Originally Posted by MaximaGuy
Originally Posted by DriveHard
It is the engineers that push the envelope, that explore new tech and apply it in new and novel ways that set the future. Often the tech that is included in these "extravagant" vehicles is setting the pace for the future. Without the tech developed on the race course, and the premium cars, it would never bleed down to cars you and I can afford. What a short-sighted statement to say something like this. Often this new tech is asking to be proven out and brought into production through the high margin "premium" models that enthusiasts chase...as that is the only feasible way it could see the light of day.
Lets assume you are right and I believe there is truth in this stmt. For the longest time Toyota would make their Avalons ugly low volume units and a testing ground for new engine and transmissions and those were relevant technologies that would INDEED see downstream into volumes like Camry (which one wouldn't want to screw up). That is the sound approach.
Lets see - a high performance V8 much like the MB Bi-Turbos SUVs (engineering coming from F1 engines) has so less volumes and fraught with risk (the life of a F1 engine is possibly a race) and the investment doesn't justify the volumes vs. risk in recalls (MB for example has enough examples of high end engine designs going bad - take the S class)
The ICE has been there for years and incremental concepts go further that radical sports cars engineering which will take many generations to go downstream in volumes.
Driving a corvette as a daily is far too painful other than making a point to buy American and drive American.
It's a halo car. It's meant to get people excited about the brand and to show off new technology. Every car maker does it, including Toyota/Lexus. If they spend all of their time and energy perfecting boring appliance cars, people eventually lose their excitement for the brand. Even Toyota is not exempt from this:
https://carbuzz.com/news/toyota-ceo-tells-his-employees-to-stop-building-boring-cars