Volkswagen Targets Toyota with 4 New Platforms

Lexakis, your style of "Azn-Pride"-tattooed ricer comment borders on subtle but not so well-hidden racism.... No way VW can catch up (to) Toyota?! They can easily do that and then some.... I'm wondering if you're the typical jealous racist type who likes to think Japan makes the best cars in the world when clearly they're always behind Germany.... Sure, Toyota sells more cars, but they sell more crap, which is nothing to be proud of. And if their infrastructure wasn't built primarily around reliability of cheaper parts that are more readily available through a well-established network, they wouldn't even have the reliability bit to be proud of. And besides, if you drive their cars as hard as one would drive a BMW, Lexus and Toyota and other Japanese cars would start to look a lot less reliable by comparison. And then there's the fact that people have pre-conceived notions built into their minds that all Japanese cars are reliable and good at gas mileage while all American and German and other cars are the opposite, which (at least in the case of German cars and some American cars) isn't true, as has been proven. And Mercedes-Benz only needs to sort out their profit vs. quality problems and construct a better servicing and customer support system/programme, and Lexus would be licked, since Mercedes Benz beats Lexus at pretty much everything. And let's not forget who's always trying to catch whom - Lexus' brand slogan has always been humorously parodied as "The relentless pursuit of Mercedes-Benz", or "The relentless pursuit of Germany", or "The relentless pursuit of BMW", so on ad so forth.... They also desperately try to copy German designs because most of their own designs are flops, and they only ever accidentally get one or two of them right (or at least half-OK) by accidentally copying all the right bits from BMWs and Mercs and putting them together.... If Toyota "really wants to leave them behind it can do it in an instant"?! Good one! Sorry, but your attempts to completely reverse the facts are going nowhere. Toyota DESPERATELY wants to leave them behind, but the fact is that it can't, and if the German companies stop being as greedy and indecisive, they can easily humiliate and annihilate Toyota. And Toyota borrowing "design language" from Lexus would actually technically be the same as Toyota "borrowing" design language from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. In essence, there IS no Lexus design language. There definitely is a very uncertain and horrific Toyota design language, but that's pretty much useless anyway. And your last comment is what really takes the cake: "bye bye German 'dynosaurs'"?!?!?! Haha, that's hilarity at its best (or worst, I suppose, depending on how one looks at it). There's a reason everyone talks about "German engineering" and not "Japanese engineering"; sure not all German cars are exactly amazing, but the average German cars is and has been (judging by continuing and approaching trends, always will be) head and shoulders and torso and legs and feet above the average Japanese car. The best Japanese car ever (arguably) was the NSX, and a bunch of unimaginative drones killed it off and now it's too old - of course even THEN it was still a bit of a Ferrari copy. Hopefully they'll make a proper new one soon.... Look at the current fleet of average/mediocre Japanese cars and if you use logic and judge with clarity, you might be able to spot the fact that they're the dinosaurs, left behind by the pack of superior engineered marvels that Europe dishes out.

Calm down GeeDoug, typing that much isn't going to change anything. Relax, lol!

Your German fan-boyism sounds just as racist. Way to be a hypocrite.

German fanboyism?! Wow, so apparently that's German fanboyism now.... Even though I mentioned Europe, not just Germany. And I also pointed out that the NSX is a great car; I guess you think that's German too, then.... Wonderful. Oh and let's not forget that apparently saying that not all German cars are super amazing (like many might think) is German fanboyism as well.... Yeah, you can really see the racism there. Great, you sure proved me wrong. Excellent job. Sounds like you need to read more carefully (or double-check the meaning of hypocrisy)....

Ferrariguy: Sorry dude; I know, and you've got a point there, but I typically type a lot, and I get really worked up by this sort of thing.... Thanks for being civil and sane (unlike some other people).

Sounds like I touched a nerve.

Yeah, that's EXACTLY what happened.... You touched a nerve. You know which one it was? The one that tells me you have no idea what you're talking about, and there's also a few BS-detector alarms going off in my head and telling me you agree with lexakis, only knowing that you won't be able to prove your point, you'd instead prefer to disguise your hatred as pointless one-liners. Afterall, I see no answer to the fact that I clearly showed that your so-called "German-fanboyism" remark was an empty s***-disturber attack.... Yeah, I guess anytime anyone proves someone else wrong by providing a detailed, thorough and undeniable answer to a childish attack, the instigator simply "must've hit a nerve".... Awesome. I'd tell you to grow up, but I doubt there'll be any point....

It must be fun to argue and yell at people on the internet.

I don't know, you tell me, is it?! First yelling and arguing for no reason, and now simply assuming the roll of a spambot.... Well, as long as you're at least impressing yourself....

You know what I really love? How you talk to me like you're better than me. Keep up the snobbery.

