Toyota Introducing Lexus Brand to Japan

Toyota Introducing Lexus Brand to Japan

TOKYO - Bow-tied waiters held trays of mineral water and chic ambient music filled the air as Toyota unveiled the three models Tuesday that will mark the introduction of the Lexus luxury brand in Japan, 16 years after it was rolled out in the United States.

For a combination of cultural and business reasons, Japan's No. 1 carmaker has until now avoided using the Lexus brand in its homeland, choosing instead to sell many of the same models under its trusted Toyota name.

For years, conformist Japan has lived under the ideal that everyone is middle class, and most people tended to shun flashy or luxury cars that stand out.

But Toyota officials say Japan is changing, and a growing upper class is willing to spend — though how the new brand will fare in this notoriously finicky consumer market is uncertain.

Toyota Motor Corp. says it's trying to sell more than a car. It wants to give customers "an experience," and set up luxurious-looking dealerships, complete with leather furniture and hotel-quality service, especially for the Lexus. The showrooms open Aug. 30.

"This is the realization of our dream to create a global luxury brand," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters at a giant tent pitched in a Tokyo park, similar to tents for fashion shows and other gala events here. "This is something we have wanted for many years."

The Lexus models sold in Japan, which were known here as the Toyota Aristo, Soarer and Altezza, are slightly different from — and cheaper than — the sedan models shown Tuesday, the GS430/GS350, SC430 and IS350/250, priced as much as $61,000.

Toyota is counting on the success Lexus scored since its debut in 1989 in the United States, including excellent J.D. Power and Associates rankings, to woo rich Japanese, who now buy imports such as BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Toyota, based in Toyota city, in central Japan, has set up a special training center to groom classy, courteous dealers to sell the Lexus brand in Japan. That's proved a challenge because Japanese dealers are already superior to what people are used to in the United States and other nations.

Watanabe said Toyota is targeting 3,000 vehicles a month sales for the three models combined, and other Lexus models will start selling in coming years, including a hybrid GS next year. Toyota sold 7,900 of the planned Lexus three models combined last year in Japan as Toyotas.

This year, Toyota expects to sell 84,000 vehicles of the three new Lexus models around the world, 20,000 of them in Japan, Watanabe said. Next year, that the company hopes that will climb to 500,000 worldwide for all Lexus models — 50,000 to 60,000 in Japan, he said.

Toyota sold more than 358,000 Lexus vehicles around the world last year, about 80 percent of them in North America. Since 1989, Lexus global sales have totaled more than 2.7 million.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050726/ap_on_bi_ge/japan_toyota_lexus_3

let me get this straight, they are introducing a brand that has gotten remarkable history and yet they are barely going to introduce thier upscale models?

so are they changing the altezza to is350... that sucks... it would be cool if toyota kepet the altezza under its line up too...

basically the lexus line up that we know since 1989-2005 is dead. when toyota launches the lexus line up in japan, the altezza is dead, the celsior/ls will be gone, Aristo (aka GS) is already dead and replace by the upcoming new Lexus GS 350/430 (1st gen by japanese term), soarer is carried over to the new lexus line up killing the soarer name plate for toyota and the windom will die as it will be based off a different platform besides the camry in 2007.

This is old news! Damn n00bs:

I wish our lexus dealerships were that nice...

Indeed! And have two hawt asian chicks for each customer! Whoo!

Shnikies, that's pretty sweet. I need to move to Japan.

lexus sc300, sc400, sc430=toyota soarer
lexus gs300, gs400, gs430=toyota aristo
lexus es300=toyota windom
lexus rx300= toyota harrier
lexus is200, is300=toyota altezza
lexus ls400, ls430=toyota celsior
lexus lx450, lx470=toyota cygnus



yea, lexus has been there for a while...even if they take the form of toyota at times...

I just need 2 hot japanese chicks...

toyota discontinue sales of the altezza, aristo and soarer. next up is the clesior. and lexus will have is flagship again.

why does EVERYTHING in japan have to be so dope

that dealership looks like the one in San Antonio, TX though not with a japanese trend more modern american. the Benz ,bmw and jaguar dealership are freaking cool though, but thought i'd let you know.

It's Toyota Windom, not Window. n00b!

Because they are JDM Tyte!

they are the japanese very sophisitcated people, and thats why they are so good at what they do.

japanese people will rule the world.....in auto making....

hey the germans are starting to get pretty good take a look at porsche for example.

we cant all afford porsches..

there is no way iam paying for a porshce or a lambo.. when i can pay under 50k for a nicely equipped lexus with power

i'd still pay the extra mone for the porsche cars like that have a certian feeling in how they drive the on we had was a 95 targa, i thought it was a convertable but my mom corrected me on that. that was a georgous automobile and very powerful, and handled outstandingly well. the brakes really are the best in the world and the sitting and overall driving is comfortable it not a bit small if your a large or tall person.

just going by previous ownership well not exactly it was under my mom's name at the time. it was a maroon with white leather and maroon piping.i miss that car a lot.

had to sell it?..

no i crashed it into a telephone pole. i turned and i lost control when the tires slipped on the gravel, they were doing construction at the time.

let me guess, you were a noob at driving...

nope i just did not slow down fast enough when i was turning.