Lexus

Lexus is a brand name used by Toyota in the US and in Europe for luxury automobiles. It directly competes with traditional luxury brands as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

The first Lexus-branded model, the LS400, appeared in 1989. It was a totally unique design sharing no major elements with previous Toyota vehicles, with a new 4.0 litre V8 engine. It was widely praised for its quietness, well-appointed interior, fine engine performance, outstanding build quality, and value (in some markets, it was priced against Mercedes' and BMW's mid-sized models while offering size, performance, and quality comparable to their full-size cars). It was generally regarded as a major shock to the European marques, though it has never managed to gain the affection of the public in the way of the older luxury manufacturers (a fact not helped by anonymous styling and suspension regarded by reviewers outside the US as compromising handling for ride comfort). It won several major motoring awards when released.

These virtues have been maintained in subsequent iterations of the LS400, and the range has been expanded with other models (the Camry-based ES300, and the small, rear-drive IS200 and IS300, and the Landcruiser-based LX470 SUV).