You knew it was coming — Lexus kicks offer their annual December to Remember event in the US with their Red Bow commercials. Have no fear, this year’s crop is especially excellent:

Very well done.

Given the economic climate and overall auto market meltdown, it’s no surprise that a slightly different tact was taken. Getting a car for Christmas is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event for most people, and these commercials capture that feeling with great success (though I think they should have substituted an IS-F for that ES).

Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands study has been completed, and Lexus has ranked 90th overall, and 10th among automotive brands:

When compared to last year’s study, Lexus is moving up the ladder, climbing two spots. The value of the brand, calculated from combination of analysts’ projections, company financial documents, and qualitative and quantitative analysis stands at $3.588 billion, up from $3.354 billion. The automotive brands ranked as follows:

• 1. Toyota - $34B
• 2. Mercedes-Benz - $25.6B
• 3. BMW - $23.3B
• 4. Honda - $19.1B
• 5. Ford - $7.9B
• 6. Volkswagen - $7B
• 7. Audi - $5.4B
• 8. Hyundai - $4.8B
• 9. Porsche - $4.6B
• 10. Lexus - $3.6B

[Source: Interbrand]

Lexus has launched an online entertainment “channel” today called L Studio, which looks to be a continuation of the company’s movement towards becoming a true lifestyle brand. From Reuters:

The carmaker is launching an Internet-only branded channel Tuesday (September 23) stocked with a full slate of original programing headlined by [Lisa] Kudrow [from Friends] in a shortform comedy series in which she plays a nutty shrink.

In an effort to keep the buzz going for the project, Lexus plans to recruit more celebrity contributors in the coming months. For now, the rest of L Studio is an eclectic mix of high-toned nonfiction programing that concerns everything from art to architecture to science. Some notable figures who are profiled on the site include the Doors’ Ray Manzarek and designer Patricia Field.

Taken together, the connective thread between the programing mix and the Lexus brand, Blanchard said, is the theme of innovation. “We kind of look at ourselves as a broadband HBO,” she said. “Being on broadband in and of itself is innovative for a lot of these artists.”

One of the videos posted is a tour of the Hybrid Living Suites, a joint project by Fairmont Hotels & Lexus — and while the site offers embedded video, I’ve been unable to get it working. There was also mention of a series featuring artists repurposing old Lexus’, similar to what Kelly LaPlante did with the hotel room. I’ll be on the lookout for that, stay tuned!

Update: Here’s a promo video from Youtube:

[Source: Reuters]

UK Magazine AutoCar claims to have the inside scoop on the oft-mentioned Lexus hybrid debuting at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show:

The new model is known internally as SAI but will be renamed before it goes on sale and will be based on the next generation Prius, also being shown for the first time in Detroit. The Lexus though will be a plusher, more comfort orientated model with unique and sleeker styling.

According to company sources it will bear some similarities to Toyota’s Concept X shown at the Geneva motor show last March. Most commentators wrongly believed this heralded the design of the next Prius but our sources indicated that it was really designed to showcase themes for the junior Lexus hybrid.

The SAI is likely to get a more powerful version of the Prius’ hybrid powertrain, which will be mated to either a 2.0 or 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. At launch it will probably have a nickel-hydride battery, but be upgraded to lithium-ion technology by the end of 2010.

I’m not sure I see the logic in Toyota to mixing concepts with Lexus, especially when it concerns the Prius. Really, that’s what I find so confusing with the idea of a Lexus “Prius” — the hybrid is practically a brand all on its own, why risk diluting it?

Lexus may be on the verge of releasing a Prius-sized sedan using an identical powertrain, but I have strong doubts there will be any more than a slight resemblance between the two cars.

As it turns out, the Hybrid Living Suites were just a prelude to a more extended partnership between Lexus and Fairmont Hotels:

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Lexus, two global brands synonymous with luxury and style, today announced a formal partnership that will provide Fairmont President’s Club members with an even greater level of personalized service during their stay. The principal and most visible component of the new marketing alliance will be the use of Lexus hybrid vehicles as hotel courtesy cars at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in the United States.

A thoughtful benefit reserved exclusively for members of Fairmont’s guest loyalty program, the new fleet of Lexus hybrid vehicles, which provide greater fuel mileage with lower smog-forming emissions, will be available to conveniently transport guests around the destination while making less of an impact on the environment.

Seems to be a good deal, considering membership to Fairmont’s President Club is free.

[Source: MarketWatch]

This commercial featuring perpetual Lexus voice actor James Sloyan in the passenger seat of an IS-F as Scott Pruett takes a lap around the track is just about perfect:

This is a definite payoff for using the same voice actor since the very first commercials.

(Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what James is saying right there at the end?)