Lexus IS Chief Engineer admits that BMW is the one to beat.
Motor Trend magazine interviewed Junichi Furuyama, the new Chief Engineer of the Lexus IS about the new IS.
"My mission is to overtake the BMW 3-Series as number one in the compact sedan category," says Furuyama. "That is the way I see it. That is the task we are assigned."
Furuyama admits that the previous IS fell short in the performance department.
"As soon as I was assigned to be IS chief engineers of the IS, I drove all the rival cars and studies all the differences," he says. "Unfortunately, while I thought the IS was one of the sportier and more enjoyable cars in this segment, I found out that the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class were actually a few steps ahead of us. That was my initial feeling."
Also see:
Just Revealed 2014 Lexus IS F-Sport Compared to BMW F30 3 Series M Sport
Not really surprising..