Lexus

Lexus is the luxury brand of the Toyota Motor Corp. Headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, Lexus also has operational centers in Brussels, Belgium and in Torrance, California. In 2015, Lexus sold 652,000 units worldwide.

Though officially established in 1989, Lexus’ origins date back to 1983 under the Toyota development project code-name “Flagship One.” The project was focused on expanding Toyota’s current fleet by building the world’s best vehicle. The end result of this project would become one of the first models Lexus would release.

Lexus first entered the U.S. market in 1989 with the debut of two luxury sedans, the LS 400 and ES 250. The project was ultimately a success, as it helped Toyota launch a vehicle that would expand the line and take its place in the luxury vehicle industry.

After the successful launch, Lexus continued to rise in the luxury car industry and within two years, outsold both Mercedes-Benz and BMW to become the best-selling luxury imported brand in the United States.

In 2005, Lexus separated from Toyota to become its own independent organization. This helped Lexus’ efforts to expand their brand more globally and enter into new international markets. In that same year, Lexus launched dealerships in Japan and became the first Japanese luxury car company to launch in its country of origin.

Today, Lexus vehicles are sold through more than 232 U.S. dealers. The Lexus vehicle fleet features sedans of different size classes, which include: the compact IS and HS models, mid-size ES and GS models and full-size LS. Sport vehicles range from NX models to RX crossover to full-size LX. The F marque is Lexus’ highest-performance models and are developed by the Lexus Vehicle Performance Development Division.

Popular Lexus models include: RX, GX, LS, IS and ES. Since 2006, Lexus has had a strong focus in environmentally friendly cars by developing hybrid versions of its best selling vehicles.

As for design, Lexus vehicles have close to 500 detailed product standards, known as “Lexus Musts.” Whether it’s leather seat stitching or incorporating the latests smart key entry system, Lexus designers are focused on creating advance and lasting vehicles.

Lexus vehicles were first produced in Japan, with manufacturing sites in Chubu and Kyushu regions. In 2003, Lexus vehicles were produced in Ontario, Canada, the first to be built outside of Japan. In 2015, Lexus opened a plant in Georgetown, Kentucky to support its strong North American market.

Additionally, Lexus has been a part of motorsport since 1999, when Team Lexus had two GS 400 racecars in the Motorola Cup, part of the Street Stock Championship touring car series. Since then, Lexus vehicles have participated in endurance racing, Super GT and IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. Lexus also sponsors the United States Golf Association’s U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.