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Lexus is a brand name used by Toyota in the US, Europe, and Australia for
luxury automobiles. It directly competes with traditional luxury brands as
Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Toyota has recently announced that it will also
market the brand name in Japan as well.
The first Lexus-branded model, the LS400, appeared in 1989. It was a
totally unique design sharing no major elements with previous Toyota
vehicles, with a new 4.0 liter V8 engine. It was widely praised for its
quietness, well-appointed interior, fine engine performance, outstanding
build quality, and value (in some markets, it was priced against Mercedes'
and BMW's mid-sized models while offering size, performance, and quality
comparable to their full-size cars). It was generally regarded as a major
shock to the European marques, though it has never managed to gain the
affection of the public in the way of the older luxury manufacturers (a fact
not helped by anonymous styling and suspension regarded by reviewers outside
the US as compromising handling for ride comfort). It won several major
motoring awards when released.
These virtues have been maintained in subsequent iterations of the LS,
including the new LS430 and the range has been expanded with other models
(the Camry-based ES330, and the small, rear-drive IS200 and IS300, and the
Landcruiser-based LX470 SUV).
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