...Says the guy who started out with "your German fan-boyism sounds just as racist", and "way to be a hypocrite" (for no reason, might I add), and continued it on with "sounds like I touched a nerve". Wow, just, wow.... I mean, just based on what I'm seeing here, for someone playing innocent, you sure do have a knack for being a snobby fanboy and then projecting your own complexes onto your selected opposition.... That's great. You know what? I don't know you, I don't claim to know you, and judging by the way you're continuously representing yourself, I don't WANT to know you, because you're only spamming and creating an online scene and arguing about absolutely nothing, and not even answering anything I've written ABOUT THE TOPIC intelligibly. This is a waste of my time, however small an amount of time it might be.

Hahaha, I love it when people get so worked up about something that doesn't matter at all. And what exactly am I being a snobby fanboy about by calling you a German fanboy? I like both German and Japanese cars. Guess that makes me a international fanboy.

Actually, based on everything I pointed out above (which you didn't even answer, surprise surprise), I STILL think you're displaying fanboyism (just not sure towards what - it's probably "Tuners" since you argue like every other pro-tuner anti-German tends to argue..... And I like how you think I'm "worked up" but continue to answer because you can't leave it alone. If it really doesn't matter to you, wouldn't you have left it alone by now?! Uhuh.... Let's not forget the fact that your original accusations of me being a German fanboy were dead in the water and you still haven't been able to elaborate on how exactly anything I said makes me a German fanboy, and worse yet, racist.... You've worked yourself into something you can't argue your way out of, and you keep steering around it and avoiding the fact that you're being childish and snobby and acting like a benevolently neutral know-it-all.... Haha. Comic genius. I've said what needs to be said....

If Lexus wanted to leave the rest of the luxury car industry behind, why haven't they done it?

Finally, someone pointed it out.... And let's not forget that even the customer satisfaction surveys are unreliable, since they depend on people's expectations and opinions and loyalties, as well as how well they drive the cars they own.

Well put. And in addition, it's worth noting that Mercedes-Benz had built some of the most reliable cars in the history of the automobile (specifically the old S-Class); if I'm not mistaken, they still hold several vehicle lifetime mileage records. I've also known many people (including my granddad) who've owned near perfect Benzes that never so much as let out a peep even when driven at their top speeds (about 225KPH) regularly.... Do that with the average Lexus and the quality and reliability argument for Lexus starts to disappear entirely. Now if only Mercedes could complete their return to true form....

Audi's ahead of you (well, just slightly anyway, hehe).... They're planning on introducing specifically RWD cars, and as odd as it might sound, Quattro GMBH is going to offer RWD versions of the newer RS cars a couple of years down the road. The reason for that is obvious: they want to compete with BMW. And since BMW already has amazing RWD cars and is inching away at Audi's territory with plans to add an X-Drive option to all their cars (including all M cars), Audi will have to take some of BMW's share in return to balance out the playing field. As for competing with Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus, I don't know whether you were being serious, but Audi is easily on par with Mercedes-Benz with or without RWD. As for Lexus, well, strictly from the involvement and driving pleasure point of view, Audi is miles ahead of Lexus. The best Lexus (in terms of handling and sportiness and driving pleasure) is the new IS, and even that still falls short.

Well the first time I heard it was at the Audi dealership near where I live, and I saw a news post about rumours of Audi planning to introduce a RWD option on a car news site (might have been MotorAuthority, not sure...).

Yeah, keep talking about snobbyness and me supposedly sitting on a high horse when you're the one acting the part. Yeah, that's REALLY believable. Stop projecting. All you've done is whine about nothing. Look up and read what I said again: you're the one who couldn't handle what was said "on the internet", which means if anyone has to "grow balls", it would be you, your highness. I never said I was better than you, but you talk like you ARE better than me. Actions speak louder than accusations. Keep telling yourself that I'm worked up and you're laughing when reading all these. Well thanks for proving yourself wrong again, because as I said before, you're the one who got worked up about my answer to something SOMEONE ELSE SAID! Haha. And if you really DO get a laugh out of arguing pointlessly, then as I pointed out before, you're just spamming. And besides, you just contradicted yourself, because here you are sitting there telling me I'm on a high horse thinking I'm better than you and being snobby, etc. etc. etc., and yet you openly admit you're supposedly "laughing while reading all these", which means YOU yourself, as I stated before, are the one who's snobby and thinks he's better than me. And even if you think you are or really are or aren't or whateer, I don't care. What astonds me is how you continue jumping from branch to branch to avoid answering my original response to your accusations. Yor last resort is the typical "honestly I don't care bla bla bla" which is apparently a bulletproof argument in your fantasy land. Keep digging....

Yeah, keep talking about snobbishness and me supposedly sitting on a high horse when you're the one acting the part. Yeah, that's REALLY believable. Stop projecting. All you've done is whine about nothing. Look up and read what I said again: you're the one who couldn't handle what was said "on the internet", which means if anyone has to "grow balls", it would be you, your highness. I never said I was better than you, but you talk like you ARE better than me. Actions speak louder than accusations. Keep telling yourself that I'm worked up and you're laughing when reading all these. Well thanks for proving yourself wrong again, because as I said before, you're the one who got worked up about my answer to something SOMEONE ELSE SAID! Haha. And if you really DO get a laugh out of arguing pointlessly, then as I pointed out before, you're just spamming. And besides, you just contradicted yourself, because here you are sitting there telling me I'm on a high horse thinking I'm better than you and being snobby, etc. etc. etc., and yet you openly admit you're supposedly "laughing while reading all these", which means YOU yourself, as I stated before, are the one who's snobby and thinks he's better than me. And even if you think you are or really are or aren't or whatever, I don't care. What astounds me is how you continue jumping from branch to branch to avoid answering my original response to your accusations. Your last resort is the typical "honestly I don't care bla bla bla" which is apparently a bulletproof argument in your fantasy land. Keep digging....

