Lexus is Toyota
Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation, but surprisingly, it is not introduce in Toyota’s home ground. It was first introduced in 1989 in the United States and is now sold worldwide. The Lexus is sold all over 70 countries and other territories worldwide not as Toyota, but by its name “Lexus”. It originated from a clandestine sedan project, code-named F1, and come up with the original Lexus LS in 1989. Subsequently, the division added sedan, coupé, convertible, and SUV models. Lexus launched its own F division with the debut of the IS F sport sedan, followed by the LFA supercar in 2009. Lexus vehicles have been first produced in Japan and later on begun its first plant assembly outside of Japan in Ontario, Canada which produced RX 330 in 2003. Following a corporate reorganization, Lexus runs its own design, engineering, and manufacturing centers, solely responsible for the division’s vehicles. Since the 2000s, Lexus has increased its sales outside the United States, its biggest automobile market. The division inaugurated dealerships in Japan’s domestic market in 2005, becoming the first Japanese premium car division to launch in its country of origin.

Why Lexus is not sold in Japan
It has been a big question why it took the company years to bring Lexus to Japan. Some says, that Toyota is famous in Japan that it will have no trouble selling Lexus in Japan as Toyotas. Company officials also say the Japanese car market is just now reaching the point where it can sustain a large luxury segment. “We want to raise the level of our cars,” Toyota’s President, Katsuaki Watanabe, was quoted. “If we make a luxury brand, there will now be a market for it. In this sense, Japan is becoming like the rest of the world.” Some analysts however, offer some explanation: The Japanese carmakers may have wanted to wait until the luxury Lexus have established its name in the United States and other countries before making a huge investment in Japan. Toyota refuses to disclose the figures when it introduces Lexus to its home country. But despite the booming success of Lexus in the United States and about 40 other countries, it is still faced the toughest sales job at home. It is also a fact that Japanese people are lovers of imported luxury cars such as Mercedes and BMW which was not offered by their own automobile companies. That is why, “Toyota must show a special value in the Lexus, a way to make people proud they own one,” said Shinji Kitayama, auto analyst with Shinko Securities in Tokyo. “It’s not going to sell that well at first, but sales can be expected to pick up gradually,” he added.