Seeking Status - Lexus eyes high-end luxury market with LS 460

摘要

It might have been too obvious if Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury division held its press preview for the fourth-generation Lexus LS 460 sedan in the industrial city of Stuttgart, home of archrival DaimlerChrysler AG's luxury car division, Mercedes-Benz. Instead, the Lexus event is staged in the venerable Tyrolean city of Salzburg, Austria, which is just 189 miles (302 km) from Mercedes' headquarters; close enough to get the point across. The '07 LS 460 flagship is intended to make waves in the marketplace and take aim at the competition, especially Mercedes. Moreover, Lexus executives say holding the preview in Austria shows the Japanese luxury car maker's determination to increase its global presence - including, ironically on its home turf, Japan, a market Lexus entered only last year, where it faces a fair amount of competition from, yes, Mercedes, as well as BMW AG, Before then, Lexus models were sold under the Toyota brand name in Japan.