Hot damn I love inciting people.

Hahaha, incredible.... That's quite a sudden transformation you went through, from an innocent lamb who was supposedly under attack by me the "snob on a high horse" to someone purposefully fuelling the fire and apparently enjoying it too.... Wow. Everything you say just becomes more and more believable.... I love it. I'm just gonna continue to point out every single thing you say that's logically messed up.... I'm loving it. You're reminiscent of a 5 year old who just has to have the last word in as if it proves his or her case, despite being proven oh so woefully and embarrassingly wrong and proven to be nothing but a spammer who argues just for the sake of arguing. Haha. And what I love even more is that you're hiding behind the whole "I just love inciting people" BS as a plan B because the original claims and accusations under the guise of a logical and neutral person didn't fly! Hmm, I wonder what's next....

Wow, so I check back after more than a week, and that's all you had to say.... Bravo.... You sure proved me wrong. BTW, whether you find it funny or not is none of my concern. It just shows what a troll you are. Which is what's truly funny. And BTW, your last sentence makes no sense at all because nothing I've said indicates that I believe I know you well. I just call'em as I see'em, and you're just setting yourself up for everything I've said so far. Everything that I've pointed out has been based on what you yourself said. Deal with it.

I'm dealing with it just fine. And I'm still laughing at all of this. You really need to learn to let go (and yes I know if you come look at this you'll tell me that me reply to your last post indicates that I'm not letting go, blah blah blah. You can save your breath on that one, because I don't care. I'm just looking forward to the next hilarious reply from you).

Good to know.... So you've got some severe issues there then; I mean, you say you're STILL laughing at all this, so clearly you're either really bored or have no life or need a checkup from the neck-up. Well, at least you answered your own idiotically hypocritical remark right away. Laugh, don't laugh, I don't really give a shit. As I mentioned before, you started this by being a childish internet troll (as you partially admitted), so I'll just enjoy being entertained by your ludicrously misguided illusions of grandeur while continuously proving how moronic your little internet adventure is. Have fun making yourself look even worse.

Your high and mighty attitude is where the reflection of the illusions of grandeur shine through. Let's see, should I start with quoting "sounds like I touched a nerve", or "if you can't handle someone ripping on you, then grow some balls", or "hot damn I love inciting people", or "I'm still laughing at all of this", or "you really need to learn to let go", or perhaps "I'm just looking forward to the next hilarious reply from you".... No, no, that doesn't make you sound high and mighty at all.... Just goes to prove what I said earlier about you constantly projecting; you say things or act a certain way (on the internet, no less) that really makes you sound like you think you're better than me, and yet you seem to think that by projecting that on me first and saying that I'M the one who thinks he's better than you or high and mighty or on a high horse, you're safe from being called out for acting out those exact same things yourself. Sorry bud. I won't even bother going into how pointlessly unrelated the whole "Dr. Freud" remark was. You just love "proving" (!!!) how "retarded" it is trying to make a point on the internet?! Well, it's not exactly hard to see that you're (YET AGAIN) proving yourself wrong, because not only have you not proven me to be anything you've claimed (and certainly not in your last two posts, haha), you've also proven yourself wrong and basically admitted that what you're "trying to do" is retarded, because clearly you're "trying to make a point", and if you disagree, then it just proves another thing I pointed out earlier, which is that you're basically acting like a spambot. Congratulations. You keep going back and forth between being a troll and playing innocent. I love it. I wonder what's next.... I'll probably be compared to Hitler at some point, haha.... Oh and by the way, you don't have to keep making a new post, just to let you know. Even though you clearly HAVE nothing logical or new to add even to this so called discussion/argument/whatever, you can still at the very least put your "reply" where a REPLY would normally go, instead of making a new comment as though you're replying to the news article, which you clearly aren't (nor have you done so at any point) - just a thought, your majesty....

I'm not trying to prove anything, only merely having fun with this whole situation. And does it really bother you that I'm not hitting "reply" every time. Are you that nit-picky?

First you say "I just love proving..." and then you follow it up with "I'm not trying to prove anything".... Haha, you're right, this IS getting to be pretty hilarious. Although, I personally don't think you really understand why.... And no, it doesn't bother me. I was just making a point. HEH

Ok. Show me one person who is not hypocritical in any way. You can't because everyone is a hypocrite in some way or another. You having to constantly take apart everything I say shows that you think highly of yourself. It looks like illusions of grandeur are reflected onto yourself as well with your long-winded explanations and points. You told me that I clearly need the last word in but you always seem to do the same thing. Nobody escapes hypocrisy, no matter how hard they try.