2017 & 2018 Lexus Cars, Trucks & SUVs Reviews & Ratings

Auto brand Lexus is synonymous with refinement. Lexus is Japanese automaker Toyota's luxury brand and was first introduced in the United States in 1989. Currently, Lexus vehicles are sold a global level to over seventy territories and countries. This gives Lexus the distinction of being Japan's best- selling luxury car brand and one of the top-ten Japanese brands overall in terms of value. The Lexus brand's headquarters are in Tokyo City, Japan. The company also does major work in Torrance, California (U.S.) and Brussels, Belgium.

The Lexus brand really began with the secret project , Flagship One (F1 for short). This result of this project was the Lexus LS 400, which met the company's goal for the endeavor: to create a "flagship" four-door sedan that could challenge other luxury automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. This sedan would expand Toyota's line and offer it leverage to move the Lexus brand into the luxury market niche, following the success of the premium rear-wheel drive Toyota Cressida and sporty Toyota Supra model and due to the fact that Japanese voluntary export restraints made exporting luxury vehicles from the country much easier for automakers. At the same time, Honda was launching its Acura brand, Nissan was launching Infiniti, and Mazda was also considering an upscale brand, named Amati. (The last occurred, however). To crush the competition, Lexus sent marketers to observe the American upper class, and F1 engineers began testing on various locations throughout the world. Lexus new it had to create a new brand, a new sales channel, and a new set of American dealerships to sell its product, and that's what the company did with its Team One advertising team and well-placed dealerships throughout the U.S.

After an extended period of time and an extensive development process, Lexus finally debuted its F1 project- the Lexus LS 400 in 1989 at the Detroit Auto Show, and the vehicle was produced for sale the next September at eighty-one new U.S. dealerships. The LS was exalted for its quiet ride, luxurious interior, fantastic performance, and fuel economy (among other positive attributes) and won several accolades in comparison to BMW and Mercedes-Benz models. The brand gained instant loyalty from many customers, and the Lexus buyers (many who also traded in a Lincoln or Cadillac) were hooked. The LS 400 did receive two customer complaints for defective wiring, and the brand set technicians to aid all Lexus buyers for free, which established the great customer service reputation the brand holds today.

Several other popular models followed the LS 400, including the ES250 sedan, which was next in line. By 1990, Lexus was exporting to the UK, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland, and by 1991, the company had its original sports coupe, the SC 400, tailed by the 2nd generation ES 300 sedan. The brand began increasing its prices now that it was successfully competing with similarly luxurious brands. The GS 300 mid-size sports sedan was popular in 1993, around the same time that Lexus launched one of the first certified pre-owned programs. Lexus' fresh-faced sport sedan line was introduced in 2000 with the IS line, and in 2001 the first convertible was released, named the SC 430. In 2005, Lexus separated from Toyota for the most part; it now has more sovereignty over its own brand. Today's popular Lexus models include the 2012 Lexus ES and IS, the 2011 Lexus GS and GS Hybrid, and the always-popular Lexus LS (also available in Hybrid).