The 2007 Lexus GS600 is a revolutionary vehicle that will showcase the ability of a car to drive itself. A SWOT analysis of the Lexus GS600 will predict how successful marketing this vehicle will be and any problems that Lexus will need to anticipate. The strength of the Lexus GS600 is the first mover to market advantage over other car manufacturers such as Mercedes. By being the first to market a car that drives on autopilot, Lexus will have the advantage of a large market share for this type of product.
Lexus will also be known as the car manufacturer on the leading edge of autopilot technology. If the Lexus GS600 is successful, consumers will always associate the Lexus brand with superior technology. The weakness of the Lexus GS600 is the unproven technology. The autopilot is driven by a computer chip that may be prone to failure. Computers do not have the ability to be proactive in traffic situations that may become quickly dangerous.
Computers also do not have the ability to learn and gain knowledge from driving experiences.
Although the GS600 may be able to accelerate, decelerate, and stop when danger is signaled; the question remains about the cars ability to make lane changes or quickly react to other cars that may pose dangers outside of the computers awareness zone. The opportunities for the Lexus GS600 are abundant in marketing time-management tools. Car owners will be able to use time spent on long drives to perform other tasks such as reading, talking on cell phones, writing, eating, or self-grooming activities.
Lexus will also be able to build on this initial highway autopilot platform and produce a line of vehicles that will be able to perform many more functions on autopilot. The threats to the Lexus GS600 are accidents and subsequent lawsuits. If accidents are attributed to the autopilot technology, Lexus may loose large sums of money in lawsuits and vehicle recalls, destroying any market share or advantage gained over competitors.