Toyota has confirmed it will start selling its luxury Lexus brand cars in Japan from August next year, with an annual sales target of 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles.
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Vehicles designed for the Lexus brand have long been sold in Japan but have always been badged as Toyotas – the big LS400 sedan as the Celsior, for example.
Reuters said Toyota will offer four Lexus vehicle series – the LS, GS, IS and SC – in Japan within a year of the launch, selling them though a new network of 180 dealers.
The report said the Lexus nameplate, born in the United States in 1989, has been an important profit-driver for Toyota, and its success has prompted the carmaker to introduce the brand into Japan.
In 2003, Lexus sales in the United States reached a record 260,000 vehicles, beating the previous year’s record by 11%, and making it the best-selling luxury brand in the United States for a fourth straight year, Reuters added.
