Lexus posts record sales in Middle East

Lexus today announced a record increase in sales in the Middle East in 2012, with 31,288 units sold during the year across the region, an increase of more than 50 per cent over 2011. Maintaining its leadership status in the luxury vehicles category, Lexus continued its dominance with a 36 per cent market share in the GCC, said a statement. The LX range of SUV’s emerged as the highest selling model with 47 per cent market share showcasing the outstanding road prowess, impeccable quality and sheer style unmatched among luxury SUVs, it said. Nobuyuki Negishi, chief representative of Middle East & North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “The Lexus brand has always set the trend for progressive luxury among premium vehicles and this heritage has been taken to greater heights with the new Lexus philosophy which has offered Middle East customers world-class luxury, evocative design, outstanding driving dynamics and innovative technology. “Our customers have embraced this new direction and our different models across the Lexus brand to drive us to a record performance in 2012,” he said. During 2012, Lexus launched a range of new models underpinned by its new design philosophy with the dramatically sculpted spindle grille as the design centerpiece. “With this development, Lexus has embarked on a carefully phased development of frontal design to reflect Lexus' movement towards a more dynamic, yet sophisticated position in the market,” said Negishi. The new and re-designed models in the Middle East include the flagship LX570, RX 350 and RX 450h in the SUV segment; and the all-new ES lineup which included the ES 350 and ES 250. The new ES unmistakably bears the new face of Lexus with its distinctive, spindle grille. The GS 350 was voted the “Best Executive Sedan” by a panel of motoring experts at the 2012 Middle East Motor Awards (Mema), the statement said. The year also saw the introduction of  the 2013 Lexus LS line-up which includes the LS 460, LS 460L, LS 600hL hybrid, and the first-ever LS 460 F SPORT.  – TradeArabia News Service