Lexus to debut in India

Toyota Motor Corporation is set to join the elite club of car makers by launching the Lexus brand in India.

Lexus will pit against luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo and Audi, which are already present in India.

Toyota is planning to introduce LS 460 sedan and LX 470 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in India by the next two years. It also has plans to launch another SUV, the RX 330, in the domestic market.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has already started the preliminary groundwork in terms of strategy and dedicated dealership network which will be different from the network that sells Toyota's existing cars like the Innova, Corolla and Camry.

TKM will rope in select dealers for the Lexus range under a new marketing strategy. It is likely to have exclusive dealers for Lexus, concentrated mostly in metros and major cities. Even the existing TKM dealers short listed for the Lexus will operate from a separate exclusive entity to maintain its niche brand value.