I noticed earlier this week that Lexus was featuring the ES 350 heavily on their US site, and it seems to have extended to TV as well:

Two pieces of Lexus Pebble Beach news today, first off, the much searched-for Pebble Beach commercial has surfaced on Youtube:

Not much to the commercial, it’s strictly an announcement-style advertisement, but the Pebble Beach edition color really catches my attention. It’s nice to see it on more than just the SC 430.

The other news has to do with pricing. The PBE RX 350 has been on the Lexus site since the middle of February, and costs a premium of $3,880 over the regular RX. However, the pricing for the ES 350 PBE was announced today, which will be a $4,170 option. (Remember, there’s only to be 6,000 of each model made.)

Once solely reserved for the SC 430, Lexus announced today at the Chicago Auto Show that three more models will be available in the Pebble Beach Edition. It starts with the release of a PBE RX 350 in mid-February, followed by an ES 350 in March and a LS 600hL sometime in the fall.

Here’s a breakdown of the RX 350 & ES 350 changes (the LS 600hL was only announced, no details were given):

RX 350

The RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition comes in three colors, an exclusive Truffle Mica (pictured above), Classic Silver Metallic, and Obsidian Black. There’s also a color-coded rear wing, new 18″ wheels, a chrome grille, a special interior trim, and a bunch of PBE badges.

ES 350

The ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition is also available in the Truffle Mica, Tungsten Pearl Silver and Obsidian Black exterior colors, but rather than a chrome grille and a rear wing, it gets 7-spoke 17-inch wheels with a liquid graphite finish and a decked out interior, with semi-aniline leather and a wood & leather steering wheel.

***

These special editions, limited to 6,000 per model, are in partnership with the Pebble Beach Company, and aren’t just limited to the vehicle’s appearance; buyers will also be able to select an item from the Lexus Personalization Program, which ranges from golf clubs to cookware. Details are in the press release below.

In a short interview with Bloomberg, Lexus General Manager Mark Templin reiterated what he told the Free Press a couple days ago, though with a little more detail:

“There is a whole section of the population that wants something different, and that’s high-efficiency,” Lexus general manager Mark Templin said in an interview at the Detroit auto show. “It’s a supplemental strategy to what we’ve done before.”

Lexus now sells hybrids that focus on performance and offer only a small fuel-economy gain from its gasoline-only models. The division wants to take advantage of the spending power of many who purchase vehicles such as the Prius, the best-selling hybrid in the U.S. More than a third of the 181,221 Prius buyers last year had annual income of more than $100,000, Templin said.

“Half of those people made over $150,000 a year and 24 percent of those people have a luxury car in their household fleet,” Templin said at the North American International Auto Show yesterday. “We think there is part of the market that everybody is missing.”

I wonder just what kind of direction this is going to take, where this hybrid’s going to fit into the lineup. I can’t see Lexus introducing a Prius size vehicle to their lineup. The rumors last year mentioned that this new car would be slotted in between the IS and GS, which makes sense, considering that the ES is limited to North America and some select markets overseas, and the dedicated hybrid is seemingly meant for the world market.

What I don’t understand is, if this vehicle is basically going to be the same size of the ES, why not just release an ES hybrid? There has to be more to it, with all this hype.

Lexus has set the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) for an assortment of models, including the 2009 RX 350, which will skip up $100, bringing the front-wheel-drive version to $37,500 and the all-wheel-drive version to $38,900. The 2009 RX 350 is expected in dealerships by early February 2008.

Other models see a price bump as well:

• The LS 460 will jump up $500 to $62,000, and the LS 460L will start at $72,000
• The ES 350 increases by 0.3%, or $100, to $33,820
• The entire IS range will see $100 increase on all the various versions
• The RX 450h also sees a $100 increase.

In general, the price increases are rather insignificant, considering, with the exception of the LS. The more significant news is that the 2009 RX 350 price has already been set, which makes me think that the redesigned model (based on the LF-Xh concept) will be released in 2010.

