. It is already exerting some influence on the IS-F's eventual market positioning in Australia.
Originally planned for a starting price of roughly $150,000, the IS-F would have undercut the Audi, the BMW -- as well as the W203 generation Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG.
With the new high-performance C-Class coming in under $140,000, that original plan has been scuppered.
"We're just about to start negotiations on the car," says Roca, but the pricing issue and the proximity of the C 63 do not appear to pose as much of a concern as the aim of trimming the IS-F appropriate to its elevated position.
"We're still messing around with the interior," he said.
"The specification issue is they launched the vehicle with a very similar interior to the IS 250 and the Chief Engineer now is looking at it, saying 'we should probably change that to make it look a bit more specific to the IS-F'...which is why we're holding back a couple of months to launch -- to launch it with the revised interior.
"They're looking at alternative colours for stitching, the leather and a few other things. What we'll do is we'll launch the second phase, which is months after the original."
In keeping with standard marketing practice, Lexus has forecast conservative figures for the IS-F, an unknown sales quantity at this point in time.
"In terms of volume at this stage, we're only looking at 10 vehicles per month. We're really restricted by supply more than anything else," said Roca, but he also declared: "I think there's a bigger market for it. If you price it right, there's potential to do a lot more than that."
Pricing it right means bringing the car into Australia below $139,500, the price of the C 63 AMG. If Lexus can provide a real value advantage over the Mercedes -- and that suggests matching or bettering specification as well as matching or bettering the price -- Lexus should have a hit on its hands.
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