LEXUS

Lexus' arrival in the Japanese market in July 2005 marked the first introduction of a Japanese luxury marque in the domestic market. The IS, GS, and SC models became available in Japan in 2005. Sales were initially slower than expected, but increased the following year.In particular, the introduction of the LS 460 in September 2006 exceeded expectations, with over 12,000 orders in its first month on sale. Lexus Japan's network of 143 new dealerships became profitable in 2007.The marque's Japanese debut ended domestic sales of previous generation Toyota-equivalent models; right-hand drive versions of the LS, SC, RX, IS, and GS were previously sold in Japan under Toyota's Celsior, Soarer, Harrier, Altezza, and Aristo nameplates, respectively. With next generation models, these nameplates were no longer used and new models realigned to Lexus Japan dealerships.The dramatic price increase (from ¥1-million and up) on new Lexus models was considered a main reason for initial slow Japanese sales, along with the overall contraction of the domestic auto market.In 2009, the HS 250h became the marque's top-selling sedan in Japan.