The beautifully shot commercial above shows the engine note of a Lexus LF-A shattering glass because of the high pitch of its engine. If you have not seen one in person before, don’t be shocked; at a price of around $400,000, they are very exclusive. If you have not heard of the car before, then it would seem Toyota has failed in its mission with the LF-A.
Toyota would like you to believe that the LF-A shares its engineering advancements with the rest of the maker’s lineup, which is the point of a halo car. But there is to great a distance between a basic car and an LF-A. Has Toyota erred by placing this under the Lexus badging instead of, say, resurrecting a name that already means what they are trying to day? A name like: Toyota Supra???
The Supra was a car that was last made in 1998, and is still responsible for whatever sporty reputation Toyota has left. It tugs at the hearts of Millennials like me, who grew up with posters of them on our wall. Thanks to a well-known product placement in the original “Fast and Furious” movie, something Toyota never even paid for, the car still maintains a strong following 20 years after the last model’s debut. And the site of one sitting next to every other car on your dealership lot (as oppose to a sealed glass room like the LF-A) certainly couldn’t hurt.
Nissan has its Z, Porsche its 911, Chevy its Corvette. Bring back the Supra Toyota, and you to will benefit from a name that has real meaning.
~ Mike D’Ambrosio, Interactive Art Director and Car Enthusiast, The S3 Agency
Editor’s Note: While this car might benefit from a different name, it’s interesting to see how the new commercial harkens back to Lexus’ debut spot from 1989. The shattering champagne glass is a nice homage to the “champagne glasses” – the ad that put Lexus on the automotive marketing map. See the ad below. I remember it well – the ad and the car, since my mother had that first Lexus. Full disclosure: AMCI, the company mentioned at the beginning of the commercial, was a client of our agency. We rebranded them – and for giggles, below you can also see the logo identity we created for them that replaced the one shown in the TV ad. ~ @AdvertGirl
