Is the frequent quality problems of Lexus behind the shutdown of CT200h the main reason？

　　As early as many years ago, in order to make up for the shortcomings of Toyota’s high-end brand Lexus in compact models, CT200h was introduced to enhance its overall competitiveness. However, according to the sales data, from the launch of the CT200h to the first quarter of this year, the global cumulative sales volume is only about 267,000 vehicles. In this big market of China, the sales volume of the CT200h accounts for less than 10% of the total sales volume of Lexus. It can be seen that this entry-level car, which has been launched for nearly six years, has not brought surprises to Lexus.

　　▲ The sales volume is not satisfactory, and the production of CT200h is discontinued.

　　Perhaps the sales volume is not satisfactory. According to reliable sources, the CT200h will face production suspension, and Alain Uyrrenhoven, president of Lexus Europe, revealed that "the CT200h will be replaced by a hybrid small SUV". Of course, if we study why the CT200h stopped production according to the meaning of Lexus, we may only think that the SUV market is overheated and the cars are not popular, but is this really the case?

　　As we all know, compared with British finidi and Acura, Lexus, as a member of Japanese luxury Three Musketeers, has performed strongly in the market with its excellent quality and good service. Therefore, when the compact car CT200h, which started at more than 200,000 yuan, was launched, many people began to worry that it would more or less destroy the long-standing good image of Lexus.

　　▲ Hidden quality hazards affect the brand image, or become the main reason for the shutdown of CT200h.

　　Because it is a hybrid of oil and electricity, CT200h is excellent in fuel economy, and its bold design also shows the charm of Lexus. However, in details, CT200h really proves the truth of "a penny gets a share". First of all, in terms of materials, CT200h’s materials are very general, the suspension is hard and the comfort is average.

　　A criticism that is particularly worth mentioning is the sound insulation effect of CT200h h. It has been reported by the media that when the speed reaches above 80km/h, the noise inside the CT200h is as high as 79dB(70-90 dB is noisy and nerve cells are destroyed), which has seriously interfered with the driver’s driving and the safety hazard is very obvious.

　　In addition, a friend of Xiaobian’s car owner said that the CT200h he was driving had many problems, especially the abnormal brake noise. When Xiaobian searched online for the abnormal brake noise of CT200h, there was almost a buzz on the Internet. What’s more, some car owners couldn’t wait to show the abnormal brake noise in less than three or four days, which was really a headache.

　　Therefore, Xiao Bian guessed that the CT200h had the idea of stopping production because of its poor sound insulation effect and abnormal sound, which was not conducive to the establishment of a good brand image.

　　▲ frequent and numerous recalls, but ineffective and negative?

　　Originally, I wanted to fill the gap in the compact car market. Clinker CT200h, an entry-level model, did not give force, did not bring surprises to Lexus, and more or less brought some panic. So, is it the best choice to stop production of CT200h to reverse Gankun and re-establish the brand image?

　　In fact, in view of the defects of vehicles, car companies will start a recall plan to improve the problems of vehicles. Although Lexus has not implemented a recall for abnormal noise, Lexus has started a recall plan before because of the hidden dangers of fuel leakage and airbags, involving 37,423 vehicles, including CT200h.

　　The number of recalls is amazing, but this is not the problem of this recall. Xiaobian asked the owner’s friend. When he told him that his CT200h was going to be recalled for inspection and maintenance, he said he didn’t know. When he called the local 4S shop, the staff of the 4S shop admitted that his vehicle needed to be recalled. In other words, even if Lexus started the recall plan, it did not take the initiative to contact the owner for inspection and maintenance, but the owner reflected that the 4S shop admitted it. Does such a poor and negative service attitude really come from Lexus?

　　Coincidentally, another incident deserves our attention. A car owner once made a complaint on the car complaint network. He said that his newly bought 2014 lexus ES300 had just driven for 200 kilometers when the ABS fault light called the police, and the brake pedal didn’t respond at all. He was asked to replace the ABS controller assembly after going to the 4S shop for inspection.

　　The description of this problem coincides with the reason stated in Lexus’ recall regulations in April this year. The recall was as follows: due to the manufacturing reasons of a specific supplier, the oil pressure required for braking anti-lock braking system (ABS) and body stability control system (VSC) may not be provided normally, which may affect the driving stability of the vehicle and have potential safety hazards, and a total of 15,322 lexus ES200, ES250 and RX200t vehicles were recalled.

　　Putting the owner’s complaint together with the Lexus recall, we found that the owner’s ES300 also had the problems mentioned in the recall, but the ES300 was not within the scope of the recall!

　　Summary:Now, due to various quality problems, the CT200h is already in water under the bridge, and it has to stop production on the pretext of "good SUV market prospects". Apart from the tragic product CT200h, the frequent recalls of Lexus this year and the large number of them are really unsightly, but the negative and ineffective behaviors such as not notifying the owners in time and incomplete recalls are the facts that it is difficult to cover up when CT200h stops production.