A quarter of a century after its launch, Lexus still hasn’t managed to dent its German rivals’ armor. The premium segment is fiercely contested and, while it has rolled out some pretty competitive models, the Japanese brand can’t compete on sales.
Numbers, in this occasion, don’t lie: in 2013 Lexus shifted 523,000 vehicles worldwide. The Germans just crushed it: BMW delivered 1.66 million units, Audi 1.59 million and Mercedes-Benz 1.47 million.
Talking to Just-Auto, Lexus Europe boss Allain Uyttenhoven said that Toyota’s premium division is finally “out of its adolescence” and now that it is offering “high quality vehicles, excellent customer service and environmental responsibility is time for emotion to be added”.
Uyttenhoven conceded that “it is impossible to catch the German three, worldwide” and the brand is determined to be “number four”, ahead of fifth-placed rival Jaguar Land Rover.