Car Throttle

I can sort of get the idea behind this, but it also strikes me as being sort of odd. As most of you know out there, Lexus rolled out their LFA Supercar a little while back. Great car, no two ways about it. Lots of tech goodies, tons of power and torque, performance that is impressive, and you know they’ll sell all 500 of them in a New York minute.

And yeah, since they are fast, exclusive and expensive, the clientele are not the sorts to just walk into Big Eddies Lexus and Bait Shop and buy one. Oh no, these sorts are going to want to fawned over and treated like The Kings (or Queens) Of The Known Universe that they know they are. They’re going to need a sales staff that will tell them just how special the car they are getting is (and yes, the LFA is plenty special) and how they deserve it, oh yes, yes they do.

My question becomes one of supply. We know that Lexus is only going to make 500 of these rides. OK, fine, no problem with that. So, just guesstimating here, Europe will get, what, 120 to 150 of them? Maybe less? And the majority of those, if not all, are already pre-sold. So why got to all the trouble to build, staff and run a Dedicated European Sales Center?

There’s also the interesting item that this dedicated sales office if for all of Europe, and it’s in London. Nothing wrong with London (OK, the weather is terrible) (oh, and there’s also British “cuisine” too), but it’s not exactly centrally located. If you’re a rich Euro that wants an all-new Lexus LFA V10 supercar, then you’re going to be traveling to the Park Lane showroom in London, cause that’s the only store around.

Once there, you can ” … discuss their requirements … ” with a fellow by the name of Devshi Varsani, who is Lexus’ “dedicated LFA Personal Liaison Manager.” Sheesh, with an outline and job title like that, you think Lexus would have opened up the delivery center in Paris and cranked the snooty meter up to 11.

According to the dedicated LFA Personal Liaison Manager “Lexus has a world-leading reputation for customer service and I will be playing my part in ensuring the people who purchase the LFA, wherever they come from in Europe, are given all the assistance and support they require.” Wait, did this guy used to work for Ari Gold?

Devshi continues: “Since LFA was unveiled to the world last month, we have experienced a strong demand from prospective customers from across Europe. Having the car on display in our showroom will allow these potential customers to come see the supercar in the flesh, an important part of the sales process for such an extraordinary car.”

OK, I’m not going to disagree with him … but what I want to know is, who gets the building when Lexus is through with it?

Source: CarScoop