Lexus

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Lexus

logo
legal form Division / brand
founding 1989
Seat 1, Toyota-chō, Toyota
Aichi 471-8571
Japan
management Takeshi Yoshida (Managing Officer), Jim Farley (Vice President), Heiko Twellmann (Managing Director Germany)
Branch Automobile manufacturer
Website www.lexus.com

Lexus sales office in Munich

Lexus is an automobile brand of the Japanese Toyota Motor Corporation , introduced in the United States in the fall of 1989 and in Europe in mid-1990.

Toyota sells vehicles in the premium segment worldwide under this brand name. The name Lexus is a made-up word that refers to the luxurious character of the vehicles. In Europe (as of 2018) eight model series (CT, IS, GS, LS, RX, NX, RC, LC) are sold, ranging from the compact class to the luxury class . Since 2006, the luxury-class vehicles previously sold as Toyota in Japan have also been marketed there under the Lexus brand.

Lexus automobiles are manufactured in their own plants in the small Japanese town of Tahara , while the hybrid models roll off the assembly line at the Toyota Motor Kyushu plant in Kokura , a district of Kitakyushu . Only the contingent of the off-road vehicle RX330 / 350 for the American market is produced in Cambridge , Canada .

Current models

For all models, the displacement is appended to the model designation as a three-digit number; for example, an IS 350 is equipped with a 3.5- liter engine. In the case of hybrid models (also marked with an h at the end), it is specified which cubic capacity would be required for the corresponding output as a pure gasoline engine. The (few) diesels in the range end up with a d .

Compact class

Lexus CT (since 2011)

The Lexus CT 200h with a displacement of 1.8 liters was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010. He expands the Lexus vehicle range down into the compact car segment. The CT was introduced simultaneously in Europe, Japan and the USA in early 2011.

Middle class

Lexus IS 300h (since 2014)

The middle class is served by three models in the USA - HS , IS and ES - whereas in Europe only the IS and ES have been offered so far.

The current, third generation of the Lexus IS is offered as IS 300h in all markets. The IS 350 is only available in North America and Japan .

Based on the IS of the second generation, there was also the sports version IS-F with 5 liters displacement and a convertible with two engines - IS 250C and in North America also IS 350C . Also based on the IS, there is also a coupe called RC , which is also available in the sport version RC-F . This sporty model has a naturally aspirated V8 engine that develops 351 kW (477 hp).

The Lexus ES is now in its fifth generation above the IS . The only model currently available is the ES 300h .

The third mid-range model is the Lexus HS , specifically the HS 250h with a 2.4-liter engine. This model, offered exclusively as a hybrid, is also sold in Japan as the Toyota SAI .

upper middle class

Lexus GS 450h (since 2012)

The Lexus model of the upper middle class is the fourth generation Lexus GS , which has been built in the middle of 2012 and is currently available in North America as the GS 250 , GS 350 and GS 450h (with 3.5-liter engine). In Germany the models GS 250 , GS 300h , GS 450h and GS F are offered. In North America, the hybrid version accounts for about 50 percent of GS sales.

Upper class

Lexus LS

The LS since autumn 1989 is the flagship of Lexus and innovation support for new automotive technologies in powertrain, safety and comfort. The current LS generation was the first car in the world to have an eight-speed transmission. One of the pioneering safety technologies is the Advanced Pre-Crash Safety System , which makes it possible to recognize people and other living beings on the road.

The current models offered since the beginning of 2007 are the LS 460 and the LS 600h , which also has a 5-liter engine. All versions of the LS are available in all markets.

SUV

Lexus UX (since 2019)

Lexus has a total of five SUVs on offer, only three of which are available in Germany.

The Lexus RX is currently available as an RX 350 and an RX 450h (with a 3.5-liter engine). The car is the only Lexus that is already being offered as a hybrid in its second generation - the first generation was still called the RX 400h - and was the brand's first hybrid vehicle.

The NX 300h has been available in Europe and the USA since 2014 . This stands out with its aggressive lines and is the first compact SUV from Lexus.

There is also the slightly larger Lexus GX than the GX 460 . The vehicle is based on the smaller of the two Toyota Land Cruisers . The Lexus LX is also offered as the LX 570 . This is based on the Land Cruiser V8 .

The Lexus UX went on sale in spring 2019 and is available as UX 200t or UX 250h.

Sports car

Lexus RC -F (since 2014)

The Lexus SC sports car as SC 430 (folding roof convertible) was also available in Germany from summer 2001 to the end of 2010. From the end of 2010 to the end of 2012, the Lexus LFA sports car, limited to 500 vehicles, was also on offer. The sports coupe RC-F was introduced in 2014.

Van

Lexus LM (from 2019)

The Lexus LM, the manufacturer's first van, was presented at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2019 . The vehicle is based on the third generation of the Toyota Alphard .

Hybrid cars

Lexus was the first manufacturer in the premium segment to offer models with hybrid drives. Lexus set the trend towards low-consumption and lower-emission vehicles in the premium segment in 2005 with the introduction of the RX 400h hybrid model . In the next year, the hybrid system Lexus Hybrid Drive was also offered in the GS 450h. The LS 600h followed in 2007. Lexus Hybrid Drive is a system that is known as a full hybrid and can be powered by a combination of gasoline and electric motor, but also by just one of these motors. This distinguishes the system from so-called mild hybrids, in which the electric motor only has a driving support. The HS 250h with this concept has also been available exclusively in the USA since 2009 .

At the IAA in Frankfurt in September 2009, Lexus presented the LF-Ch concept full hybrid study, a possible first premium compact model from the brand. The production version was called the CT 200h and is the fifth hybrid model from Lexus.

Sales figures

Pascal Ruch, Head of Lexus Europe
Worldwide sales 2014 units
Japan 46,750
Europe 52,590
North America 309.701
China 75,960
Total 584,000

Timeline

Timeline of Lexus models ( Toyota brand since 1989)
Type 80s 90s 2000s 2010s 2020s
9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Compact class CT
Middle class IS [1] IS IS
HS
upper middle class GS [2] GS [2] GS GS
ES [3] ES [4] ES [4] ES [4] IT IT IT
Upper class LS [5] LS [5] LS [5] LS LS
Sports car SC [6] SC [6] RC
LFA LC
Van LM
SUV UX
NX
RX [7] RX [7] RX RX
GX [8] GX [8]
LX LX LX
  •  Not offered in Europe
    • [1] was in Japan by 2005 as Toyota Altezza offered
    [2] was in Japan by 2005 as Toyota Aristo offered
    [3] Nearly identical with Toyota Vista
    [4] was in Japan by 2005 as Toyota Windom offered
    [5] has been in Japan as to 2005 Toyota Celsior offered
    [6] was in Japan to 2005 Toyota Soarer offered
    [7] was in Japan to 2005 Toyota Harrier offered
    [8] If in Japan as Toyota Prado offered


    Web links

    Commons : Lexus  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Automobil-Produktion.de: Lexus: from high-performance athletes to full hybrids ( memento of the original from June 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.automobil-produktion.de
    2. ↑ http://www.lexus.de/car-models/rc/rc-f/index.tmex THE NEW RC F LUXURY SPORT COUPÉ
    3. ↑ Uli Baumann: Lexus LM Minivan: Van also with hybrid drive. In: auto-motor-und-sport.de. April 9, 2019, accessed April 16, 2019 .
    4. ↑ Green Cars: 2009
    5. ↑ 25 years of Lexus on faz.net, on May 20, 2015