It’s been a long time coming but the Lexus luxury car brand reportedly seems to be finally closing in on its Indian debut. And if speculations are to be believed, the Toyota-owned automaker will get the ball rolling in the country with three new models- the RX SUV, the ES sedan and the RC-F coupe.
The Japanese manufacturer could also bring the hybrid version of the ES sedan, which was originally built on the popular Toyota Camry platform, on Indian shores. The car is expected to be priced under the Rs 1 crore price mark, according to Economic Times.
What could cross eight-digits though, is the price of the Lexus RC-F 5000cc predator which will fight it out with the likes of the Jaguar F-Type and the Mercedes-Benz S Class in the Indian market. Elsewhere, given the increasing popularity of SUVs in this part of the world, the RX will have to prove its mettle against the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5.
As per the company, its presence in India will be no different than its ‘strong’ global brand. In terms of setting up a manufacturing unit in the country, Lexus is taking things one step at a time and will only decide upon that after understanding the response by the Indian motoring diaspora.
India’s luxury car market is not an ideal place for manufacturers, with this segment contributing to just one per cent of the overall passenger vehicle market. And with the government’s crackdown against pollution, the future could be even rockier.
But Lexus is setting foot in India on the back of widespread success in the west and also in Chinese markets. In the USA, Europe and China, Lexus has sold more units than Jaguar and Land Rover and was second only to BMW in The States by a few thousand units, last year as well. All this build up sure makes for one upcoming brand story to keep an eye on.
