GR GT dealer deposits?
- Thread starter supersix
- Start date
- Dec 5, 2024
- 13
- 1
So...it sounds like the new GR GT is going to be sold through select Lexus dealerships???
Don’t call it a Toyota, because Toyota’s latest flagship sports car doesn’t wear the automaker’s badge. It’s also not a Lexus. It’s a Toyota Gazoo Racing product. Except there’s one problem: There are no GR dealerships and that brand doesn’t exist in the U.S. market.
At the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR GT (that is the official name) debut just outside Fuji, Japan at Toyota’s Woven City, The Drive asked the obvious question: How will someone buy a GR GT in the U.S., and where will it get serviced? A Toyota spokesperson said, “The GR GT will be available for purchase at select Lexus dealerships.”
But, it’s not a Lexus, and the word Toyota is in the name of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Americans are about to be confused, but imagine what they might think if they were to walk into a Toyota dealership and buy a $225,000 sports car that happens to be sitting next to a Corolla.
The price point of the GR GT is what will push it to be sold in Lexus dealerships despite not wearing a Lexus badge. Customers dropping well over six figures for a car are going to expect white-glove service and treatment, something that doesn’t come in a showroom shared with a Corolla. Though, Ford somehow managed it with the GT supercar and is now figuring it out with a $325,000 Mustang.
Of course, the irony that laces all this is that eventually the GR GT will share a Lexus showroom with the electric LFA, which uses the same chassis as the GR GT.
This might be the first time a non-Lexus is being sold through Lexus dealers, but it’s not going to be the last. Toyota’s about to go through the same process with its flagship Century luxury models here in the U.S.
As for what subset of select Lexus dealerships and what qualifies a dealership to be part of that group, that’s yet to be seen. Don’t go calling your local Lexus dealership just yet.
Source
Don’t call it a Toyota, because Toyota’s latest flagship sports car doesn’t wear the automaker’s badge. It’s also not a Lexus. It’s a Toyota Gazoo Racing product. Except there’s one problem: There are no GR dealerships and that brand doesn’t exist in the U.S. market.
At the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR GT (that is the official name) debut just outside Fuji, Japan at Toyota’s Woven City, The Drive asked the obvious question: How will someone buy a GR GT in the U.S., and where will it get serviced? A Toyota spokesperson said, “The GR GT will be available for purchase at select Lexus dealerships.”
But, it’s not a Lexus, and the word Toyota is in the name of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Americans are about to be confused, but imagine what they might think if they were to walk into a Toyota dealership and buy a $225,000 sports car that happens to be sitting next to a Corolla.
The price point of the GR GT is what will push it to be sold in Lexus dealerships despite not wearing a Lexus badge. Customers dropping well over six figures for a car are going to expect white-glove service and treatment, something that doesn’t come in a showroom shared with a Corolla. Though, Ford somehow managed it with the GT supercar and is now figuring it out with a $325,000 Mustang.
Of course, the irony that laces all this is that eventually the GR GT will share a Lexus showroom with the electric LFA, which uses the same chassis as the GR GT.
This might be the first time a non-Lexus is being sold through Lexus dealers, but it’s not going to be the last. Toyota’s about to go through the same process with its flagship Century luxury models here in the U.S.
As for what subset of select Lexus dealerships and what qualifies a dealership to be part of that group, that’s yet to be seen. Don’t go calling your local Lexus dealership just yet.
Source
- Dec 5, 2024
- 13
- 1
That way, you get the full premium experience.Toyota also wants to charge full Lexus dealership labor rates for any work on it.
- Dec 5, 2024
- 7
- 0
I definitely think it makes sense to sell these through Lexus dealers. I'm hoping that the deposits aren't ridiculous, but I can easily see a $5k deposit being required... perhaps more in some situations.
- Dec 5, 2024
- 7
- 0
How do we figure out which Lexus dealerships will be authorized to place a GR GT order?
That's a good question. I'm going to have to start calling around and finding out. I think it might be too early to even know what the process will look like.