[Source: The Earth Times]

On the face of it, this Lexus commercial is a statement of the obvious, highlighting an undoubtedly common number of sensors as though it was unique. Yet, at the same time, it manages to accurately sum up what I find so appealing about Lexus itself:

“Behind every detail, there’s a detail” will now be my default answer to the question, Why do you love Lexus so much?

This Lexus ES 350 commercial highlights my favorite feature of the car, and perhaps one of my favorite optional features of all time, the panoramic glass roof:

The glass roof is perfectly suited to the overall design of the ES, and really the only Lexus I could picture with it. Perhaps it’s only because I’ve seen the same feature on the new Mercedes S600, but the idea just seems so luxurious.

Love it.

My initial thought was to pass over it without mention, but the more I think about it, it’s quite surprising that the ES 350 has absolutely no body kits.

Why is that?

I think the major reason has to be that the ES 350 is no longer available in Japan, where most Lexus kits come from. The previous ES models were available there (as the Toyota Windom), but was discontinued with the ES 350’s release in 2007. Now the ES is sold only in North America, the Middle East, Korea and Taiwan.

Also, it stands to reason that most people who would consider a body kit in the first place would gravitate to the sportier models in the Lexus lineup, like the IS or GS. It can’t be denied, the ES 350 is a family car through and through, with an emphasis on comfort rather than performance or sportiness.

Still, there are a couple personalization options, available direct from Lexus, who offer a rear spoiler (which needs to be bolted on, and is therefore permanent) and side-body moldings:

The U.S. federal government is continuing its investigation into the Lexus ES 350, which has been linked to 40 separate complaints of unintended acceleration, causing eight crashes and twelve injuries. What’s the cause? All-weather floor mats:

Toyota Motor Corp. told NHTSA [National Highway Traffic Safety Association] it sent a mailing to ES 350 owners in late April warning them about improper installation of the all-weather floor mat. The mat should be secured with clips and shouldn’t be placed over the standard floor mat. Toyota also said it changed the labeling on the floor mat.

NHTSA is now deciding whether Toyota’s actions were sufficient.

Lexus spokesman Greg Thome said because the investigation is ongoing, it’s too early to say whether floor mats are definitely causing the alleged defect.

If you own an ES 350, please make sure the all-season floor mats are secured properly and that the carpet floor mats are removed.

[Source: Forbes]
[Photo: Club Lexus Thread]

According to the BusinessWire, a civil action lawsuit has been filed against Lexus/Toyota, with the claim that the ES 350’s front passenger seat fails to register occupants, meaning that in the event of a crash, the front passenger airbag would not deploy:

At issue is the ES350’s airbag system, and specifically the systems’ airbag occupant classification sensor.

“All of the defective vehicles are equipped with a weight sensor system beneath the front passenger seat,” according to the suit. “The purpose of the sensor is to gauge the weight of the person in that seat.”

When the sensor detects the presence of a passenger, the suit claims, it arms the passenger airbag. But the suit alleges the ES350’s sensors are defective and often do not detect the presence of a passenger.

Whether this is suit is justified or not remains to be seen, but should there be a problem, the lawsuit doesn’t shrink away from trying to milk it for all it’s worth:

The suit wants Lexus to re-call and re-purchase the ES350s at their full cost; wants full refunds for those people who have leased their vehicles; wants the cars re-fitted with functioning airbag systems; and also asked for compensatory damages for all costs and loss of value.

Can’t say I understand asking for money due to “loss of value” while also expecting Lexus to buy the cars back at full cost, but it’s a lawyer’s world. The entire case makes me scratch my head, if this was exactly as stated, it stands as an incredibly large problem. Wouldn’t Lexus have already recalled these vehicles if there was any indication people would lose their lives?

Curious as to Lexus’ reaction to the lawsuit, I found the following quote in The Miami Herald:

“We stand behind the design and performance of our front air-bag system,” Lexus spokesman Greg Thome said.

Time will tell, and I’ll be following this case closely as it unfolds.