Tokyo, May 26: Toyota Motor Corporation said on Wednesday it will start selling its high-end Lexus cars in the Japanese market in August next year, with an annual sales target of 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles. Toyota, Japan's top automaker and the world's third-biggest, will offer four Lexus vehicle series -- the LS, GS, IS and SC -- in Japan within a year of the launch. The Lexus will be sold through a new network of 180 dealers, Toyota said.
The Lexus nameplate, born in the United States in 1989, has been an important profit-driver for Toyota, and its success has prompted the automaker to introduce the brand into the domestic Japanese market.
In 2003, Lexus sales in the United States reached a record 2,60,000 vehicles, beating the previous year's record by 11 per cent. It was the best-selling luxury brand in the United States for a fourth straight year. Bureau Report