The on and off rumors about the Lexus brand’s debut in India have been finally put a rest. Toyota has confirmed that Lexus will arrive in India in 2013 on the eve of the Tokyo Motor Show.
Mid-2011, rumors were rife that Lexus will chose Infinity Cars as their partners to retail Lexus. However, Toyota has entrusted the responsibility of establishing the Lexus brand in India to its Indian JV partner Kirloskar.
The Lexus GS250F Sport can match the credentials of a BMW 3 Series
The Lexus marquee was established in 1989 and focused its operations on US and Europe. However, with the increasing spending power in India, it was about time Lexus tapped the Indian market as well. Having said that, Lexus already enjoys a lot of popularity in the Bollywood scene with so many film stars being ferried around in their LX 470s.
The Lexus brand will start with conservative growth estimates in 2013. The dedicated dealerships will focus on customer service and experience rather than on numbers. Initially, Lexus will enter India in through a CBU route. However, if Indian consumer responds well to the brand, the company may adopt a CKD route.
We now wait for Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti to come out with an announcement on the India foray.
After rumors of Nissan planning to bring the Infiniti brand to India, it was only time that Toyota announces the Lexus brand in India. India and China are two of the most lucrative markets for luxury cars right now. Most international brands are making a beeline to enter the Indian market as soon as possible. However, Lexus cars (being a luxury brand) will not sold from Toyota’s sales outlets. If the company brings the line of luxury sedans and SUVs, it will establish separate dealerships for retailing them.
During an interaction with Indian Autos Blog back in December 2009, a top TKM official said there was a plan in place to bring Lexus to India. He was however unwilling to commit on a time frame. Lexus vehicles are currently brought into the country by private importers.
Toyota India also has plans to introduce a Financial Subsidiary so that the customers can avail of loan facility easily. Called as Toyota Financial Services, this subsidiary will help boost Toyota’s auto sales in the future. Their market study is almost over, though a final decision on entry is still pending.
Toyota has expressed interest in selling Lexus cars in India through its existing dealer network. The luxury cars are expected to compete with brands like BMW and Mercedes Benz and will be imported into India as CBUs (Completely Built Units)
Entry posted on September 1, 2008 by
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September 1, 1950: First Porsche completed A new chapter in Porsche history began today, with the company’s return to Zuffenhausen, Germany, and the completion of the first Porsche. The first car to bear the Porsche name had actually been built two years earlier by Ferry Porsche and his design team, but this Porsche was the first car to boast a Porsche-made engine. Porsche became an independent automobile manufacturer during this [ Read More ]
