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Mercedes, Infiniti, Lexus rank tops with mystery shoppers

If you want the best experience possible when buying a new car, then you'd better head down to your local Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti, or Lexus showroom. According a mystery shopper study conducted by the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, those three luxury brands ranked highest among the 33 makes surveyed. The highest scoring mainstream brands included GMC, Hyundai, Kia, and Ford.
The study asked 5,203 mystery shoppers about the tactics used by salespeople during their most recent automotive purchases, and found a few interesting parallels along the way. For example, dealers at Infiniti, Land Rover, and Smart leaned heavily on vehicle walk-arounds with potential customers, while Jaguar, Volvo, and Audi were quick to point out exclusive features.
This study contrasts with a similar study conducted by JD Power in 2012. Its Sales Satisfaction Survey listed Mini as the top scorer, while Pied Piper's mystery shoppers ranked the BMW-owned brand below the industry average. Lexus scored highly on both surveys, as did Infiniti and GMC.

Lexus ends partnership with Weinstein Co. and 'Project Runway'

Lexus has been a long-time sponsor of fashion reality competition show Project Runway, providing a car to the contest's winner and sponsoring at least one specific "challenge" per season. Only last week, a Lexus NX 200t was featured and used as inspiration for the remaining group of fashion designers. This would seem to be the last season that will happen, however, as Lexus has ended its partnership with the show's production company, Weinstein Co., after sexual harassment allegations leveled at Harvey Weinstein. "Lexus has chosen to terminate its agreement with The Weinstein Company that saw the luxury automaker working with the film studio on certain film and television projects," a company spokesperson wrote in a statement to Reuters. Last week, Lexus indicated it was "evaluating" its relationship with Weinstein Company. One would imagine this delay was the result of that week's episode featuring Lexus substantially more than usual. Related Video:

Lexus LC500 Convertible gets Marine Blue interior and top ... in Japan

Japanese customers of the Lexus LC will soon have a wider selection of exterior and interior colors, including a stunning Marine Blue option exclusive to the LC 500 Convertible. The announcement came on Thursday, along with news of some minor handling improvements. The Marine Blue selection adds an tidy navy lid to the LC droptop, paired with a matching interior. However, the entire cockpit hasn't been slathered in blue. Instead, the cobalt hue has been applied judiciously to the steering wheel, dash pad, gear selector, and sections of the door panels. Most of interior is actually white, giving the two-tone cabin an elegant nautical feel. In addition, Lexus is introducing two new colors to Japan's LC palette: Sonic Iridium, which looks like yet another silver variant, and Terrain Khaki Mica Metallic, which looks like the beautiful Nori Green special edition we got in the U.S. and was previously exclusive to the convertible, is now available on the LC500 and LC500h coupe. Buyers can tick a box for new orange brake calipers as well. Lexus says they've also improved the LC's steering feel, ride quality, and controllability during high-g cornering by making minor adjustments to the coil springs, dampers, and stabilizers. Coupled with tweaks to the settings of the variable gear ratio steering and dynamic rear steering systems, Lexus says the overall responsiveness has been improved. Lastly, the LC coupe's panoramic roof now uses a tinted privacy glass.  The Lexus LC menu has always been slightly different between the U.S. and Japan regions. For example, we get three interior options — tan, black, and a red-on-black two-tone. Even before Marine Blue Japan had a fourth, black-and-orange. It's not quite as Halloween-y as it sounds to American ears; the orange is more of a saddle brown. Lexus hasn't said whether Marine Blue (or any of the other improvements) will come to the U.S., but the LC is likely to receive a refresh soon. If the new interior is part of the package, we won't complain. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.