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Lexus Remains No. 1 Luxury Nameplate in the U.S.

9 September 1999

Lexus Remains No. 1 Luxury Nameplate in the U.S.; September Marks 10-Year Anniversary of First Lexus Sold

    TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 8 -- As Lexus acknowledges the 10th
anniversary of its first vehicle sold, the company also celebrates its eighth
straight month as the top-selling luxury marque in the United States.
    "Sales continue to be on a roll," said Bryan Bergsteinsson, Lexus group
vice president and general manager.  "As 2000 models make their way into Lexus
showrooms, we're enjoying our best sales success to date.  And customer
satisfaction levels remain high, which is a top priority for us.  We couldn't
have asked for a better way to celebrate our first 10 years as a player in the
luxury arena."
    August sales of 17,071 mark Lexus' third-best month in its history.
Year-to-date sales of 123,994 vehicles has the manufacturer 24.0 percent ahead
of last year's record pace.  Lexus leads the luxury race by nearly 3,000 units
with competitors' year-to-date sales results as follows: Mercedes-Benz,
120,966; Cadillac, 118,274; Lincoln, 113,215; and BMW, 105,182.
    In addition to steady sedan sales, the RX 300 remains Lexus' top-selling
model, posting its best sales month ever in August with 6,754 units sold, a
23.8 percent increase from the same period last year.  Year-to-date, 46,604
RX 300s have been sold, up 97.4 percent from 1998.
    "We continue to be astounded by the RX 300's popularity," commented
Bergsteinsson.  "We knew the RX 300 would be a hit, but we never imagined
sales would stay this strong for such a long time.  And it doesn't show any
signs of slowing."
    Although overall sedan sales were down slightly from a year ago, the
LS 400 flagship premium-luxury sedan posted one of its best months in recent
history with sales of 2,302 units, a 10.7 percent increase from 1998.