Toyota Motor aims to boost worldwide sales of Lexus models by about a quarter to 500,000-510,000 vehicles this year, bringing them back to levels before the global financial crisis hit demand.
Lexus lost its crown as the top luxury brand in the United States for the first time in 12 years in 2011, ceding the spot to BMW as Toyota suffered lost production after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a Reuters report noted, adding that the premium brand, launched in 1989, has also struggled because of its weak image in Europe and Japan where local rivals BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi dominate.
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Lexus has adopted a new look to give all future models a front grille in the shape of a spindle, including the redesigned GS sedan launched in Japan on Thursday.
“Our competitors – Mercedes, BMW and Audi – are all instantly recognisable on the road,” Kiyotaka Ise, chief officer of the Lexus group, told Reuters at the GS’s unveiling in Tokyo. “That’s what we’re going for.”
Toyota lifted its 2012 overall domestic sales forecast on Wednesday to 1.63m vehicles, up 6.5% from its previous forecast and 36% higher than 2011. It now expects global sales to rise 21% to 8.58m vehicles.
Nissan Motor’s Infiniti – being rolled out worldwide – and Honda Motor’s Acura – sold only in North America – are stepping up efforts to become global brands.
Ise’s deputy, Kazuo Ohara, said Lexus would step up marketing activities to raise its profile as a technologically advanced nameplate in Japan, where consumers largely equate luxury and status with traditional European brands.
Toyota has set a monthly sales target of 600 GS sedans in Japan.
Ohara said he expected overall Lexus sales in Japan to be only slightly higher than last year’s 42,365 vehicles.
BMW sold 34,195 vehicles in Japan in 2011, while Mercedes sold 33,207 and Audi 21,166.
Globally, Lexus sold 404,000 vehicles last year, down from a peak of 518,000 in 2007, Reuters said.
