Lexus, history – Auto Story
Lexus has no long story behind (he was born shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall), but nevertheless managed to conquer motorists from all over the world in a short time, especially lovers of understatement and ecology (now all models of the Japanese brand hybrydы). Let's explore together the evolution of the Group's luxury brand. Toyota.
Lexus, history
La Lexus (a meaningless name created specifically to symbolize luxury and elegance) was born in 1989 to oppose the US market. Acura e Infiniti ("Premium" brand Honda and Nissan). The first cars of the brand presented at the Detroit Auto Show are two flagships: LS (equipped with 4.0 V8 engine) a rear drive and younger sister ES a front-wheel drivebased on the Camry and featuring a 2.5 V6 engine. The former is appreciated for its high level of quality, while the main criticisms relate to non-original design and suspensions too soft.
And here is the athlete
The range of the Japanese manufacturer, which immediately achieved great success in sales, expanded in 1991 with the release of the coupe. SCequipped with the same engine as the LS. In the same year, it was the turn of the second generation ES.
In 1993 was Lexus GS, Another Flagman similar in size to ES but equipped with rear drive and a more original design, and next year it was the turn of the modified and revised LS.
SUV time
The first SUV of the Japanese brand is LX (followed shortly after by the third ES series) in 1996. Two years later, it was the turn of a more compact one. RX, the first is produced outside Japan (in Canada), next to the second GS series.
New Millennium
The new millennium opens up for Lexus with launch Beriina I.S. in 2000. In 2001 the second generation SC (One spider with a folding metal roof), and in 2002 it was the turn SUV Media GX.
In 2003, the second RX series entered the market, but the most important novelty dates back to the following year. hybrid (the first dual-fuel vehicle of the Toyota Group luxury brand).
La Lexusthe brand, originally intended for export, debuted in the Japanese market in 2005, and in 2006 GS hybrid and fourth generation LS, available with long wheelbase and gasoline engine combined with electric.
More nasty things
In the second half of the last decade, the Japanese brand focuses on sportiness: it supplies engines for Riley which was awarded three years in a row - from 2006 to 2008 - 24 hours Daytones and won three Japan GT Championships (2006, 2008 and 2009) with SC.
But that's not all: in 2007 Lexus in the same show - Detroit - "very bad" sedan IS F (which has a 5.0 V8 engine) and LF-A conceptthat anticipates forms LFA, a supercar introduced in 2009 and powered by a 4.8 V10 engine.
Economic crisis
The economic crisis is affecting the Japanese brand, which since 2009 has focused on more affordable and sustainable models: in 2009 two hybrids were released (second series RX dual power and HS, compact, aimed at North America and Japan), and in 2010 another petrol/electric vehicle debuted, the “C-segment” CT... To appeal to a sportier audience, cars built this decade (like the third IS series) have a more aggressive styling, especially at the front.
