Lexus brand makes its official Indian debut

The Lexus brand has made its debut in India with three models - the RX 450h, the ES 300h and the LX 450d. However, the automaker has currently announced prices of only two of these models as the LX 450d will be launched at a later date. The RX 450h has been introduced in India in two variants, priced at Rs. 1.07 crore and Rs. 1.10 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). Meanwhile, the ES 300h hybrid sedan has been launched at Rs. 55.27 lakh. For the time being, all Lexus cars will be brought to India through the CBU route.

The automaker will start its Indian operations with four dealerships, one each in Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Authorized after-sales service stations will also be available in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi. Additionally, the company claims that select Toyota dealers will be trained to provide service to Lexus cars, though they will need to setup a dedicated service bay.

The company has also announced that it will be bringing the LS 600h flagship sedan to India sometime next year. Akitoshi Takemura, who has been a Senior Vice President at Toyota Kirloskar Motors in India, will now be heading Lexus India.